Captain Marvel’s executive producer has defended the decision to exclude a male romantic interest for Brie Larson’s character, Carol Danvers. The character’s strong and meaningful friendship with Maria Rambeau, played by Lashana Lynch, was highlighted in the Captain Marvel episode of Marvel Studios’ 4-episode series on Disney+, titled MPower. Marvel Studios released this series to honor the MCU’s most influential female characters, with each episode focusing on a different woman in the franchise.

Why Captain Marvel Doesn’t Have A Romantic Interest?

Lashana Lynch’s Maria Rambeau

In the episode, Captain Marvel editor Debbie Berman noted that the film did not include any romantic relationship for the main character. Marvel Studios’ President VFX and Animation, Victoria Alonso, explained that this was because it didn’t add anything to the story.

She also praised the relationship between Carol Danvers and Maria Rambeau, stating that it was a “wonderful friendship” and that there was no need to have a male counterpart. Brie Larson herself commented on the relationship, stating that the deep friendship between the two characters was “humbling” because true love does not need to be romantic.

Zoe Saldaña, who plays Gamora in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, added that a close friendship between two women could be enough for each other. Iman Vellani, who plays Ms. Marvel, talked about the healthy love and trust between Carol and Maria, saying that they were the only ones who could be there for each other when things got hard.

Carol Danvers Having A True Friend Is Enough 

Captain Marvel

Traditionally, superhero films have included the hero struggling to balance their dangerous life with a romantic interest. However, Captain Marvel challenged this notion and demonstrated the importance of true friendships. Alonso stated that Carol having a love interest “didn’t add anything to the story,” and it could be argued that it would have taken away from it.

The movie proved that a woman didn’t specifically need a male counterpart to lean on, and a friendship between Carol and Maria could mean just as much for those characters as Wanda Maximoff’s relationship with Vision meant to her.