The Marvels was the MCU’s first outright bomb, netting about $200 million worldwide against a massive price tag of $300 million. It was odd, considering Captain Marvel crossed $1.1 billion against a price tag of $175 million. Only four years separated the releases of the two movies, so what happened? Some said it was superhero movie fatigue, others claimed the marketing didn’t do much to sell the film (it really didn’t), and even more people felt that the primary issue was MCU oversaturation thanks to the shows on Disney+, including two that The Marvels was following up (WandaVision and Ms. Marvel). If it was any of those three, it was MCU oversaturation. One thing it definitely wasn’t was the fault of Nia DaCosta, who some publications felt Disney CEO Bob Iger was not so subtly blaming while simultaneously not blaming the male directors of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

DaCosta, who just beat Danny Boyle at his own zombie game with the fantastic 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, didn’t get to create exactly what she wanted to, but it was still a fun, breezy, and energetic MCU film. And the truth is, while someone who had never seen the Disney+ series wouldn’t have known who Ms. Marvel was, the movie still functions perfectly well without that knowledge. Why? Because the central concept of swapping locations when using powers is so unique and exciting. And it gets that point through to the audience very early on.

What Makes the First Fight Scene of The Marvels Such a Delight?

image courtesy of walt disney studios motion pictures

The opening of The Marvels shows the Kree’s new leader, Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), finding one half of the two Quantum Bands needed to control the Universal Neural Teleportation Network. This opens a pair of jump points, one of which is investigated by Carol Danvers and the other of which is Monica Rambeau. Kamala Khan already has the other Quantum Band, so she too is roped in. That’s why they swap places when they use their powers, and while the movie rushes through that, we get the gist.

And we mostly get the gist because, just 15 minutes into the movie, we get our first action sequence displaying just how dangerous it is to suddenly find yourself in an unknown location fighting off enemies. That applies whether you’re a superhero or not.

First, when Danvers uses her powers against a pair of Kree soldiers, Khan finds herself there in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, Goose the Flerken is right next to her, which uses his mouth tentacles on the pair of soldiers, terrifying Khan in the movie’s best gag. Khan uses her powers and in comes Rambeau.

It all happens very swiftly, and then we get an action sequence of similar swiftness that alternates between Khan’s house, the S.A.B.E.R. space station, and the Kree ship. It all happens at a lightning pace, but it’s so well-staged that we don’t miss a punch, kick, or location swap, all to the well-selected tune of “Ratata” by Skrillex, Missy Elliott, and Mr. Oizo.

A few things get accomplished in the midst of all the acrobatics, too. For one, we see Danvers swap an important bit of dialogue with one of the Kree soldiers. He calls her “the Annihilator” and, in a bit of foreshadowing as to the truth behind the name, we learn that she doesn’t care for said moniker.

Two, just before the fight we see Khan float her way through space towards Nick Fury. But it’s during the fight that we see them work together and bond. In a way, it’s Khan’s first little mission as an Avenger, or at the very least an impromptu test with life-or-death stakes.

Then there are the few great little moments throughout the fight. For instance, the way Rambeau jumps forward, punches a Kree, and falls back onto a recliner in the Khan household. It’s a very fluid movement. Even better is what comes just after that, when little Goose swallows the ottoman whole so Rambeau can avoid the swing of a Kree weapon.

It all comes across almost like a dance. But because they’re constantly swapping locations there’s an extra air of panic to this particular dance. They’re formidable in combat but consistently caught off guard. It really works, and this action sequence alone is better than all the action sequences in its predecessors (meaning Captain Marvel, WandaVision, and Ms. Marvel) combined.

Do you think The Marvels is one of the MCU’s most underrated movies? Let us know in the comments.