Who's the captain now? If you watched the post-credits scene in Avengers: Infinity War, you know it's Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). And thanks to two action-packed trailers and early reviews, we know *a lot* of info awaits us -- head to the plot section below for more on those details, and head to our sister site GameSpot for theories on how Carol Danvers will save us all.

The film officially opens March 8, International Women's Day, but critics have already seen it, and reviews began to trickle out a few days before the opening. Here's a peek at what reviewers are saying.

Soaring tale of self-discovery"Captain Marvel was worth the wait. It's two hours of pure female empowerment packaged with all the visual power you'd expect from a Marvel blockbuster. Brie Larson is fierce and effortlessly cool as a fighter-pilot-turned-space-warrior trying to discover who she really is. And it doesn't hurt that Hole, Elastica and Nirvana set the beat with some of the biggest hits of the '90s. Grunge looks good on Marvel."  —Patricia Puentes, CNET

Right movie, wrong time"Most of the elements introduced in Captain Marvel seem like set-up for future Captain Marvel movies, not for immediately looming events. And if Captain Marvel isn't set-up for Endgame, then why are we watching it right now?"  —Michael Rougeau, GameSpot

Greatest strength is its biggest weakness"Captain Marvel is a fine rollout for a character who will likely be dropping by many an Avengers movie for years to come. But as a film it's only halfway there, filling in nerdy details about the larger cosmic concerns of the Marvel world but failing to stage one outstanding set piece in the process."  —David Sims, The Atlantic

Messy origin story with clever twists"Captain Marvel is all over the place, careening from far-flung laser-spraying cosmos to the car-chasing streets of '90s Los Angeles. This latest Marvel Studios expansion pack stars Oscar winner Brie Larson as an amnesiac. (She's haunted by memories of Annette Bening, as all the best humans are.) So the main character doesn't know who she is, and the movie around her has a similar problem. Captain Marvel only figures itself out toward the end, when a couple twists I won't spoil sharpen the spanning saga into a motley-crew errand of mercy."  —Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly

Brie Larson packs a punch"Captain Marvel, the first Marvel adaptation both to star a woman and to be co-directed by a woman, is an obvious, crude, and transparent film. And it's also quite enjoyable and evocative -- most of the time."  —April Wolfe, The Wrap

It can be tough to stay on top of the latest buzz about this much-anticipated film. Below are three of the latest bits of news.

Marvel Comics leader Stan Lee died in November 2018 at age 95, but he won't be forgotten in the company's films. Lee is famous for making cameo appearances in Marvel's movies, but his appearance in Captain Marvel will be even more special.

"I don't want to say anything I'm not supposed to say, but ... we did want to kind of have a moment and tribute to Stan Lee in this movie, obviously," director Anna Boden told Metro. "It was something that came from Marvel and when they showed it to us, there was not a dry eye in the house. It was really emotional."

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently told Cosmic Book News that Captain Marvel is the most powerful character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

"She's one of the most popular characters in our comics, she's one of the most powerful characters in the comics, and will be the most powerful character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe," Feige said.

He went on to say that introducing Larson at San Diego Comic-Con was one of the highlights of his career. 

"I was a great foreshadowing of not just for how audiences are going to embrace Brie as this character, but also for how Captain Marvel is about to take the lead and be at the forefront of the entire Cinematic Universe," Feige said.

Captain Marvel is producing some super-powered ticket sales, and not just in the US. In China, the upcoming film is beating every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie except Avengers: Infinity War in advance ticket sales, ComicBook.com reported. Advance sales in China are 76 percent higher than Spider-Man: Homecoming.

On Feb. 21, a representative for movie ticket sales site Fandango said in a statement that "Captain Marvel is currently pacing to be Fandango's third top preseller among Marvel Cinematic Universe titles, behind Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther."

If you compare Captain Marvel presales to other superhero origin stories, reports are Marvel-ous. It has passed the presale mark for Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Deadpool and Doctor Strange at the same point in the Fandango sales cycle.

Not many regular fans have seen Captain Marvel yet. But some who are angry about Larson posted negative feedback on review site Rotten Tomatoes, a process some have dubbed "review-bombing." Some comments focus on Larson's remarks to Marie Claire magazine about seeking to ensure a diverse group of critics was able to see her film. "Larson has made it clear ... men need not attend this movie," said one comment. 

What did Larson actually say? She said she's noted that press covering her films were "overwhelmingly white male." After that was confirmed by a USC study, she said "moving forward, I decided to make sure my press days were more inclusive." She's also spoken out to support underprivileged girls seeing the film.

Larson was asked about the reaction to her statement after the review-bombing started and told FOX 5 in Washington, DC, that she wasn't trying to take away access, only to give more of it.

"What I'm looking for is to bring more seats up to the table," Larson said. "No one is getting their chair taken away. There's not less seats at the table, there's just more seats at the table."

On Feb. 25, Rotten Tomatoes changed its site so that readers could no longer leave comments on a movie before the film was showing in theaters, but the company president told CNET the changes were not solely spurred by the Captain Marvel controversy.

Captain Marvel opens in the US on March 8. But if you miss it in theaters, don't expect to watch it at home on Netflix. On Feb. 6, Disney CEO Bob Iger noted it'll be the company's first film to skip Netflix and instead head to Disney's own Disney+ streaming service. Iger shared that news in a conference call with Wall Street analysts, Deadline reported. (More info on Disney+ is here, but if you love Marvel and Star Wars movies, better rejigger the budget to soon include another subscription fee, whatever it may be.)

Here's the new international poster for Marvel Studios’ #CaptainMarvel!

A post shared by Marvel Entertainment (@marvel) on Feb 4, 2019 at 9:30am PST

Tickets are now on sale for Captain Marvel on Fandango and some sites, and they're selling fast as a photon blast. In its first 24 hours of sales, the film moved into Fandango's top three best-selling Marvel Cinematic Universe movies as far as presales go, alongside Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther.

Special features and offers are also available at different theaters. AMC Theaters has a "fan screening" that begins an hour earlier than the early showings, at 6 p.m. local time on Thursday, March 7. AMC's movie page says the screening includes "exclusive intro content" and moviegoers will "get a collectible coin and cameo popcorn." Alamo Drafthouse theaters are selling tickets with a Captain Marvel pin or glass add-on from collectible company Mondo. 

In the wake of reports that Avengers: Endgame could be three hours long, it was kind of comforting to learn that Captain Marvel isn't pushing fans' bladders to such an extent. AMC Theaters is currently reporting that the film is just 2 hours, 4 minutes long, according to ComicBook.com. And as we've already learned, the film is rated PG-13 (no surprise), for "sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief suggestive language."

And don't miss the DVD. According to co-director Anna Boden, one particularly odd scene didn't make the cut, but should end up as extra footage on the home video edition. "There's a really kind of fascinating, bizarre, fun scene that didn't make it into the final film, but yeah, you'll have to wait for the DVD extras," she said. 

The second trailer, which came out Dec. 3, added more depth to the plot details sketched out in the first trailer, which arrived in September. Why does Captain Marvel matter so much? It all goes back to that Infinity War scene.

In the scene, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) find themselves in the middle of the Thanos-sparked chaos as half the universe's population disappears. Fury manages to use his pager and apparently sends a message to Captain Marvel just as he, too, disappears into dust. Since her film arrives before the next Avengers films, it would seem she's got an important role to play in Avengers: Endgame, possibly saving the universe from an invasion of the Skrulls.

One rumor claims that it's Captain Marvel herself who saves Tony "Iron Man" Stark from his adrift spaceship, as seen in the Endgame trailer. She's got space commander experience, after all. If NASA can't get to him, maybe she can.

And when Infinity War was released on digital in August, a keen-eyed Reddit user pointed out that one of Thanos' children, Cull Obsidian, was seen wearing a piece of cloth with Captain Marvel's colors and design on it. What that means is yet uncertain, but it adds even more anticipation to the mix.

Captain Marvel? Not exactly the best-known superhero ever. But her film will be the 21st in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and if she's going to get that kind of post-credits attention, fans had best brush up on her dossier before her film comes out. 

You can dive deep into her background and history with this explainer. A short version: This iteration of the character, Carol Danvers, was created in 1968, and was an Air Force pilot, CIA agent, security director for NASA and writer. She's also struggled with alcohol, like Iron Man Tony Stark, and her personal battles were depicted in numerous comic book issues.

Captain Marvel may not be as well-known as some superheroes, but she's about to take center stage.

Her superpowers came from a Kree alien named Mar-vell, the original Captain Marvel, and include flight, super strength, the ability to absorb and use energy, and to shoot energy blasts and lasers from her hands.

And -- spoiler ahead -- she has an extra power that could be a game-changer, co-star Samuel L. Jackson revealed. Stop reading here if you don't want to know...

"Now we know that we need something that's as powerful as Thanos," Jackson told Entertainment Tonight. "And at some point, we'll find out how powerful she is and all the things that she's capable of. She's one of the few people in the Marvel universe that can time travel, so..."

Yep, time travel, which is something those Avengers from Infinity War could sure use about now. 

Numerous characters have taken on the Captain Marvel name, and even DC Comics has had an (unrelated) Captain Marvel character (aka Shazam), though to date the Marvel universe doesn't have a "Captain DC."

The future is female! Here’s your exclusive first look at @BrieLarson as @CaptainMarvel, the galaxy’s newest — and most powerful — star: https://t.co/EKfHhGIhUa pic.twitter.com/xhD00bdfF0

After an EW cover reveal, we have a lot more info about the villains (Skrulls) and the heroes (sort of).

For example, thanks to EW we know a bit more about where we'll begin the film and what we'll see: "Captain Marvel sidesteps the traditional origin-story template, and when it begins, Carol already has her powers," writes Devan Coogan.

Larson gave us more on the extremely human character when speaking to EW: "She can be aggressive, and she can have a temper, and she can be a little invasive and in your face. She's also quick to jump to things, which makes her amazing in battle because she's the first one out there and doesn't always wait for orders. But the (not) waiting for orders is, to some, a character flaw."

We've also learned that when it begins with her powers, we'll see Danvers as a part of the elite Kree military team Starforce, which is led by Jude Law's (still) enigmatic commander, and that her main foe will be the Skrulls, with Ben Mendelsohn as their leader Talos, who is spearheading a Skrull invasion of Earth.

So will this Skrull invasion be the start of the MCU version of comic crossover event Secret Invasion?? No way to know for sure yet, but it's definitely hinted at in the EW report:

"Before long, Carol finds herself back on Earth with new questions about her past. And she's got a formidable enemy in the form of the Skrulls — the notorious Marvel baddies made all the more dangerous by their shape-shifting abilities."

Talos (Mendelsohn, far left) leads the Skrulls.

The film isn't focusing solely on Captain Marvel finding out about Thanos' slaughter of half the universe (see: Avengers: Infinity War) and leaping in to help. It's set in the 1990s, which may explain why Nick Fury is reaching out to her on a pager, not a smartphone. (Speaking of the 1990s, star Brie Larson was almost born in that decade -- Oct. 1, 1989 -- which makes some of us feel as ancient as an unopened bottle of Zima.)

Why the 1990s? Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige says all will be revealed in the story, but also told the Toronto Sun the time period would feel fresh. "It allows us to play in an area that we have never played in before, and tapping into a '90s action genre was fun for us," Feige said.

Even the movie's website is decked out in all the 1990s web craziness we used to see online, with rainbow text and random flashes and more.

And Captain Marvel executive producer Jonathan Schwartz told ComicBook.com that the 1990s-set film pays homage to other 1990s action films. "If you think about movies like RoboCop or Total Recall or Terminator 2 or Independence Day I think there are common action movie threads you can tease through those movies which are what we're trying to pick up on in this movie," he said.

So what's going on in the film? Marvel says it's about Carol Danvers taking on the Captain Marvel role to protect the Earth from a galactic war between the Kree and the Skrulls, both alien races familiar to comics readers. (The comic version of this war played out in 1971 and 1972, if you want to consult your archived Avengers issues for possible spoilers.)

Who are the combatants? The Skrulls are a race of shape-shifting aliens that can take on not just the shape, but the memories and powers of those they mimic. (Looks like the sweet-faced old lady Carol punches in the trailers, who gets in a few good kicks of her own, is likely one of them.) The Kree are a scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic race, some of whom have blue skin. Getting in the way of either of them is about as smart as tugging on Superman's cape -- oops, wrong comics company.

As for Captain Marvel herself, you may know star Larson best from her Oscar-winning role as a kidnap victim forced to bear and raise her son in captivity in 2015's Room. She also starred in 2017's Kong: Skull Island.

Two-eyed Nick Fury (Jackson) is staring someone down. 

Backing her up in the film are some familiar faces for Marvel fans, and a few new ones.

Director Anna Borden (right) shows off her moves to Law (left) and Pace as Ronan (center).

From left to right: Leader of Starforce (Law), Ronan (Pace), Korath (Djimon Hounsou), Att-Lass (Algenis Perez Soto), Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Bron-Char (Rune Temte) and Minn-Erva (Gemma Chan).

Big possible spoiler ahead. More rumors about the cast leaked out in November 2018, when a Reddit user shared images of Captain Marvel Funko Pop figures. Until now, reports have said Jude Law is playing the original Mar-Vell. But then in the original Funko image, Law's character was labeled as Yon-Rogg. (Keanu Reeves reportedly was first offered the role, but turned it down to star in John Wick 3.)

That name might mean nothing to many, but CNET sister site Comic Book.com says, "In the comics, Yon-Rogg is a villain who hates Mar-Vell and makes multiple attempts to disgrace him among the Kree or to outright kill him." 

When the figures actually went live for sale, that character had been renamed Star Commander. So is Marvel trying to hide a big character secret? Sometimes, toys turn out to be more than just kid stuff.

Carol Danvers is looking tres '90s in that NIN shirt...and is that a SHIELD hat? Tell me more please.

This article was first published May 1, 2018, and is frequently updated as new information is released.

Everything we know about the last season of Game of Thrones: Winter is coming, but until then we're left with reports and juicy rumors.

We didn't change site to protect Captain Marvel, Rotten Tomatoes says: Users will no longer be able to leave a review for a film that hasn't yet hit theaters.

CNet