I ain't buying it.

Let me clarify that.  While I am on-board with the Marvel hype machine behind Captain Marvel, something feels off.  Last week we got a great first look at Brie Larson in costume as the titular character for the upcoming movie.  The buzz about Captain Marvel and how it will play into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Avengers 4 is hectic and a bit overwhelming.  Prices are soaring, but I have a crazy theory that we are being played.  To quote the great Admiral Ackbar..."It's a trap!".  

To understand why I have a sneaking suspicion that Captain Marvel is going to be a bit Shyamalanian, you only have to follow the Ms. Marvel/Captain Marvel in the comics.  Carol Danvers, who will be played by Larson in the upcoming movie, is not the only character to hold the mantle of Captain Marvel.  And, interestingly Carol Danvers has traditionally held the title of Ms. Marvel but has only recently become Captain Marvel on the Marvel timeline.

The title of Captain Marvel has been used on various characters over the years.  Recent sneak peek photos from the set of Captain Marvel show that the most interesting of the Captain Marvel's has to be Monica Rambeau.  Monica debuts in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16 as the new Captain Marvel and she is the first female to hold this title.  One on-set photo shows a jet with the name "Maria Rambeau" scrawled on it.  We know that Captain Marvel is set in the past and Maria Rambeau is the name of Monica's mom in the comics.  So, can I draw some long flimsy conclusions about the overall direction of Marvel movies from a single image of an obscure character?  Well, that's why I make the small bucks here...to speculate!

My theory is that Brie Larson's Captain Marvel will be an important character for both background substance in the MCU and also the path forward after Avengers 4.  However, I don't actually think Carol Danvers is the long-term plan for Captain Marvel.  I feel like we are going to have a bit of a switcharoo happen.  I hope they use Captain Marvel similar to what Deadpool 2 did with the X-force:  hype them, kill them, move on to better things...or use the past as a stepping stone and burn the bridge like Rouge One.  Is Monica Rambeau the daughter of a young Nick Fury (played by a de-aged Samuel L. Jackson) and the real key to Avengers 4?  Perhaps the snap got rid of Brie Larson's character, and now her "team" must save the world?  I hope we don't throw Sharon Ventura into the mix but I do have hope for a Kamala Khan appearance.  We could use a scene similar to the movie 'Airplane' where a bunch of different Captain Marvels greet each other.

There are a few buyers who have agreed in part with my logic.  In the past few weeks, 9.8 graded copies of Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16 have been moving from auction sites.  Data on this book is popping.  All grades are showing positive pricing traction, with 9.8 grades trending up at 113% and all grades above 9.0 with major gains.  Fair Market Value (FMV) for a 9.8 shows a price of $260 on this book, but copies are moving on the market for $300-$350 and climbing.  There are also rarer version of this book in the Newsstand Copies, or even the elusive Canadian Price Variant.  So in the end, if my theory is wrong, you will still have a solid comic to hopefully bank some gains... but if I am right, look for Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16 to grow Marvelously!

What are your expectations for Captain Marvel?  Will the movie be a launching point for the MCU, or a complete pivot point?  Who is your favorite Captain Marvel?  Join the conversation by posting your comments.