How many lives does this cat have?

[lynnenne]

Hello, and welcome to your weekly discussion post! My apologies that this entry is a day late, I was unwell yesterday. This week's topic is about Goose the Cat.



In Captain Marvel, we're introduced to Goose the Cat. By the end of the film, we learn that Goose is no ordinary cat. She (or he? I'm unsure of Goose's gender) is actually a flerken, a deadly alien life form capable of swallowing all its enemies along with an Infinity Stone.

But what exactly is a flerken? Where did they come from? Where is their home planet? How did one of them end up on Earth? Why did it attach itself to Carol and Fury? Do flerkens have more than 9 lives? And do they live long enough to appear in the next Captain Marvel movie (which, one presumes, will be set in the current MCU timeline and not in the 1990s)?

Give me your head-canons!

Comments

[chelseagirl]

I definitely like to think Goose is still around -- although the fact that we haven't seen them . . . In the comics, where they are named Chewie and belong to Carol, they are definitely female.

I'm actually a little torn -- I thought Goose was a great character and added a certain levity that really worked. But now that we've had the big reveal, where would a sequel really go with it?

[lynnenne]

I'm actually a little torn -- I thought Goose was a great character and added a certain levity that really worked. But now that we've had the big reveal, where would a sequel really go with it?

You're right, her first appearance would be a hard act to follow!

[snickfic]

the next Captain Marvel movie (which, one presumes, will be set in the current MCU timeline and not in the 1990s)

I actually had assumed the opposite. It felt to me like the end of the movie was very clearly setting up a Carol vs Ronan clash at some point in the future, and Ronan dies in GotG in 2014, so a confrontation between them would have to be before then. Also, the Kree had just made a treaty with Xandar at that point, which I figured meant Carol had finally succeeded in taking down the Supreme Intelligence and turning the Kree empire in a less imperial direction.

[lynnenne]

It felt to me like the end of the movie was very clearly setting up a Carol vs Ronan clash

Huh, that part did not leave an impression on me - I'd forgotten all about it! I have no idea when the next movie will be set, to be honest. I just figured that it would be post-Endgame, since that was Carol's most recent MCU appearance. A Carol/Ronan clash would be great!

[luthienberen]

I had the same impression. Considering that in the GotG 2014 the Kree seem to have an Emperor now with no mention of the Supreme Intelligence and a peace treaty with Xandar, it would imply that Carol has succeeded in her mission.

I also can't believe she would wait so long to take on the SI or to find the Skrull a new home?

I do hope we see Goose in the next Captain Marvel film, perhaps on a sneaky visit of Carol to Earth to see Maria, Monica and Fury and Goose. OR Goose realises she is needed by Carol, (because who knows what power Flerken's possess?) and dashes off temporarily to assist?

[kore]

That would be great! (I am more than a little tired of how Endgame is affecting everything.)

In answer to "Where is their home planet?"

[dewline]

We don't know. Either for the MCU or "616" comics context. The world-of-origin question (and in which galaxy) hasn't yet been settled. They do seem to be infamous as a species on a "Local Galactic Group" scale.

[laraflame]

Well , it's an impossible hope of mine but I'd love to see the Skrulls more and their adventures in space. You know, how and where they found a new home. I know, I should probably just read the comics...
Now that you mention it, a Carol vs. Ronan clash would be awesome! You know what else? Carol actually finding Gamora in the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Carol and Gamora would make an awesome powerhouse-friendship together.
As for Goose... Maybe (s)he's chilling in Fury's super-secret base=home XD Who knows, but i'd love to see some more Goose, that's for sure.

[lynnenne]

Carol and Gamora would make an awesome powerhouse-friendship together.

They sure would!

[kore]

YES

[luthienberen]

A Carol-Gamora friendship would be terrifying and fabulous!

[lynnenne]

Best team-up ever!

[luthienberen]

Out of a love of cats - even ones who have tentacles lunging from their mouths - I have decided that the Flerken have an extremely long life! lol.

I do hope we see Goose in the next Captain Marvel film, perhaps on a sneaky visit of Carol to Earth to see Maria, Monica and Fury and Goose. OR Goose realises she is needed by Carol, (because who knows what power Flerken's possess?) and dashes off temporarily to assist?

Time wise I am not sure, but possibly not too long after the events in the first CM film. I don't think it would take Carol long to find the Skrull a home, nor do I have the impression she would allow the Kree war and the Supreme Intelligence to continue for another few decades.

I am guessing the above because in the GotG 2014 film no reference is made to the SI, but to an Emperor and a peace treaty with Xandar which seems unlikely to impossible with the SI still in charge. None of this makes me right of course! Merely jotting down the impressions I received when watching C and then GoTG.

Goose, plus Yon-Rogg and a fairer / closer look at the Kree-Skrull war would be fantastic. It would make for a more complex movie and Carol is certainly suited to figuring out the tangled mess of lies. A Ronan-Carol clash would surely fill in a few gaps as to Ronan's motives in GotG 2014...

[lynnenne]

Out of a love of cats - even ones who have tentacles lunging from their mouths - I have decided that the Flerken have an extremely long life!

I agree! Goose the Cat will be in every Marvel movie from now on, until the end of time. Or the end of the franchise, whichever comes first.

[luthienberen]

*Signs off on this!*

[kore]

OMG, Goose totally needs to cameo in every MCU film. Yes.

[glitteryv]

My headcanon is that, since Goose is an alien that looks like a cat, her lifespan can go for a couple of centuries. I do wonder if we will meet other flerken or, if similar to the comics, she's the only flerken around.

The cynical side of my brain says that, since Disney-Marvel did such heavy marketing of Goose and her bond to Fury (and, to a lesser degree Carol), there's no way they'd kill her off.

So I think we will see her in the next CM movie (maybe explaining where she ended up since pre-CM movie there's no record of Fury keeping a pet.) I'm also crossing all my fingers in hopes that we get to see her teleport (like she does in the comics) because that'd be way too neat of a quirk for CM 2 to skip, imo.

ETA: Also, if she teleports, we can see her popping up in other MCU movies or TV shows. Win/Win!

Even ppl who hadn't even heard about CM because they're not in the fandom told me that they ended up going to see CM because of 'the cat.'

[lynnenne]

Even ppl who hadn't even heard about CM because they're not in the fandom told me that they ended up going to see CM because of 'the cat.'

No way! I'm not THAT big of a cat fan, but it's cool that Goose is an audience draw!

[glitteryv]

I mean, it wasn't just for Goose. More like, Goose became the one thing they caught their attention, I guess. At first, it was a little weird. I soon realized, though, that not a lot of the moviegoing public knew who Captain Marvel was or why it was such a big deal to have her on the big screen.

It was one of those moments where the dissonance between being in fandom and not being in fandom was v. strong. I saw more examples of that while watching trailer reactions on YouTube. Off the top of my head, I'd say only about 7-10% of the ppl had ANY idea of who Carol Danvers was. And only, two (maybe three) people got excited about seeing Goose getting petted by Fury at the end of the first trailer.