Marvel’s first female-led superhero movie, Captain Marvel, is here with the movie opening to advance screenings on Thursday, and more than 4,000 screens on Friday. 

For many fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, seeing a woman as the main character will be refreshing, as Marvel’s last solo female movie was Elektra which was released in 2005.

“I’m excited about watching Captain Marvel discover her powers and heritage throughout the film,” junior Jasmine Culilap said. “This is [Marvel’s] first solo female superhero movie, so like Wonder Woman, it’s wonderful to see a female character as the focal point, especially when she is just as powerful as the other superheroes.”

Captain Marvel has been surrounded by speculation that it will fail to compete with other superhero films for various reasons, but namely due to the fact that the main character is a woman.

“I definitely think that people shouldn’t disregard the movie or the character for those reasons,” Culilap said. “She is a very strong hero with an intricate background, and she’ll probably appear again in future Marvel movies so there’s really no ignoring her.”

Marvel’s release of its newest film marks an important step to many students in diversifying blockbuster films.

“I think it’s becoming really important to make these types of movies a lot more inclusive,” sophomore Connie Yang said. “Kids especially should be able to have someone to relate to and to look up to on the big screen. Captain Marvel has the power to do that.”

But due to the decision to release the film so close to the highly anticipated Avengers: Endgame, which hits theaters late April, there are those who feel like Captain Marvel will not have the spotlight it should.

“Even though I’m not that much of a Marvel fan, I think it’s kinda weird they plan to release two movies so close to each other,” Yang said. “I mean, there’s a lot of anticipation for both of them, but I feel like [Avengers: Endgame] ultimately has a lot more.”