Is Shipping Captain Marvel With Maria Rambeau Or Valkyrie Queerbaiting?

I wasn’t going to write this article about Captain Marvel, but after seeing the continued support actress Brie Larson has shown for ships involving Carol Danvers, Maria Rambeau, and Valkyrie, I think I have to share my opinion about why all of it is nearing queerbaiting territory.

Minor spoilers if you haven’t watched Captain Marvel yet. You have been warned.

Due to my experiences from being part of various fandoms, I’m not a fan of actors and creators showing support for ships especially when it is certain they aren’t going to be made canon. I don’t look kindly at queerbaiting, and I think the Captain Marvel fandom is at risk of being baited.

Brie Larson and Tessa Thompson have taken to social media to show their support for the ship involving Carol Danvers and Valkyrie. Larson has also shown support for the ship involving Carol and Maria Rambeau.

When it comes to Carol and Maria, there is a lot of content in Captain Marvel which has allowed certain fans to see how the two could be romantically involved. It is because Carol and Maria’s relationship is romance coded. This means there are certain characteristics given to their relationship which imply a romance.

I mean, where were Carol’s dog tags sent? Think about it.

For those who can’t see it, perhaps changing the genders of the characters might help? Just give the relationship another look, but this time make Maria or Carol a guy.

Maybe now you can understand why some fans ship them?

And then there is Valkyrie, a character who is supposed to be bisexual but it hasn’t been revealed in the MCU. Fans shipping her with Carol also makes sense.

While I don’t have anything against shipping, it is the support from the actresses which has me concerned.

I don’t want their support to be taken as some kind of promise which can lead to the fandom turning toxic. I don’t want the MCU’s TPTB deciding to bait the audience by talking about the ships they like but not delivering in the actual films.

Right now, I don’t think Captain Marvel has queerbaited.

Let’s see what happens down the line once Avengers: Endgame is released and whether or not the MCU works on the queer representation it has been talking about.

Unfortunately, not everything can be like The Magicians.

Feel free to share your thoughts with us.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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