Early reactions to a Captain Marvel test screening are reportedly very positive – especially about one character in particular. While you may be expecting attention to be focused on Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers, the titular hero herself, people are in fact so excited about Goose the cat. That’s right, not Captain Marvel, but Captain Marvel’s cat.
Steven Weintraub, Editor-In-Chief of Collider, tweeted that Goose ‘stole the show’:
Hearing #CaptainMarvel screened. After it ended everyone was talking about the cat. Stole the show. Must. See. This. Movie. Stat. pic.twitter.com/WRozSmpbdX
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) January 30, 2019
While another reaction said it’s easily one of the best movies ever:
Just got to see a test screening of #CaptainMarvel ! Let me tell you right now, do not believe the rumors! This movie is beautiful and stunning. The acting is really good, this is easily one of the best movies ever! You guys are going to love this flim!
— zach (@civiIswar) January 30, 2019
#captainmarvel screening went AMAZING! Congrats @brielarson @captainmarvel
— (@jermyeatsdonuts) January 30, 2019
While Goose (named after the Top Gun character) certainly seems very cute from the trailers, this reaction suggests that there may be more to the cat than just an adorable pet. After all, Goose has his very own character poster – and Lashana Lynch, who plays Maria Rambeau, hinted that there’s more to Goose than first appears:
“It’s not fully a cat. It’s a mysterious cat,” she said. “The cat does things that we didn’t expect for it to do, and it’s very surprising, and it could happen at random times.”
This is all very cryptic, and when we consider that Carol’s cat Chewie in the comics is in fact an alien (a Flerken, to be exact), possibilities for what exactly Goose can do open up even further. Some have even theorized that Goose is the cause of Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury losing his eye (also theorized on Reddit and reported on by us), and questioned ‘what if Goose actually holds the key to saving the universe?’ in this April’s Avengers: Endgame – the suggestion that Goose may transport Carol through time seems to tie in with Jackson’s comments that Captain Marvel can time travel.
And then there’s also the small matter of a chained and muzzled Goose, standing on his hind legs, included with a Nick Fury action figure. This definitely seems to suggest Fury and Goose are connected somehow, and that Goose is way more than an ordinary cat.
Whether Goose really is a fantastical Flerken or just an extremely lovable pet, one thing we can now be sure of is that he’s set to become a fan favorite when Captain Marvel hits theaters on March 8th.