5 Things That You Need To Know About Captain Marvel’s Cat

The Captain Marvel movie is here and with it comes more questions than answers. Of all the questions that have risen, none have surrounded a character like they have Captain Marvel’s Cat, Goose. The cat is a new addition to the MCU and with it comes more questions and mystery than any character in recent memory.

Goose, as we will see, is not an ordinary cat. Goose isn’t a longtime character within Marvel comics. Nor is it one that should be taken lightly. Yes, I know these simple sentences only drum up more questions and more mystery. But have no fear. That’s why we’re here. We want to put all the questions and mystery to rest. And we’re going to do it right now.

Here are 5 Things That You Need To Know About Captain Marvel’s Cat.

5. Source name

For anybody who remembers the 1980s, you’ll certainly remember the movie Top Gun. The movie stars Tom Cruise as Maverick, Val Kilmer as Iceman, Anthony Edwards as Goose and is considered a classic. Although it did reasonably well at the box office, it etched its place in history after its home video release. If action isn’t your thing, the sheer volume of times it played Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away”, makes the movie well worth the watch. 

As a movie built around Carol Danvers, it’s no coincidence that the name of her alien cat is Goose. For a movie which focuses on one of the best pilots in the United States, plane battles are a foregone conclusion. Unbelievable acrobatics. Daring stunts. And a willingness to push the boundaries of physics will undoubtedly be out on full display. Marvel, known for their Easter Egg inclusions, has paid homage to one of the most memorable characters and movies from days gone by. Her cat is named Goose and is a direct reference to Top Gun.  Knowing this is enough for me to say that an already awesome movie is now even better.

Spoiler alert, Top Gun’s Goose dies in the most epic of ways.

4. A Flerken

Of all the things that you need to know about Captain Marvel’s cat, what the Hell is a Flerken?

A Flerken is an alien race that looks like cats and lives within the confines of the Marvel Universe. Unlike most Marvel characters, they have a relatively short history. The race first appeared in 2014 during the eighth volume of Captain Marvel. 

The breed itself, by comic book standards, is a strange one. The Flerken’s are capable of laying over 100 eggs when breeding and have tentacles that extend from their mouths. Inside the mouths lie tendrils laced with sharp teeth that are capable of eating just about anything.

But that’s not the strange part. 

It’s thought that the mouths house pocket dimensions that allow them to hide things outside of whatever realm they reside in. Stranger still, through their mouths, the creature is capable of dimensional travel. 

3. Captain Marvel didn’t know she had a Flerken

Flerken’s are so unique and well hidden that even Captain Marvel didn’t believe that she had one until after Rocket Raccoon told her so. 

Carol learns of her cat’s history while out on a mission to explore the galaxy. While aboard her ship, Rocket tells Carol that her cat is actually a Flerken and that Flerken’s are a little more dangerous than the average house pet. Reluctant to believe him, Carol simply sloughs it off. It wouldn’t last, however, and she is instantly made a believer after seeing that the cat, Chewie, lay 117 eggs.

What’s incredible about the species, over and above everything noted on the last point, is that the eggs have a short hatch cycle. Case in point, just a couple of issues after the eggs were laid, all 117 hatched. As disgusting as it may seem, it is one of the things that you need to know about Captain Marvel’s cat.

2. Four cats

To play the role of Goose requires a single cat with a unique set of abilities…or multiple cats each with a unique set of abilities.

On screen, Goose is a single cat. Offscreen, he is the combination of four cats. Each of the cats, Rizzo, Archie, Reggie, and Gonzo, have a different skill set required to bring Goose to life. For example, one of the cats may be responsible to walk in a certain direction while another needs to rub up against legs. 

Doing this requires that each of the cats be trained to respond to certain visual, or audible commands. While it’s possible to train one cat to do everything, it’s simpler to bring in multiple cats and have them each do something specific. That’s what happened with Captain Marvel.

And in case you’re wondering, not all have their unique look make it into the final cut of the film. With CGI being where it is, special effects artists have superimposed the look of one of the cats (Reggie) over the other three. 

1. Chewie vs Goose

The comic book iteration of the Flerken is actually named Chewie and not Goose. If you were thinking that this is a direct reference to Star Wars, you’d be correct. Carol is a massive fan of the space opera because, well, who isn’t? As such, she names what she thought was a cat, Chewie, an obvious tribute to Chewbacca. The movie version does away with the Star Wars reference and names it Goose. 

The MCU has made references to Star Wars in the past. Remember, Spider-Man references The Empire Strikes Back in Captain America Civil War, Steve Rogers has Star Wars listed on his things to learn notebook in The Winter Soldier, and there have been numerous instances of arms and hands being cut off…an obvious nod to Luke Skywalker. 

Although it would be amazing to see Star Wars referenced in Captain Marvel, it won’t come in the form of her pet. 

And that’s it. 5 Things About Captain Marvel’s Cat That You Need To Know. Agree? Disagree? What are things about Captain Marvel’s Cat that you think people should know? Let me know below. 

Cheers,

Joel

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