In Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Cinematic Universe fans got to see Brie Larson's Carol Danvers head to her home planet and hang out for a bit with Earth's Mightiest Heroes... but the reality in the canon is that she has been off-world9 for quite a long time. As depicted in Captain Marvel, she left Earth in the year 1995, and she apparently wasn't able to return for quite a while – as evidenced by her awkward relationship with Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau.

So where has Captain Marvel been since she left Earth in the 1990s? That was a question that director Nia DaCosta encountered in the development of the new film The Marvels, and she has explained that it was very important for her to provide fans with some real answers. I spoke with the filmmaker this past weekend during the Los Angeles press day for the new MCU blockbuster, and she told me how she approached the big gaps in the character's timeline.