SPOILER WARNING! The following article contains spoilers for The Marvels. If you have not yet seen the film, proceed at your own risk!
Nia DaCosta's The Marvels is the thirty-third movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and at this point, it’s fair to be skeptical about whether every chapter in this expansive franchise is going to hit. I know I went into the Captain Marvel sequel knowing it could go either way following my thoughts on the other two Marvel movies thus far this year. While I was not high on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (which suffered at the box office too), I really enjoyed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and having now seen the last MCU movie of the year, I can happily report The Marvels hits (and our The Marvels review agrees)! And, I want to talk about one specific scene I loved.
I thought this scene would be my own personal MCU guilty pleasure I’d have to defend, but turns out I’m not alone in really enjoying the silly side of Marvel, when it’s done right. I'm talking about the Flerkin invasion of the S.A.B.E.R. Space Station.
I Need To Talk About One Particular The Marvels Scene
In the beginning of the third act in The Marvels, Nick Fury and the S.A.B.E.R crew discover that a litter of Flerkittens have hatched just as they need to flee their ship. Fury thinks on his feet and decides that if the unhinged Flerkittens – who are already swallowing crew members left and right with their tentacle mouths – should be encouraged to do so. Transporting the space kitties in an escape pod is easier than transporting a full crew of humans who simply won’t fit.
The setup leads to a hilarious sequence consisting of tiny Flerkittens opening their gross tentacle mouths to swallow people left and right as Barbara Streistand’s rendition of “Memory” from Cats plays in the background. It had me busting out laughing more than I have in a while in a Marvel movie, and the randomness of it all really made me smile.
Why I Was Worried I’d Have To Defend It
My pure and unadulterated joy was soon followed by being haunted by the discourse that might follow concerning the Flerkitten scene that employed the use of the Cats soundtrack matched by some beautiful comedic timing concerning all those kittens eating people. I braced myself for the internet hate not only about this scene, but The Marvels overarching silly energy. The movie also has a musical planet that leads to Carol Danvers singing and dancing in a Captain Marvel ballgown, after all.
I get why some might look at the scene with “Memory” from Cats with pointed laughter, but I was completely ready to defend it with my every fiber. After 32 other Marvel movies, many of which have ended with prolonged CGI-fest action sequences, fancy fight choreography, and impressive villain monologues, I found the Flerkitten scene to be an off-the-wall way for the MCU to things shake up in the third act of a blockbuster. It also most certainly helps that the film is the shortest MCU movie to date.
But The Reactions I’ve Seen Since Made Me Happy
When I begrudgingly looked on Twitter to take a look at what thoughts people were sharing about the “Memory” sequence following the release of the film, something unexpected happened. I noticed that just about every comment on the topic is as happy as I am that the scene exists. Check out some of the thoughts from MCU fans:
- “There’s something about the cat montage playing memories 🎶in the background. I laughed so hard at this. So much fun.” - @marvdory123
- “Whoever decided to use Memory from the musical Cats in that scene with the kitties in #TheMarvels deserves all the money bc I DIED laughing.” - @alliecat628
- “High praise to Marvel’s soundtrack folks. Inspired choice: Lloyd Webber’s “Memory” in The Marvels battle cats scene. One of the best bits of an imperfect but thoroughly enjoyable movie.” - @racheldenden
- “No but CATS’ [Memory] playing while Goose’s babies were “eating” the crew to save the people on the ship was PEAK CINEMA.” - @HarleyIsMyQuinn
MCU fans were taking time to applaud the “Memory” sequence in particular, with one sharing she “laughed so hard” at the moment, while another person said they “DIED laughing.” Someone else said it was one of the “best bits” of the whole movie, while another called it “PEAK CINEMA.” The offbeat gamble of a comedic moment pays off for fans, and I feel part of a group being beside themselves with joy that the scene exists.
I know there have to be some haters out there. Not everyone is going to vibe with a cat-infested third act Marvel sequence – but after exploring reactions to The Marvels on social media, it's wonderful to see that many fans were just as hyped about it as I am.
I Am All For The Marvels’ Silly Energy
In conclusion, let me share one more point as to why a scene like the Flerkitten “Memory” scene is worth talking about. As the MCU marches forward with a whole lot more upcoming Marvel movies, I think what starts to make me lose my interest sometimes is how formulaic they've become. We’ve all probably seen over twenty of these superhero flicks in the past twenty years, and sometimes, I feel like I’m going into them just to see how one character’s arc pushes forward or so I don’t miss how it connects to the future. But, the Flerkittens scene threw me off in the best way and was truly entertaining to me.
As I laughed my butt off watching space kitties swallow people, I knew in the back of my head that I could only see this in a Marvel movie. I love having a unique and fun experience at the movies, especially when it’s also grounded in heart, as The Marvels is thanks to its three leads. The new blockbuster is a blast, and it made me feel genuinely energized and lighter after watching it; I’d love to have that feeling at the movies more often.
