The titular team in The Marvels is a group that comes together totally by accident. Thanks to a cosmic anomaly, Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers, Teyonnah Parris’ Monica Rambeau and Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan find their special light-based powers entangled, and they are basically forced to unite in order to stop what’s causing it. Accidental as the ensemble may be, however, what’s cool about the special unit is the way in which it allows the film to play with very different perspectives on the heroic Captain Marvel.

On one hand, Monica has essentially been neglected by her aunt for the last 30 years, and on the other hand, Kamala is a superfan who dreams of being besties with Carol. It’s a special dynamic, and I brought it up this past weekend when I had the chance to sit down with director Nia DaCosta at the Los Angeles press day for The Marvels. I asked about the impact of the special relationships within the eponymous unit.