Brie Larson Says Her 'Fear' of Marvel Failure Made Her a Gym Nut

Following 2019's Captain Marvel, Brie Larson's role as Carol Danvers has been somewhat limited within the MCU thus far. Touted as arguably the most powerful hero in the MCU, Danvers has only had a couple of small opportunities to showcase that power over the past three years.

Apart from her role in Avengers: Endgame, Brie Larson's Captain Marvel has only cameoed in post-credits scenes for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Ms. Marvel. 

While that's all about to change in July of 2023 with her sequel film, The Marvels, Brie Larson's limited MCU presence doesn't mean that Captain Marvel hasn't played a role in her own day-to-day life. 

Brie Larson On "Fear" Influencing Her MCU Workouts

Marvel

In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Brie Larson revealed that after she was cast as Captain Marvel, her fear of failure is what made her into a workout nut.

When Jimmy Kimmel first asked if she was into working out before Marvel Studios cast her as Carol Danvers, Larson answered with, "No, no, no."

After Kimmel followed up with, "Did that get you into it?" Larson confirmed that was, in fact, the case. 

As to whether that's why she's still into working out now, Larson confessed, "Out of fear. Pure fear."

"Fear of what?" Kimmel asked. 

Larson answered, "Fear of failure," because Marvel Studios didn't know that she was "an introvert with asthma, like they made a mistake:"

"...Failure. I thought that I was like supposed to do my own stunts. They casted me and I was like, 'They low-key don't understand that I'm an introvert with asthma, like, they made a mistake... I got to figure this out real quick'."

But even though Larson was concerned about the role's physical demands, she credits the actual training and the role of Captain Marvel for having "changed [her] as a person:"

"So I started training, and I learned that I was actually much stronger than I realized, and that my allergies were what was causing my asthma. So, I just took allergy medicine. And I could lift heavy weights and it really transformed my life. And Captain Marvel changed me as a person way more than I am."

"And you stuck with it," said Kimmel. 

Larson confirmed as much, saying, "Yeah, yeah, I stuck with it."

Higher, Further, Faster for Captain Marvel Star

It's no secret that training goes hand-in-hand with being cast as a Marvel hero. 

For years, MCU stars such as Star-Lord's Chris Pratt, Thor's Chris Hemsworth, and, most recently, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's Will Poulter have talked about the rigorous diet and training that comes with transforming one's body for a Marvel role. 

Therefore, it makes sense that Brie Larson was initially fearful about the role's physical demands, but even more so given the fact that Captain Marvel was paving the way for future female MCU heroines. 

While her inner fears are certainly relatable, learning how training actually helped her in terms of her asthma and changed her life is inspiring. And, even though the threat of failure initially drove her to work out and train, it sounds like she continues to do so now for reasons beyond her Captain Marvel role. 

Speaking of which, fans can expect to hear more from Larson, as well as WandaVision's Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani's Ms. Marvel, as the trio will star in the sequel to Captain Marvel in less than a year.

The Marvels is set to release in theaters on July 28, 2023.