Brie Larson on being the new kid in Avengers: Endgame

Is Carol Danvers' glam look glimpsed in the Avengers: Endgame trailer a plot point? And what role does it play in the finale?

Much like how Black Widow's various hairstyles have led to speculation and theories among fans, Brie Larson's on-screen image has become a hot topic among frenzied fans.

During our roundtable with the Oscar-winning US actress at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul two weeks ago, an innocent query about her makeover in Endgame became suspicious when her minder immediately shut down the question.

Larson, 29, explained how she felt less stress doing Endgame interviews than on her Captain Marvel promo tours as she really has no clue what Endgame is all about.

"There's nothing I can spoil," she said, laughing.

Larson, who filmed Endgame before Captain Marvel, admitted she was scared to break any rules as she is a newcomer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Filming Endgame was such a secret that nobody in her family knew what she was doing.

"Those were my first days with Marvel and I was so afraid. I wasn't sure what I was allowed to say. I didn't want to get into any trouble.

"So even when we're filming and I'm constantly getting on the plane to go to work, and people were like, 'Why are you there?', I'd tell them that I'm vacationing," she said, laughing. "I don't know what else to say."

Being the new kid was both fun and challenging, especially in the beginning when she had to figure out where Carol fit in.

"Each character is a piece that completes this puzzle, and so figuring out who Carol was, where she is at in this part of the journey, and how she fits into this larger world, that was the challenge."

Maintaining character continuity was also something she needed to pay attention to.

"I had to constantly think about what she is going through and what she has gone through, linking her role (in Endgame) to what kind of person she was before (in Captain Marvel).

"In our jobs, it is usually one-off with the characters. So it's interesting to have this opportunity to allow her to unfold and find herself in a new way."

Larson giggled when asked about her first day on the Endgame set.

"My very first introduction into all of this was at the Marvel 10-year anniversary photo shoot. It was a crazy time to show up and meet everybody. It was really wonderful as I got to shake their hands and tell them I'm the new kid.

"Marvel gave us books and we used them as yearbooks, and everybody went around signing them. And I put in mine to ask people to give me advice on how to be a superhero."

SETS

While Larson was not starstruck, she was floored by the vastness of the "amazing" sets.

"I came from the indie film world, and I haven't done a lot of studio movies. Marvel Studios has to be the biggest.

"I was lucky that I didn't have a lot of green screen stuff and there were a lot of practical sets. The costumes are incredible too."

She added: "There is something wild about that. It's like you're in a dream. You feel like you are in Disneyland."

With Captain Marvel's phenomenal box-office takings of more than US$1 billion (S$1.4 billion), how does Larson feel about breaking the glass ceiling?

"I grew up reading Wonder Woman. I remember distinctly in the comics where she was on Mount Olympus fighting with the gods, and then she had to rush back to Earth for her book signing... I feel like that's such a huge part of who I am. I remember going, 'That is who I want to be,' and in some ways I feel like I've achieved that."

Larson has yet to feel any pressure of maintaining the Avengers legacy post-Endgame as she is not sure what is in store in the future for the MCU.

"Having watched so many of the MCU movies for so long and seeing these characters interact and play off each other, it is really awesome to be part of that and to bring new layers to the complexity."

She added: "Carol is the strongest in the team and I feel good about that."