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Hollywood’s ‘Captain Marvel’ blockbuster is blatant US military propaganda

The Pentagon was deeply involved in the production of the hit Hollywood film Captain Marvel, and is using the movie to spread recruitment propaganda.

by Ben Norton

Part 3 - Captain Marvel, brought to you by the US military

On its official government website, the US Department of Defense boasted of its direct involvement in the production of Captain Marvel:

About 50 airmen from the Fresno-based 144th Fighter Wing of the California Air National Guard and the 412th Test Wing from Edwards Air Force Base, California, had roles as extras for the film. B-1 and B-2 bombers; F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter jets; and a NASA Global Hawk unmanned aircraft, as well as housing, runways, the flighline and a hangar at Edwards were used in the [film]. About 490 cast and crew members with 37 trucks spent about 21 days on the base for setup, filming and tear-down.

Brie Larson, who portrays Danvers, also went to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and met female fighter pilots, including Brig. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, the first Air Force female fighter pilot.

The Pentagon published a photo of the celebrity cast members from the film — Samuel L. Jackson, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, and Brie Larson — and its directors, Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, standing with Air Force General Jeannie Leavitt in front of an F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing, in Edwards Air Force Base on February 20, 2019.



The Pentagon revealed that General Leavitt, the commander of the Air Force Recruiting Service and the US Air Force’s first female fighter pilot, also served as a consultant for the Captain Marvel movie.

DoD tweeted a video interview with Leavitt, boasting of how she worked with the star of the movie to perfect her character.


Parts of the film were shot on the Edwards Air Force Base in California. The Air Force News Service (AFNS) noted that, “To ensure an accurate depiction of military service, filmmakers and actors immersed with Airmen from across the Air Force.”

The military was even part of the premiere of the film. On March 4, jets from the 144th Fighter Wing of the California Air National Guard — which was directly involved in the production of Captain Marvel — flew above to celebrate.


The movie’s directors, Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, returned the favor to the US military by doing a PR event for the Pentagon on March 7.


In photos published by the Air Force, co-director Ryan Fleck can be seen wearing a military jacket over his t-shirt.

The Air Force News Service reported that, after the Pentagon round table, DoD held a screening of the film with the directors, which “was held to highlight Air Force collaboration with Disney and the inspiration behind the main character’s warrior ethos: ‘higher, further, faster.'”

Predictably, the US Air Force has used this film to try to recruit new soldiers.


The Pentagon even introduced a fun militarist quiz, combining knowledge of Captain Marvel and the superhero universe with trivia about the US military.


Official US military accounts published dozens of tweets using the film to spread Pentagon propaganda.

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