The Captain Marvel movie makes a slight alteration to Carol Danvers’ cat, changing a Star Wars franchise Easter egg to a Top Gun one. Just last night, Marvel Studios unveiled the second trailer for their upcoming 2019 blockbuster, attempting to shed more light on the story of the 1990s period piece. Most of the preview showcased all the typical epic action set pieces fans have come to expect from the MCU, highlighting Carol’s incredible powers onscreen. But it ended with a small moment of levity as Nick Fury bonded with Carol’s pet cat.

Making her first appearance in 2006’s Giant-Size Ms. Marvel #1, the animal is known to comics readers as Chewie. While Chewie looks like a cat, she’s actually part of the Flerken species and laid 117 eggs. It remains to be seen if this aspect of the character is translated to the big screen, but the filmmakers have already made one notable deviation from the source material. For the film, Chewie has a new name.

As revealed in official Captain Marvel movie merchandise and the end of the second trailer, the cute cate Fury fawns over is called Goose. This is most likely a reference to the fan-favorite Top Gun character Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, best friend and wingman to Pete “Maverick” Mitchell.

In the comics, Chewie got her name because she reminded Carol of the lovable Wookiee from the Star Wars movies. This would have been a fun reference to see in Captain Marvel, but it should be obvious why things were changed. As most people know, Marvel and Lucasfilm are both properties of Disney, and the Mouse House already has a plethora of Chewie merchandise from all the recent Star Wars movies that have come out (Chewbacca’s been in three of the four released so far, and will return in Episode IX). The studio is interested in avoiding any potential confusion, so it was just easier for all involved to give Captain Marvel’s Chewie a different name. Already a Funko Pop, Goose is probably going to have a large presence in licensed products.

And, of all the replacement names available, Goose is a fittingly appropriate one for the cat. It’s true Carol served in the Air Force (and not the Navy), but she was still a fighter jet pilot like Mitchell and Bradshaw, so there is a connection there. It also speaks to the close bond people have with their pets. If Carol is the Maverick in this scenario, the furry Goose is her close wingman/partner through life. It should be fun to see how their dynamic unfolds in Captain Marvel.

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