It seems as if 2019 has barely gotten underway, and already we’re fast approaching the first major superhero blockbuster of the year. This time around Marvel will be kicking off the action with its first ever film starring a female lead. The film – Captain Marvel – will debut on March 8, and will mark our first foray into the Marvel universe since Ant-Man And The Wasp (and really the most meaningful one since Avengers: Infinity War).

The expectations for this film are already astronomical. Though it has made progress in terms of casting diversity and inclusivity, Marvel faces enormous pressure to put forth a strong female lead, and a role model for young women on par with DC’s Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), who was just about universally well received. The film will also be expected to lay the groundwork for the next “phase” of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, which will basically follow Avengers: Endgame (which is set to come out later in the spring). On top of it all, a $100 million opening weekend is expected, and anything less would generate a lot of negative attention.

It should be stated that whatever happens in March, Marvel is doing just fine. Even if this particular film fails to live up to expectations, it will still mark a significant milestone and real progress toward equal representation for men and women on screen. Reviews and box office numbers aren’t going to change this. Because this is such an important step forward for Marvel though, a lot of us will be looking for better than fine.

Given this, we’ll be considering a few ways to gauge Captain Marvel’s success, and whether it’s just another Marvel movie or one of the truly impactful ones.

Will There Be Best Actress Chatter?

This may seem like an unfair standard to impose upon a superhero film. But many thought Gadot should be in the running for Best Actress awards for Wonder Woman, and now that Black Panther has been nominated for several Academy Awards, we may be in a new world in which superhero films can get more consideration. Throw in also that Brie Larson – who plays Captain Marvel – already received a Best Actress aware for her outstanding work in Room, and this at least has to be discussed. If her performance in this film is even on the same tier, Marvel will have a gigantic hit on its hands.

Will Captain Marvel Establish Her Own World?

One of the things that made Black Panther so special was that perhaps more than any other Marvel film it established its own world within the MCU. It felt like its own, contained fantasy, and something that could exist wholly outside of Marvel’s entire mega-franchise. If Captain Marvel establishes a similar brand of independence, it will be well on its way to being thought of as more than another superhero flick. This seems unlikely judging by the trailers and the involvement of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), who is essentially the main link between all things Marvel. But it’s still something to keep an eye out for.

Will It Inspire A Video Game?

Marvel has actually cut down on its own avenues in this department, which is a curious move. Highly recommended sites full of games in the newly respectable casino genre once boasted whole collections of Marvel content, but Disney has since had it removed. The mobile arena at one point seemed primed for series’ worth of Marvel games based on each character and film, but now has just a few Marvel games aggregating characters and narratives. That pretty much leaves full-fledged video games, which makes it less likely we’ll see a full Captain Marvel title – but also all the more impressive if we do. If this happens, or if there’s even serious speculation about it happening, it’ll mean this film truly resonated.

Will It Have Its Own Sequel Potential?

It seems very likely that this will be a multi-film series within the greater Marvel franchise, so this is almost not a question. The real issue here would be that if there is not clear sequel potential, or if the film doesn’t perform well enough to justify one (which is exceedingly unlikely), it will mean this didn’t live up to the hype.

Will It Be Better Than Endgame?

This is a question we won’t be able to answer until the summer, but it may be the most important one in defining the legacy of Captain Marvel over time. In 2018, the majority of critics and fans seemed to come to the conclusion that Black Panther was a superior film to Avengers: Infinity War despite the fact that the latter was the penultimate ensemble film in the first decade of Marvel cinema. Captain Marvel is set up to be compared to the direct follow-up to Infinity War, Endgame, in much the same way. If the consensus is that it’s a more impactful, important, or just better movie, it will have done extraordinarily well for itself.