A Close-Up Look at the Marvel Quinjet Used by Brie Larson in The Avengers

Air Force pilot-turned-Avenger Brie Larson recently visited Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada to research her role as Captain Marvel, and the Academy Award-winning actress got a close-up look at some impressive military aircraft. A short behind-the-scenes featurette shows Larson hanging out with Thunderbirds pilots and taking part in a simulated dogfight. It’s all part of a campaign that promotes a film that has earned an unusually high amount of praise for its empowering message.

The movie was first announced in 2014 as Marvel Studios’ first female-led superhero film, and it began development the following year with Boden and Fleck attached to direct and Nicole Perlman and Meg LeFauve hired to write. It was revealed in 2017 that Larson had been cast as Carol Danvers, the Kree warrior who transforms into her civilian identity of Captain Marvel. The film was released in February of 2019 and was the fifth highest-grossing domestic release of all time, earning more than $1.1 billion worldwide.

The film is set in the 1990s and centers on the Skrull War, an intergalactic conflict between the Kree and the Skrulls. In addition to battling the Skrulls, Danvers is also caught up in a conflict between her long-time friend Mar-Vell and the corrupt General Yon-Rogg of the Kree Starforce.

The movie uses a variation of the Boeing C-47 Skytrain called the Quinjet. The modified version of the military transport aircraft is equipped with a removable cabin in the rear that allows passengers to stand upright while they fly. It’s also capable of vertical takeoff and landing. The variant seen in The Avengers features adjustable wingtips and linear aerospike engines across the tail, in addition to turbojets in the wings.