So, listen. I have been a fan of the Marvel movie franchise pretty much since Robert Downey Jr. showed up in the Iron Man suit in 2008.

Good heavens, how has it been that long ago? I swear the older I get, the more time gets away from me.

In addition to Iron Man and Thor and Cap and T’Challa and the Guardians of the Galaxy and Bruce and Dr. Strange and Ant Man and Spiderman, I am also quite enamored by Captain Marvel.

The idea of getting back up after life knocks you down is a concept that has resonated with me for a long while and seeing Captain Marvel get back up time and again was incredibly powerful and motivating.

The movie also happened to have a cat in it.

What? You didn’t think I was going to devote this entire column to fangirling over the Marvel franchise, did you? I had to incorporate animals somehow!

So the first movie had Goose, an orange-and-white cat who actually went to space with Captain Marvel and Nicky Fury. Fury actually becomes quite fond of the little girl.

Halfway through the movie, it was revealed that Goose is actually a Flerken, which is an alien race that is actually quite dangerous. A Flerken can open his or her mouth and consume almost anything – including people. They have tentacles that grab onto their intended target and… slurp! There it goes.

It was also revealed that Goose was responsible for the loss of Nick Fury’s eye in the first Captain Marvel movie. But he still loves her.

Recently, another movie was released in the franchise, called the Marvels. It shows three strong women taking on alien forces and it’s pretty awesome.

Also? Get ready for this one…the cats are the heroes.

Yep, you read that right. The Flerkens show up in this movie, too, and they are actually the ones that save the day.

Goose starts laying eggs – a whole lot of eggs, which actually turn into a whole lot of Flerkens. The space station is actually overrun by cats – something that for the cat lover in me would be a real dream.

It turns out the crew on the space station needs to evacuate, fast, but there aren’t enough escape pods for everyone to safely get out. There’s physically not enough room.

That’s when Fury has the idea to use the Flerkens. When the tiny kittens eat the people, they can safely transport them off the space station and there is way more room for a bunch of little cats than there is for a bunch of larger people.

The best part is when an announcement is made throughout the space station to “please, let the Flerkens eat you” and the song Memory from Cats is playing on the speakers.

What a great moment. I laughed out loud.

The Flerkens, with the people inside, are then put on the escape pods and taken to a safe planet where they, um, regurgitate the humans, completely intact and safe from harm.

See? Cats are the heroes!

I’ve actually read that the best days on set were the Flerken scenes. There were kittens everywhere and everyone was kind of a cat mama or papa for the day. One of the stars said as they were blocking scenes, crew members would be holding kittens. She said everyone was incredibly happy because it was actually difficult to be mad when you were snuggling kittens.

I couldn’t agree more.

You know there are a lot of movies about dogs, where dogs bring a family together or save people and that’s awesome. Animals of any kind can be truly heroic in life and it’s important for us to remember that.

But there aren’t that many movies where cats are the heroes. In fact, I know a lot of people think of cats as nuisances and don’t see the value in the feline. That’s why I’m incredibly glad that a Marvel movie showed cats in a different light.  

Cats really can be amazing friends and a big part of our lives – and one of the best ways to remind people of that is by making them the heroes of a blockbuster movie.

Way to go, Marvel. I’m sure all the cat lovers are grateful for the recognition.

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Jennifer Vanderau is the Publications and Promotions Consultant for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and can be reached at cvascomm@cvas-pets.org. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, call the shelter at 263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org. CVAS also operates a thrift store in Chambersburg. Help support the animals at the shelter by donating to or shopping at the store.