Goose the Cat in 'Captain Marvel': To Flerken or Not to Flerken?

By JIM PURCELL

For Ms. Marvel fans, Carol Danvers' beloved sidekick was formerly known as "Chewie," a "Star Wars" reference that was the monicker for a Flerken from Earth 58163. But can a cat become a Flerken? Nope. It's the other way around. A Flerken is a highly intelligent creature with fangs and tentacles that takes the form of a housecat. 

   Big differences between Flerkens and cats? Aside from the whole tentacles and enormous fangs thing, cats do not lay eggs to reproduce and they are not incredibly rare. So, where do Flerkens keep their fangs, tentacles, etc. when they are not using them? Pocket dimensions, of course...Marvel fans have long ago learn to expect the unexpected.

   "Chewie" first graced the pages of Marvel alongside her galactic hero bestie in 2006, in "Giant Size Ms. Marvel #1." Perhaps because of the upcoming sequel to the 1980s box office smash "Top Gun," titled "Top Gun: Maverick" due out in June, 2020,  Chewie received a name-change in favor of Top Gun's ill-fated, albeit beloved co-pilot LTJG Nick "Goose" Bradshaw.