Larson spoke to Collider about her role in Skull Island, a heroine who is more than capable of taking care of herself. In fact, it’s a big reason why she took the part, but just so she could inhabit a great role. Larson said
“No. It was to turn this allegory on its head, a little bit. We’re in a different time right now, and I think we’re ready to see a different type of female hero. What’s interesting about Weaver is that she’s strong and she’s tough, but she’s sensitive. That’s her strength. She’s using her heart and her humanity to actually save all of them, in the end. It doesn’t take all of this running around, brute force, explosions, and guns. It just took having the simplest connection. That’s what saved their lives. I think that’s an incredible message.”
When she was asked if she would be carrying this over to Captain Marvel, Larson added
“For me, I believe that just seeing women be strong and tough is not answering the question of what a female hero looks like. Women have their own set of skills that are worth exploring and seeing on screen. I feel like it’s too easy to just say, “We’ll just change the name of this male character to a female, but have her do all the same things that a male does.” I don’t believe in that. I think there’s something else. I think there’s more to women than that. Mason (in Kong: Skull Island) is a great example of that, and Captain Marvel will be another great example of that and of exploring deeper how women lead and how that is different and unique.”