Is Captain Marvel‘s Goose The First-Ever Pet of the MCU?

Today is #LoveYourPetDay, a hashtag that truly everyone can get behind. Except maybe Donald Trump, who hates dogs. To celebrate our furry friends (or scaly or feathered, whatever your preference is), the team behind Captain Marvel posted a tribute video to the film’s true breakout star, Goose the cat.

Samuel L. Jackson talks about Goose, calling the cat is “effortless, enigmatic, fearless”, while Brie Larson refers to Goose as “talented, refined, iconic.” We then see new shots of Goose upside down in a spaceship, chilling on a Quinjet, and generally being an adorable delight.

Which got me thinking … is Goose the first pet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? There’s Ant-thony, Scott Lang’s trusty sidekick in Ant-Man, as well as the giant ant that becomes the Lang’s housepet/drummer. There’s Cosmo the astronaut dog who resides in the Collector’s Museum. Perhaps the most memorable one appears in Thor: Ragnarok: Hela’s Asgardian wolf Fenris, who is evil/a very good girl.

So here’s the thing: comics are rife with animal sidekicks. And yeah, it’s expensive and additional work to integrate an animal (CGI or live) into a film. But come on … this is a missed merchandising opportunity if I ever saw one. Do you know how many Goose toys are going to sell? Let’s keep that money/critters rolling in.

Give Captain America a golden retriever. Get Spider-Man a tarantula. Go ahead and toss Black Widow a Siamese cat. Give Loki an iguana. Or hell, go all out and adapt Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers.

Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers Unleashed, which ran from 2009-2010, was written by Chris Eliopoulos with art by Ig Guara. It featured Lockjaw, the giant bulldog of the Inhuman royal family (aka the only good part of that dreadful Inhumans show) who has teleportation abilities. In the series, Lockjaw is joined by Speedball’s superfast cat Hairball, Kitty Pryde’s tiny alien dragon pal Lockheed, Sam Wilson’s falcon buddy Redwing, and my favorite character ever, Throg aka the Thor of frogs.

So come on Marvel: let’s make the Pet Avengers happen. After all, if you can make audiences love a talking raccoon and a sentient tree, puppies shouldn’t be too hard a sell.

(via CBR, image: Disney)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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