The Mysterious Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. May Appear in Captain Marvel — Here's the Secret History

This past Summer, POPSUGAR popped onto the Los Angeles set of Captain Marvel, where it was spoilers abound! But guess what? Marvel told me I can tell you whatever I want about that day! (Cue the evil, maniacal supervillain laughter.) Over the course of said visit, a lot of exciting things happened: we got to interview the biggest stars, play with a new feline friend, and even hear some powerful words from the directors. But there were also secret, not-so-overt things to spot on set. For instance, when we toured one of the elaborate spaceships they had built for the film, I noticed a box that had something rather peculiar printed on the side: "Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S."

While it could just be a fun little detail that doesn't mean anything, or perhaps an Easter egg, it turns out Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. is a pretty big deal in the Marvel universe, and there's a solid chance it'll come into play in Captain Marvel. The acronym stands for "Potential Energy Group/Alternate Sources/United States," but in layman's terms it's the governmental sector mostly dedicated to studying things that are outside the realm of current scientific understanding. Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. has previously popped up in Iron Man 2 and The Avengers, but I have a feeling it'll play a big part in Captain Marvel, and here's why.

One of the other things we got to witness on set is the presence of a very important and very familiar artifact: the Infinity Stone known as the Tesseract. Although the Tesseract's exact role in Captain Marvel was unclear, I do know that Captain Marvel carries it around in a Happy Days lunch box for part of the film. It's too much of a coincidence that the Tesseract and Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. both appear in the film. Further, when you consider how Nick Fury was supposedly the head of the division in the comic books, it's hard to imagine that Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. won't have some significant role in the film.

Now, with all that explaining done, is there anything else you need to know about Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S.? In the source material, Loki actually begins to influence a scientist who is studying the Tesseract. He eventually triggers it, causing a cataclysmic energy release that destroys the entire Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. facility. In the wake of the disaster, Thor takes the Tesseract back to Asgard, and the entire operation is covered up by the government. All traces are erased.

I'm not saying Loki or Thor — or both — will make an appearance in Captain Marvel but . . . wouldn't that be pretty cool?! It's not entirely out of the question, which makes me that much more excited to see Captain Marvel on March 8.