In many ways, Marvel has been beating D.C. in the great Superhero Movie Wars. The first studio’s films have grossed billions of dollars at the box office; it’s backed by Disney; and though it doesn’t boast the biggest-name superstars, like Batman and Superman, it’s managed to make blockbuster hits out of even the lesser known members of its catalogue, like Ant-Man and Doctor Strange. However, there’s one area where Marvel has embarrassingly lagged behind in this new era: launching a solo, female-led superhero film. D.C. handily beat its chief rival to the punch, thanks to this summer’s incredibly successful stand-alone film Wonder Woman, starring Gal Gadot and directed by Patty Jenkins. In an interview with Mashable, Marvel head Kevin Feige admitted that the film’s success has paved the way for an even smoother rollout of Captain Marvel, the female-led superhero film starring Brie Larson as the titular hero.

Feige began by noting that the studio has been planning Marvel since before Wonder Woman came out—but the atmosphere for the film’s release has changed in the wake of Diana Prince’s runaway success.

“Because what the question would have been on this junket before that is, ‘Do you think people want to see a female superhero movie?‘” Feige says, asking a rhetorical question that sounds like something only men would ask other men. “‘Do you think audiences are ready . . . Are you nervous about Captain Marvel being a big, the first female hero?’”

He noted that there have been “a bunch” of bad female-led superhero movies in the past (for example, the Daredevil spin-off Elektra, or Catwoman), though he was quick to point out that these films failed because of their quality, not because of the gender of their lead star. But ultimately, said Feige, “I don’t have to say that anymore. Thanks to Wonder Woman. Because it just blows that fallacy out of the water.”

As Mashable writer Angie Han notes, Marvel, with all its power and stature in the industry, “could’ve shut that conversation down a long time ago, if they’d wanted to . . . They’ve just chosen not to.” Fans, for example, have been asking Marvel for a solo Black Widow film for years.

Captain Marvel is not slated for release until 2019. Until then, Marvel will treat its fans to a slate of male-led films, including the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther. Though the powerful studio has made headway into creating a more inclusive atmosphere—Black Panther, for example, stars a predominantly black cast including Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, and Lupita Nyong’o, and is directed by Ryan Coogler, and Thor is being helmed by Taika Waititi—it has still failed to give audiences even one female-led film. No female director has helmed any of the blockbusters in the intricate Marvel cinematic universe, either. But both of those things will change when Captain Marvel arrives, directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. After that, it will be up to the studio to keep up the momentum, and continue giving audiences the diversified stories they both need and deserve. D.C.’s already got its eyes on a Batgirl film, directed by Joss Whedon. Your move, Marvel.