Captain Marvel Movie: All The Villains Explained

WARNING: Spoilers for Captain Marvel ahead.

Captain Marvel features a whole host of new and returning villains. Set in 1995, the debut for Carol Danvers is essentially a prequel to the cosmic side of the MCU; it tells a never-before-seen adventure of the young Nick Fury and Phil Coulson, as the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents find themselves on the front line of a galactic war that’s found its way to Earth.

The story of that galactic conflict in Captain Marvel is inspired by a classic comic book arc known as the Kree-Skrull War, written by Roy Thomas back in the 1970s. Widely considered to be a highlight of Marvel’s entire comic book history, the story of the Kree-Skrull War saw Earth caught up in the battle between two alien empires. Neither the Kree nor the Skrull were heroes; Thomas envisioned both as “rapacious, galaxy-spanning races… at war in the far reaches of space.” He saw Earth as “the cosmic equivalent of some Pacific island during World War II,” with the Avengers desperately attempting to contain the chaos.

Related: All The MCU Characters Who Return In Captain Marvel

But that’s the comics – who are the villains of the Captain Marvel movie? That’s where it gets complicated. Here’s our breakdown of the MCU’s Kree and Skrulls, and who the real villains of Captain Marvel are.

Last updated: March 7, 2019

• This Page: The Skrulls Are The Villains of Captain Marvel… At First
• Page 2: The Kree, Supreme Intelligence, Yon-Rogg, And Starforce Are Captain Marvel’s Real Villains

The Skrulls Are Captain Marvel’s Main Villains

First confirmed at SDCC 2017, the Skrulls were initially presented as the villains of the Captain Marvel movie. In the comics, the Skrulls are shapeshifters who use their abilities to infiltrate a world’s government and defenses, and bring it down from the inside; they’re most famous for a 2008 plot called “Secret Invasion,” where they came within a hair’s breadth of conquering the Earth after they even managed to infiltrate the Avengers.

In the MCU, the Skrulls are locked in a war with the Kree when Captain Marvel begins, but are also enacting a plot to invade Earth. The movie will reportedly begin with the Kree Starforce engaging Skrulls while on a mission to the planet Torfa, which leads Carol Danvers to her home planet of Earth to investigate their new plot.

However, it’s revealed that far from being a malicious race, Skrulls are endangered refugees on the run. They only “take over” planets to evade the Kree are hunting them; the real mission being to find the Tesseract that Mar-Vell hid on Earth and, hopefully, build a lightspeed engine to escape their pursuers once and for all.

Related: How MCU Skrulls Have Changed From The Comics & Concept Art

Talos Is The Skrull Leader (And Nick Fury’s Boss)

The leader of the Skrull forces is Talos, a master-spy with his own inscrutable purposes. Played by Ben Mendelsohn, Talos starts Captain Marvel by kidnapping Vers, and later infiltrates S.H.I.E.L.D. by taking on the form of Nick Fury’s boss. However, this is all in aid of finding the Tesseract and saving his people – and family.

While the character is lifted straight from the comics, he has been heavily adapted; the comic book version of Talos was a Skrull who was born without the ability to shapeshift and who became even more ruthless in his efforts to prove his worth to his people as a result. Nicknamed “Talos the Untamed,” he lost his reputation after he was captured by the Kree during the Kree-Skrull War, and was unwilling to commit ritual suicide rather than evade capture.

Page 2 of 2: The Kree, Supreme Intelligence, Yon-Rogg, And Starforce Are Captain Marvel’s Real Villains

About The Author

Thomas Bacon
(4893 Articles Published)

Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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