Just a few weeks ago, Marvel shared the first trailer for The Marvels, bringing Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan together for the first time. The trailer also gave us a look at a new character though and now we know who she is.
More than two years ago, we learned that Zawe Ashton had been cast in the upcoming Marvel film. At the time, we simply knew she would be playing the villain. Now, as Yahoo reports, we know she will be playing a Kree known as Dar-Benn.
In the comics, Dar-Benn is actually at one time the emperor of the Kree Empire, earning the title after enlisting the help of a robotic Silver Surfer to assassinate the previous emperor. He was later killed by a member of the Shi’ar, another alien race in the Marvel universe, and didn’t have a whole lot to do in between. In other words, this was a very minor character in the comics.
Given the fact that the character is wielding a Universal Weapon (the hammer of the Kree Accusers), it was thought by many that she might actually be Lauri-Ell, the half-sister for Carol Danvers. An enemy-turned-ally, Lauri-Ell certainly has a more interesting arc in the comics and her relation to Carol adds a dynamic that obviously is not there with a character like Dar-Benn.
That leads me to my theory. This MCU Dar-Benn may actually be a hybrid of sorts. It seems possible this character will have elements of both Dar-Benn and Lauri-Ell. Since the latter’s time as a villain was very short lived and undeserved, bringing in Dar-Benn’s willingness to overthrow the Kree government could make her a more formidable villain. On the flip side, throwing in Lauri-Ell’s relation to Carol as well as some of her personality, would make her a much more interesting character with a bigger arc. We’ll just have to wait and see exactly what this character brings to the table.
The Marvels will soar into theaters on November 10.