After years of only learning how Captain Marvel has been progressing behind the scenes, Marvel finally delivered some plot information about Carol Danvers' upcoming movie this past weekend at San Diego Comic-Con. Along with announcing the 1990s setting and seeing a younger Nick Fury who still has both of his eyes, it was revealed that the Skrulls would be Captain Marvel's main antagonists. The alien species has been a thorn in the side of the Marvel heroes for decades in the comics, and according to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, the reason they're only just now being introduced to the MCU is because Captain Marvel was deemed the best project to lean into the Kree-Skrull War. Feige explained:
Captain Marvel will be our 21st film in the cinematic universe, and we've never seen the Skrulls. How come? We thought it would be fun. There's an entire section of our comics that deal with the Kree/Skrull war, and we haven't tapped into that at all, and we thought that would be an amazing, huge part of the mythology to belong to Captain Marvel.
The Kree-Skrull War was originally published from 1971 to 1972 across Avengers #89-97, and it saw Earth's Mightiest Heroes becoming embroiled in the conflict between the two species when it came to Earth. The Kree have already been seen in Guardians of the Galaxy and several Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episodes, so with Captain Marvel being the penultimate movie of the MCU's Phase Three, it's about time that the Skrulls get their cinematic due following years of appearances in animated TV shows and video games. But on top of that, Kevin Feige laid out to IGN that Captain Marvel will include the mythology of the Kree-Skrull War, though Carol will primarily be clashing with the Skrulls in her solo movie.
Much like Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, the Skrulls are one of the few Marvel characters/properties that are co-owned by both Marvel Studios and 205h Century Fox. While the MCU won't be able to feature some specific Skrull characters given their connections to the Fantastic Four (which rests strictly at Fox), the species as a whole is usable, and with their advanced technology and shapeshifting abilities, they'll pose a grave threat Earth.
As for how the Kree will specifically fit into Captain Marvel outside of their issues with the Skrulls, that's unclear. However, Carol did gain her powers from an accident involving a Kree device and Mar-Vell (the Kree who was the original Captain Marvel) in the comics, so even though Carol's origin story is being changed for live action, it's possible the Kree may still play a role in Brie Larson's Carol becoming a superhero. Also, just because the Skrulls will be the main villains of the movie doesn't necessarily mean we won't see a sinister Kree or two.
Written by Nicole Perlman and Meg LeFauve, and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, Captain Marvel flies into theaters on March 8, 2019.
