CAPTAIN MARVEL: 6 Most Likely Characters Ben Mendelsohn Could Be Playing In The MCU
Following the news that Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) is set to play the lead villain in Captain Marvel, we take a look at six villains who he could end up starring as in this movie...
Earlier this week, we learned that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Ready Player One actor Ben Mendelsohn is in talks to join the cast of Captain Marvel. Set to be released in 2019, the movie stars Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson as Carol Danvers and, well, every great hero needs a great villain. Luckily, that's exactly what Mendelsohn will more than likely deliver when he takes on this role.
That's all we know about the character he'll be playing for now but we've managed to find the six most likely candidates from the comic books for who exactly could be the main big bad of Captain Marvel.
Looking at the source material for clues along with what we know about the highly anticipated Phase 3 release, what you'll find here is an in-depth look at six possibilities for who Mendelsohn could be playing when he makes his long overdue debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in just two years!
To view the list of characters in its entirety, simply click on the VIEW LIST (ONE PAGE) button below.
6. Veranke
In the source material, Veranke is obviously the Queen of the Skrulls who poses as Spider-Woman but there's absolutely nothing to say she couldn't be gender-swapped for Captain Marvel. Yes, it would be a shame to see a female character like this turned into a man but I wouldn't put it past Marvel to borrow Veranke's personality traits for Mendelsohn's character.
Her plan is to invade Earth by replacing prominent people with Skrulls and she even manages to swap out a few Avengers! That latter point obviously wouldn't be relevant in Captain Marvel because its set before even Iron Man announced himself to the world but Carol having to try and stop Veranke from reaching Earth and taking the planet over by replacing those in power would be a compelling story, not to mention the whole Kree/Skrull War which would be taking place at the same time.
5. Captain Marvel
When Carol Danvers heads into outer space, it's entirely feasible that she'll cross paths with the original Captain Marvel, a.k.a. Mar-Vell. Him serving as a mentor to her before dying would make a lot of sense and may go some way in explaining where on Earth she gets that superhero name from. However, what if it's later revealed that he didn't die and is, in fact, the one in charge of leading the Skrulls?
A plot twist like this would make a lot of sense and even if he isn't killed off, him being revealed in the final act as a villain would definitely shock moviegoers. Sure, with Mendelsohn in the role it's something we'd all probably be expecting to happen at some point but this would make for a unique use of the character and is probably a lot more interesting than going down the cancer route from the comic books.
4. Paibok The Power-Skrull
There's a very good chance that Marvel is going to have to take an obscure character from the world of the Skrulls and create an original villain of sorts for this movie. If so, Paibok The Power-Skrull would be the perfect basis for that. In the comics, he was bionically re-engineered to possess more power than the Fantastic Four and is a Captain in the Skrull empire who is both relentless and ruthless.
He infiltrated Marvel's First Family from within and sent a liaison officer named Lyja to become the spy for the Skrull Empire. Captain Marvel could easily take inspiration from that by making Mendelsohn's character an ally of Carol and Nick Fury from S.H.I.E.L.D. before his true nature is revealed. Paibok doesn't have the lengthiest comic book history and has most often been used as muscle but elements from his counterpart could easily be used in the MCU (specifically his very unique appearance).
3. Emperor Dorrek
Emperor Dorrek is another relatively obscure character from the comic books who has the potential to really shine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He's the creator of the Super-Skrull and even managed to come up with a way to hide the Skrull homeworld from the prying eyes of Galactus. During the Kree/Skrull War, he was the one responsible for actually starting that conflict and his activities continued long after that was over.
As a result, Marvel has plenty of inspiration to turn to in the source material and while his name may not ring a bell, it's fair to say that he makes perhaps the most sense here as he was instrumental in the comic book story which appears to be serving as a basis for Captain Marvel and definitely feels like a good fit for an actor like Mendelsohn. In a way, he even looks the part!
2. The Supreme Intelligence
Yes, the trades have claimed that Mendelsohn is more than likely playing the leader of the Skrulls but they've been wrong before and it's entirely possible that the actor could have actually been cast as the one in charge of the Kree instead. Bear in mind that the Kree/Skrull War is going to be a focal point of Captain Marvel so the Supreme Intelligence showing up feels like something of an inevitability.
He's the collective of the greatest Kree minds in history and the Kree Empire will do anything he says. It makes sense that he'll appear here too as we're no doubt going to see both sides of this conflict and will probably even get to catch up with a younger version of Ronan the Accuser from Guardians of the Galaxy. Is a CGI villain a waste of the actor's talent? Not necessarily and it's fair to say he could do great things with this role.
1. Super-Skrull
Marvel made a deal to bring Ego the Living Planet into the MCU so the same could be done with this character, albeit with a new set of abilities. There being a final battle between Carol and Mendelsohn's character feels like something of an inevitability if he really is this movie's big bad and so he'll have to have some impressive powers that his underlings do not. Even if he's not Super-Skrull in name and powers, a version of the villain showing up in this movie is a must.
Which of these characters do you think Ben Mendelsohn could be playing in Captain Marvel? Have we missed any other likely possibilities? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below.