Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 introduces a group of kids created by The High Evolutionary, though one of them ended up standing out from the rest. Actress Kai Zen is credited as "Phyla," and in the threequel's mid-credits scene, joins the Rocket Raccoon-led Guardians.
It's unclear what abilities she has, but comic book fans will know the youngster likely meant to be Phyla-Vell. In the comic books, she's the daughter of original Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell, and the sister of Genis-Vell. Over the years, she's been known as Quasar, Captain Marvel, and Martyr, so something tells us she has an important future in the MCU.
Now, actress Sarah Anne - another of The High Evolutionary's creations in Vol. 3 - has revealed that her character, Latti, was originally called Genis.
"She’s a starkid who's brave in the face of danger and loves making Joob joobs (good friends) in [Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3]," Anne says in the Instagram post below, adding: "Fun fact: my character’s name used to be Genis!"
On the page, she is a he and was cloned from the DNA of the Kree warrior Mar-Vell. Implanted with false memories that made him believe he was Starfox's son, Genis was artificially aged so that he'd be ready to face Mar-Vell's enemies. He inherited the title of Captain Marvel, but succumbed to the madness of Cosmic Awareness after becoming nearly omnipotent and seeking to "fix" the universe.
It seems early plans called for Phyla and Genis to be sisters in the MCU, though your guess is as good as ours when it comes to why exactly plans changed.
It's also worth noting that Marvel Studios may have other plans for these member of the Mar-Vell family, though that character has undergone some major changes in the MCU and is a) dead and b) portrayed as a woman by Annette Bening in Captain Marvel.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is currently playing in theaters.