The Marvels, aka Captain Marvel 2, director Nia DaCosta confirmed the movie will return to a familiar MCU location.
On top of serving as a sequel to Captain Marvel, The Marvels will follow up on five other movies and shows, bringing back plenty of familiar faces such as Nick Fury, Monica Rambeau, Ms. Marvel, and the Khan family.
There have even been clues in the trailers pointing to a Shang-Chi connection while the sequel even explores some of the same dynamics found in Hawkeye.
The Marvels Returns to the Kree Homeworld
The Marvels director Nia DaCosta confirmed in the official production brief for the MCU blockbuster that the movie will return to the Kree homeworld Hala, as featured in 2019's Captain Marvel.
DaCosta expressed her desire to ensure "each planet [felt] distinct" with "no overlap in designs," teasing some of the terrains on Tarnax and Aladna:
“A big thing with the production design was that I wanted each planet to feel distinct. I wanted to make sure there was no overlap of the designs. So, when we’re in Tarnax, the buildings are shaped with a beautiful flow to them. All of the plates were done in Iceland for Tarnax, so it has a very specific terrain, like the mossy rocks and the gray sky. When we got to the planet Aladna I wanted it to be sun and color and bright and warm and happy feeling, like Positano."
She went into detail about how Hala will be presented as a "technological city," both when it is explored "in the past and in the present:"
"Then when we’re on Hala, in the past and in the present, I wanted to show a technological city. I just really wanted to make sure that each place had a distinct feel, like going to another country. That was really important to me in terms of the design and also in terms of color.”
The brief also mentioned Captain Marvel 2's villain Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton) who will be "hellbent on saving the Kree home planet of Hala:"
"Kree leader Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), a warrior-scientist turned politician who is hellbent on saving the Kree home planet of Hala and exalting her people to their rightful place in the universe."
The Marvels' Major Kree Connections Explained
Just as was the case with Captain Marvel, the Kree, and therefore their home planet of Hala, are expected to play a major part in The Marvels. This is particularly highlighted by the villainous role of Zawe Ashton's Dar-Benn as she looks to return Hala and the Kree back to their former glory.
In Marvel Comics, Dar-Benn, who has been gender-swapped for the MCU, was a military general who overthrew the Kree Emperor, claiming control and framing the assassination of his predecessor on the Skrulls. If the MCU adapts the latter part of this story, that will be bound to reignite the Kree-Skrull war which appeared to be heading for peace after Secret Invasion teased the beginning of talks.
One interesting tease from Nia DaCosta came as the mentioned Hala will be featured in "the past and in the present," suggesting that not only will Captain Marvel and her fellow female heroes take a trip to the Kree homeworld, but fans may be treated to flashbacks, perhaps to Dar-Benn's past.
What's less clear is how Dar-Benn's plot to restore the Kree to their former glory will attract the attention of Captain Marvel, not to mention how it will lead to the superhero body-swapping with Monica Rambeau and Ms. Marvel from the trailers.
The Marvels hits theaters on November 10.
