Following Monica Rambeau's breakout role in WandaVision and the success of Ms. Marvel and the series' head-scratching post-credits scene, the stage is set for Marvel Studios' 2023 film, The Marvels.
This upcoming sequel to Brie Larson's 2019 Captain Marvel is unique in that it's an all-female ensemble helmed by Nia DaCosta in her MCU directorial debut.
Marvel fans caught their first glimpse of what this film might hold in Ms. Marvel's finale tag scene where Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan seemingly body swapped with Captain Marvel.
Then, at the 2022 D23 Expo, those attending the Marvel Studios panel were privy to the sequel's first trailer which not only featured its trio of heroines continuing to swap places but also a first look at the film's villain.
Captain Marvel 2's Female Villain Revealed
According to SlashFilm, the exclusive D23 footage revealed that The Marvels' new female villain wields a hammer that is similar in look and design to that of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1's Ronan the Accuser.
This raises the question as to whether Carol Danvers, along with Kamala and Teyonah Parris' Monica, will be forced to deal with a member of the Kree Accuser Corp.
IndieWire noted that, apart from the revealing shot, the footage didn't show much more of this villain but did refer to her as being played by Zawe Ashton who has long been reported as the sequel's antagonist.
It sounds like Ashton's big bad isn't the only Kree out for revenge.
In addition to Collider describing Carol Danvers's strained reunion with Monica Rambeau, the outlet touched on footage of the trio fighting what appears to be Kree soldiers.
Captain Marvel 2's Many MCU Connections
Given these descriptions, it sounds like Zawe Ashton could be playing the MCU's live-action version of Hala.
In Marvel Comics, Hala is one of the last Kree survivors and the only survivor of the Accuser Corps. She also wields an energy staff that not only projects energy but also can be summoned from afar.
If Ashton is, in fact, playing Hala, The Marvels won't only connect Captain Marvel back to her original film which involved the Kree but also to Guardians of the Galaxy as well. But that's not the only MCU connection this sequel has in store.
Ashton was also rumored to be loosely based on a Kree general from the comics, named Ael-Dan. Perhaps the villain will take aspects of the Accuser status or Hala as a whole and infuse them with Ael-Dan to create more of an original antagonist for the MCU.
Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury is also set to appear, along with Kamala Khan's family, and Monica Rambeau actually starts off the trailer as a SWORD astronaut.
Therefore, The Marvels has the potential to be one of the MCU's most connective films yet as it ties the Guardians' cosmic corner of the MCU to Ms. Marvel's grounded Jersey City life, as well as SWORD from WandaVision and whatever Monica and Nick Fury are currently involved in with the Skrulls.
And, of course, it's only fitting that Captain Marvel 2's all-female leads will be squaring off against a female villain as well.
The real question, however, is just how this new foe will challenge each of The Marvels heroines individually while also bringing them together.
The Marvels debuts in theaters on July 28, 2023.
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