The MCU has a Kree problem, and it is now up to The Marvels first look exclusively shown at D23 2022 sees Zawe Ashton’s mysterious The Marvels character holding what seems to be Ronan the Acc’s hammer, strongly suggesting that the Kree will return in The Marvels. The Kree’s last MCU appearance was in Captain Marvel, although their final chronological appearance was in Guardians of the Galaxy. With The Marvels being both a crossover event and a Captain Marvel sequel, a continuation of the Kree storyline is expected.
Given how The Marvels will see Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Ms. Marvel ing forces for the first time in the MCU, the Captain Marvel sequel has a villain stakes challenge. The Marvels’ villain has to be powerful enough to face three powerful MCU heroes, yet it must be something that does not necessarily ask for the Avengers’ intervention – at least not at first. The Kree Empire and its many villains would fit that description, but only if they are reinvented.
The Marvels Must Make The Kree Threatening (After The MCU Failed To)
Many had theorized that the Kree would appear in The Avengers, but it was only in Phase 2 that the MCU introduced the Kree Empire. The Guardians of the Galaxy were set to face Ronan the Acc, yet Guardians of the Galaxy barely scratched the Kree’s potential. The focus was on Ronan the Acc and his quest for the Power Stone rather than on the Kree Empire itself, and thus the MCU wasted its first major Kree opportunity. Captain Marvel gave the Kree a lot more screen time but in a very self-contained story, something that The Marvels can and should fix.
Whereas the comic book Kree are among the biggest threats the Marvel universe can face, the MCU Kree never felt like an Avengers-level threat. Ronan the Acc, for example, ended up being a pawn in Thanos’ quest for the Infinity Stones and was later defeated by the Guardians of the Galaxy. Captain Marvel established a lot about the Kree’s lore and expanded their MCU role beyond Ronan's Power Stone story, yet that was still limited compared to the Kree’s importance. The Marvels now has the chance to revisit the Kree with a higher-stakes, non-origin story that does the villains justice.
How The Kree Can Return In The Marvels
If Zawe Ashton is indeed playing Hala the Acc, or even any other Kree character who now carries Ronan the Acc’s hammer, then it’s safe to say that The Marvels will see the Kree as antagonists on some level. Given how Captain Marvel’s origin story is heavily tied with the Kree, it makes sense for the sequel to revisit the Kree Empire – even if they are not the main villains. A Hala the Acc MCU debut would also make a lot of sense, as it would allow Marvel’s Phase 5 to still have a version of The Acc Corps despite Ronan’s death.
In the MCU chronology, it has been decades since Captain Marvel discovered the truth about the Kree and helped the Skrull defeat their enemy. As for Ronan the Acc’s death, the events of Guardians of the Galaxy are already a decade old in the MCU timeline. Therefore, the status of the Kree in the MCU Phase 5 is a mystery. Given how the Skrull’s story will be revisited in Secret Invasion, plus how SWORD now exists in the MCU, The Marvels is the perfect opportunity to bring the Kree back – especially with the Fantastic Four coming to the MCU in Phase 6.
