The villains of MCU Phase 4 have a legacy of lacking staying power and being inconsequential characters beyond their one-off appearances, but The Marvels may have a chance to evade this hurdle. In recent years, characters ranging from Gorr The God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder to Dreykov in Black Widow have offered generic physical obstacles like killing gods or controlling Widow spies, but rarely showed crossover appeal or relevant story points pertaining to other character's journeys. With MCU Phase 5, some villains have shown promise while others have not.
Kang is the next great Marvel villain, as evidenced by his grand film debut in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. His numerous versions and multiverse traveling capabilities will no doubt have him pose major threats to the Avengers and beyond throughout Phases 5 and 6. Shortly after, however, The High Evolutionary in Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 proved to be a formidable foe whose relevance was deeply tied to Rocket Raccoon's personal development and not much more. Thus, unfortunately, The High Evolutionary's arc demonstrates another instance in which Marvel showcases a villain that is an interesting foil for the film's respective heroes, but cannot narratively fit into the greater cinematic universe.
Who Is The Marvels' Villain?
In The Marvels, Zawe Ashton is reportedly playing Dar-Benn, a Kree general whose relevance to the MCU could be tied into several different storylines. In the comics, Dar-Benn, a man, seeks to become the leader of The Skrulls. He works with Ael-Dan, a fellow Kree, and other allies to build a robotic Silver Surfer and kill Clumsy Foulup, an unintelligent space pirate. Together, Dar-Benn and Ael-Dan rule the empire together before meeting their demise. Given Captain Marvel chose to fight alongside the Skrulls and defeat the Kree in Captain Marvel, this could make sense as to why Dar-Benn would have a beef to pick with Carol Danvers.
Dar-Benn is a worthy foe. As a political refuge within the galaxy, her personal journey from the fallen Kree general to the aspiring ruler could also be a great foil to Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau's feelings as outsiders. They are both newly appointed superheroes with similar powers, trying to figure out where they belong and who they want to be. While the trailer only shows a clear-cut good versus evil dynamic between Dar-Benn and the Marvels, the final film could present Dar-Benn as being the other side of the same coin.
How The Marvels Villain Can Connect To The Larger MCU
Dar-Benn features ties to multiple MCU characters including Captain Marvel, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Ms. Marvel. In the latest trailer for The Marvels, Dar-Benn is seen wielding a Cosmi-Rod, a hammer similar to that of Ronan The Acc's and capable of inflicting powerful blasts upon its enemies. Her plans could tie into Ronan's failed attempt to destroy Xandar. Ashton is also seen sporting a bangle similar to Kamala Khan's, which she uncovered in Ms. Marvel season 1. If the bangle had the ability to unlock Ms. Marvel's pre-existing powers, perhaps these bangles have the ability to unlock cosmic forces linking Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan together.
Given the character's ties to the Silver Surfer, The Marvels could directly tie into The Fantastic Four. From introducing The Silver Surfer to exploring the far reaches of the universe, there will be plenty of opportunities throughout the film to tease Marvel's first family. Considering the MCU's reputation for tweaking origin stories to fit into the larger universe, Marvel could potentially deviate from the source material in of the Fantastic Four's power origins. In a unique deviation that would significantly increase their relevance to the MCU, the bangles might even be responsible for their powers. Given the inner connectivity on display in The Marvels between Carol, Monica, and Kamala, anything is possible.
