Captain Marvel may be the 22nd movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but thanks to its Nineties setting, it’s chronologically the second film in the series, following Captain America’s World War II setting. That means that MCU characters who died in recent movies would still be alive during Captain Marvel’s time, and Marvel revealed on Monday that three somewhat unexpected deceased characters will be appearing in the upcoming film.
In a posting announcing the start of principal photography on Captain Marvel, starring Brie Larson as the titular hero, Marvel announced that Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, and Clark Gregg would all make appearances in the upcoming film. Hounsou and Pace played Guardians of the Galaxy villains Korath the Pursuer and Ronan the Accuser, respectively, while Gregg played the beloved Agent Coulson in the MCU’s Phase One (and continues to play the character on the TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)
Ronan and Korath’s appearances in Captain Marvel might seem somewhat surprising, given that they only appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy, and that Korath is pretty much only known for saying “who?” when Peter Quill identifies himself as Star-Lord, but it makes sense given what we know about the film’s plot. We already know that the Kree-Skull War, an epic conflict from the Marvel Comics, will be part of Captain Marvel’s story. Ronan is a member of the Kree alien race, so he’ll likely be involved in the fighting.
He's back!
Coulson’s reappearance is easier to explain, though Marvel’s going to have to digitally de-age Coulson in order to make him play a decades-younger version of his Iron Man character. He’ll likely serve in S.H.I.E.L.D. alongside a younger Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). There’s no mention of Hayley Atwell in Marvel’s announcement, which seems to suggest that Agent Carter won’t be in Captain Marvel. That’s a real bummer.
Here’s how Marvel’s announcement describes Captain Marvel:
Based on the Marvel comic character first appearing in 1968, the story follows Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races. Set in the 1990s, Captain Marvel is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
**Captain Marvel is set for a March 6, 2019 release*.
