Is Jude Law Playing The Villain In Captain Marvel?

Ever since Jude Law was announced to be part of the Captain Marvel cast, fans have expected him to be playing Mar-Vell, the Kree hero who originally held the mantle of the movie’s title. This seemed to be supported when the first details about the film confirmed he’d play the part of Carol Danvers’ mentor, the commander of the outer space elite squad, Starforce.

However, Marvel’s remained tight-lipped about his character, which is kind of odd when we’re so sure that we know who he is. This started us questioning that maybe we’re wrong and Law wouldn’t be playing Mar-Vell. Yesterday’s first trailer for the movie only added more fuel to the fire, as one easily-missed shot suggests that maybe the British actor’s playing the secret villain of Captain Marvel instead.

Towards the end of the preview, there’s an epic scene that cuts together shots of Carol Danvers getting back up after a fall at various points throughout her life, from childhood to her time in the U.S. Air Force to the present (well, the 1990s). In this last one, we only see a glimpse of her hand, but it tells us that the heroine will be wearing her proper red, blue and gold outfit by this point. Her hand’s also clenched, giving the impression that she’s angry. The whole way the scene’s treated is as if it’s a big confrontation, perhaps from the climax.

So, who’s Carol confronting? Well, it’s hard to tell, as the figure she’s facing is out of focus, but our best guess would be that it’s Jude Law’s character. You can see that her opponent’s wearing the Starforce green and silver uniform and we can make out enough to say it’s not Korath, so Law’s the best bet here. But why would Captain Danvers have a bone to pick with him?

Well, there are various possibilities. The trailer revealed that Carol doesn’t remember her past, so perhaps when she uncovers what happens to her it reveals some unsavory info about Law’s character. Or, perhaps he’s not the real Mar-Vell but a Skrull in disguise. Or, maybe, as IGN suggested, he’s not Mar-Vell but actually Yon-Rogg, a Kree villain from the comics.

Regardless, the studio seems to be keen to keep whoever he is a secret, so we’ll probably have to wait until Captain Marvel‘s arrival on March 8th, 2019 to find out.