Zawe Ashton as Dar-Benn in Marvel Studios' 'The Marvels'.
Image via Marvel Studios

Who is the villain in ‘The Marvels?’

The MCU's new baddie may have some surprises up their sleeve.

The Marvels will bring a few familiar faces in the MCU together for a new adventure, this time against a Kree Accuser named Dar-Benn who seems to have a particular bone to pick with Carol Danvers.

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Carol, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan will have to move past their differences to unite against this threat, with a little help from Nick Fury, Goose, and possibly the Skrulls. “Captain Marvel, the annihilator, you took everything from me, and now I’m returning the favor,” Dar-Benn’s menacing voice echoes through the new trailer for The Marvels.

What exactly Carol did, we don’t know yet, but it might have something to do with the promise she made at the end of Captain Marvel to end the war between the Kree and the Skrulls.

In the comics, Dar-Benn is a male character. He’s a Kree general who, alongside fellow General Ael-Dan plans a coup against Kree Emperor Clumsy Foulup.

What are Dar-Benn’s powers in The Marvels?

Photo via Marvel Studios

Dar-Benn is in possession of two very powerful weapons. One of them is the Kree war-hammer Cosmi-Rod, previously wielded in the MCU by Ronan The Accuser in Guardians of The Galaxy and Captain Marvel, which can fire powerful blasts of energy.

The villain in The Marvels will be combining the Cosmi-Rod’s destructive force with a similarly formidable and familiar gadget. Dar-Benn has the other bangle whose whereabouts were a mystery throughout Ms. Marvel. According to what we learned on that show, these mystical bangles allow their users to summon and manipulate the Noor energy from the Noor Dimension. Kamala can create solid objects out of light thanks to her own.

Aisha finds a bangle in a blue severed arm in episode 3 of 'Ms. Marvel'.
Image via Marvel Studios

In the comics, there’s a version of these objects called the Nega-Bands, which belong to Dar-Benn’s people, the Kree. This will probably be their origin in the MCU as well, seeing as in episode three of Ms. Marvel, Kamala’s great-grandmother Aisha retrieves her bangle from a severed blue arm under rubble in a cave.

Who plays Dar-Benn in the MCU?

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 13: Zawe Ashton attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2022 at Royal Albert Hall on March 13, 2022 in London, England.
Photo by Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

Dar-Benn is played by British actress Zawe Ashton, who audiences might recognize from the 2019 Netflix horror film Velvet Buzzsaw, or the British comedy series Fresh Meat.

Ashton has an unexpected connection to another Marvel baddie. Her fiancé and baby daddy is none other than Tom Hiddleston — an MCU veteran who has been playing Loki since 2011. As the man behind one of the most beloved villains turned anti-hero in the franchise, Hiddleston had a few recommendations for Ashton.

“If you go into this with an open heart and a great work ethic and just want to provide an amazing experience for the fans, you’ll have an amazing experience on those sets,” the Loki actor told the MCU debutante. Hopefully, Dar-Benn makes it past this film and we get to see her meet Loki on screen.

The Marvels arrives in theaters Nov. 10, 2023.


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Author
Francisca Tinoco
Francisca is a pop culture enthusiast and film expert. Her Bachelor's Degree in Communication Sciences from Nova University in Portugal and Master's Degree in Film Studies from Oxford Brookes University in the UK have allowed her to combine her love for writing with her love for the movies. She's a freelance writer and content creator, working in both the English and Portuguese languages for various platforms, including WGTC.