‘Captain Marvel’ Star Ben Mendelsohn on the Importance of Skrulls in the MCU

Now that Marvel Studios is finally starting to shed light on Captain Marvel, fans are learning more about the superhero and her role in MCU version of the Kree-Skrull War.

Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn is playing a high-ranking Skrull known as Talos, who has infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. to achieve his devious goals. And because the movie is set in the ’90s of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Talos’ human form will serve as Nick Fury’s boss.

Mendelsohn recently opened up to Entertainment Weekly about the importance of the Skrulls in the MCU, shedding light on their hatred for the Kree.

“We gotta deal with the Kree. The Kree are punks,” Mendelsohn said. “And the Skrulls, I mean, we’re just misunderstood. At the end of the day, the Skrull is really misunderstood. Look, I don’t want to curse in print or anywhere else, but if I could, I would about the Kree.”

It’s obvious that Mendelsohn takes his “Skrullin’” duties very seriously, as evidenced by his proclamation that “Skrulls are important!”

“We’re kind of like the thrash metal component of the Marvel universe,” Mendelsohn said. “We’re tough, we’re brash, we’re loud. People want us to have warning stickers on us, like explicit lyrics.”

Given Carol Danvers’ alignment with the Kree as a member for the Starforce, the Skrulls will be facing off with Captain Marvel in the new movie. And the actor is confident in the villains’ ability to end up victorious.

“You’ve gotta be a bit more careful of Carol than the Kree,” Mendelsohn said. “But I think as far as we’re concerned in the Skrull world, she’s kind of like a major obstacle. I still think we can take her. If we had to — if we had to, had to, had to — we could take Carol.”

This role is lock in step with the kinds of characters Mendelsohn has taken to playing recently. The actor became a fan favorite among geeks for his portrayal of Director Krennic, the insecure and scheming Imperial officer who oversaw the construction of the Death Star in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. People can next see him as classic villain the Sheriff of Nottingham in the upcoming Robin Hood movie.

It sounds like he’s more than ready for his debut as the leader of some very popular Marvel Comics baddies. The Skrulls will be seen when Captain Marvel premieres in theaters on March 8, 2019.