‘Captain Marvel’: How the MCU Skrulls are Different than the Comics

The long-awaited Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Captain Marvel, finally hit theaters today and one major change from the comic books has plenty of fans talking.

Warning: Captain Marvel Spoilers Ahead…

It was already known that Skrulls would play a major role in Captain Marvel, but no one expected the aliens to turn out to be the good guys. Thanks to a breakdown from GameSpot, we have some insight into these surprising changes.

Calling the Skrulls “one of the most iconic fictional alien races in pop culture,” GameSpot explains that these classic characters are known for their “weirdly ridged chins and green skin” as well as their “ominous ability to shapeshift into just about anyone.”

The characters first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 back in 1962 and have continued to be a “major thorn in the side of virtually every Marvel superhero team.”

They go on to explain that the Skrulls have always been considered an “invasive and destabilizing force” due to the fact that they are known for invading planets and using their shapeshifting abilities to infiltrate worlds.

Therefore, it was incredibly surprising when the team led by Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) in Captain Marvel ended up being the good guys who were merely victims of the Kree. This was a twist for Marvel fans, who are used to the Skrulls being evil, as well as movie fans, who are used to Mendelsohn portraying villains. In the last couple years alone, the actor played Orson Krennic in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Sorrento in Ready Player One, and the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood.

Many fans assumed that the introduction of the Skrulls would lead to a Secret Invasion storyline, which could have meant that some beloved Marvel characters were secretly Skrulls this whole time. GameSpot points out that if any film characters have been Skrulls, it won’t be as shocking or upsetting as it is in the comics.

They also point out that this does not necessarily mean there are no evil Skrulls lurking in the MCU. However, it seems unlikely that we’ll be seeing any anytime soon considering how lovable and friendly they were made up to be in Captain Marvel.

What do you think about the Skrull change in Captain Marvel? Tell us in the comments!

Captain Marvel stars Academy Award-winner Brie Larson (Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou (Korath), Lee Pace (Ronan), Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan (Minn-Erva), Algenis Perez Soto, Rune Temte, McKenna Grace, Kenneth Mitchell (Joseph Danvers), with Clark Gregg (Phil Coulson), and Jude Law.

Captain Marvel is now playing in theaters everywhere Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Avengers: Endgame on April 26th, and Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5th.

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