The Marvels: How Dar-Benn Differs From the Comics

The Marvels landed in theaters this past weekend, providing an unexpected installment within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The live-action film pits Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) up against an unexpected challenge, as well as the threat of Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton). Prior to The Marvels, Dar-Benn had only appeared in two issues of Marvel Comics, and they painted a wildly different portrait of the character. Obviously, spoilers for The Marvels lurk below! Only look if you want to know!

In The Marvels, Dar-Benn is a Kree general who makes dire moves across the galaxy, destroying planets that previously had some sort of connection to Carol, in order to siphon their natural resources over to Hala. As we learn across the film, Dar-Benn was motivated by Carol fulfilling her promise to destroy the Supreme Intelligence, which accidentally sent Hala into an apocalyptic state.

Who Is Dar-Benn in Marvel Comics?

This differs wildly from the two appearances Dar-Benn had made in the comics prior to this point. For starters, the version of Dar-Benn created by Ron Marz and Ron Lim in 1991's Silver Surfer #53 was a man, who wanted to usurp the government ruling the Kree. In order to do so, Dar-Benn and his associate, Ael-Dan crafted a plan involving a fake robotic version of the Silver Surfer.

This led to a successful coup, as Ael-Dan and Dar-Benn were made joint emperors of the Kree's entire domain — only to get murdered by the Shi'ar mutant Deathbird during Avengers' Operation Galactic Storm arc less than a year later.

What Is The Marvels About?

In The Marvels, which arrived in theaters on November 10th, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan, Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol's estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). Together, this unlikely trio must team-up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as "The Marvels." The Marvels will also see the franchise returns of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Saagar Shaikh as Aamir Khan, Zenobia Shroff as Muneeba Khan, and Mohan Kapur as Yusuf Khan. New cast members include Zawe Ashton, Park Seo-joon, and Shamier Anderson. Produced by Marvel Studios, The Marvels is directed by Nia DaCosta with a script from DaCosta, Megan McDonnell, and Elissa Karasik.

What did you think of Dar-Benn in The Marvels? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!