We’re getting closer and closer to the premiere of Captain Marvel, and one of the most mysterious characters – Jude Law’s – is still under wraps. While toy leaks have pointed to him being Yon-Rogg, the official Disney site labelled him as Mar-Vell. Mar-Vell the Kree warrior who ended up fusing his DNA with Carol Danvers’s, has a pretty big history with the Marvel Universe.
Yon-Rogg also has a big history too. Disney seems hellbent on keeping this character’s mystery underwraps and it’s unlikely that we’ll hear just who Jude Law is playing until fans sit down at the theaters. In order to explain things and cover all our bases then, let’s discuss Mar-Vell and Yon-Rogg. The two of them could both affect Carol’s story in very impactful ways.
Who are Captain Marvel and Yon-Rogg?
The first leak from Captain Marvel was a series of Funkos that listed a masked male figure as Yon-Rogg. People automatically assumed this was Jude Law’s character. When the Disney website listed Jude Law as playing Mar-Vell. The two characters are tied together, even if one isn’t playing the other. There could easily be bleed between the two of them despite Mar-Vell being a hero and Yon-Rogg being a very real villain.
Mar-Vell was a Kree soldier who came to earth to see if it would make a viable target for conquering. While on earth, Mar-Vell became enchanted by the people of earth. Mar-Vell came to Earth and adopted the identity of a scientist named Walter Lawson. His mission is made more difficult by Yon-Rogg, his commanding officer. Mar-Vell is eventually found guilty of treason to the Kree empire. After being sentenced to death by firing squad he escapes and arrives on earth where he continues protecting people as Captain Marvel.
Mar-Vel gains a side-kick in Rick Jones. Rick Jones is a major figure in Marvel Comics. Sort of a professional side-kick, Rick Jones is responsible for saving Bruce Banner, also known as the Hulk. He eventually gains his own powers, but Rick becomes entangled in Kree politics thanks to Min-Erva, another character in Captain Marvel. While Rick Jones hasn’t been confirmed, he has major ties to all the characters involved in this. It will be interesting to see if Mar-Vell gains another side-kick.
Is Jude Law playing Captain Mar-Vell?
As it is, Captain Mar-Vell eventually defeated Yon-Rogg and became a hero relied upon by the Avengers. He was diagnosed with cancer and died. His funeral was attended by the entire Marvel Comic Universe.
His legacy lives on in Carol Danvers, a young air-force pilot whose DNA was fused with his during a freak accident. While recent itinerations of the comic book have re-written this to show Carol has Kree DNA that was activated by the accident, Carol became his side-kick Ms Marvel. She then took his name, Captain Marvel, passing her Ms Marvel name onto Kamala Khan. In a way, this ties Mar-Vell back to Kamala Khan. The descendant of the inhumans, enslaved by the kree and made into warriors, Kamala is a superhero in her own right – taking the trauma the Kree inflicted on inhumans and turning it into a weapon against them.
Reasons why Jude Law could be playing Mar-Vell
He’s shown as mentoring Carol Danvers. It’s a simple explanation, but the way he treats Carol, the way he acts paternally around her, is, pure and simple, the act of a mentor vs a mentee. The way he treats her, urging her to control her powers and then treating her in a calm manner? He’s clearly putting on the air of a person used to command.
That’s Mar-vell in a nutshell. He may spend most of his comics as the typical “lone warrior” superhero – but those sorts of heroes serve as an example to others. If Jude Law is playing Mar-Vell, he’s acting as a mentor to Carol.
Kevin Feige has teased that Carol is the center of the MCU going forward however. It’s important to remember because it offers a clue to Mar-Vell’s future. The character was a big part of Carol’s story and while people mourned him, he has had little to no build-up. The character acts as an impetus for Carol’s journey to be a superhero. If he’s playing Mar-Vell? He’s not long for the MCU.
Reasons why Jude Law could be playing Yon-Rogg
The second leak was for a soldier-toy labeled Yon-Rogg. The soldier Funko had a helmet which doesn’t look like Jude Law. That said, there is a scene in the trailer where Carol is wearing a helmet and fighting. It’s not unreasonable to assume that Jude Law’s mysterious character would also have a scene wearing a helmet. We haven’t seen anything in the promo material however. The film isn’t going to focus on star force or Jude Law, it’s Carol’s show.
Yon-Rogg plays a huge role in the origin story of Captain Marvel and Carol Danvers however. Yon-Rogg is Captain Marvel’s commanding officer. The two of them are in love with a Kree warrior woman named Una. Yon-Rogg is also jealous of Mar-Vell’s place in the Kree army. After sending a Kree sentry robot after Mar-Vell, he is caught in an explosion with Carol Danvers. This creates a psychic link between he and Carol. He uses her memories against her and she sacrifices her memories, destroying the psychic link between them.
Jude Law could be playing Yon-Rogg, a re-written Yon-Rogg connected to Carol’s history. She could be the only “Mar-Vel”, or “Marvel” in the MCU. Yon-Rogg could easily be jealous of Carol’s place in the Kree high command. He could act as a her trainer, and then betray her.
The biggest flaw in that is that Yon-Rogg despised Captain Marvel. The trailers have shown Jude Law acting almost brotherly towards Carol. He’s hard on her (as evidenced in their battle scene) but the two of them seem to be working together. Yon-Rogg would be a great hidden villain who could fight both of them. If Jude Law is playing Yon-Rogg, the film is holding something back that’s going to shake the Captain Marvel story up in a big way.
Jude Law’s future in the MCU
Whoever Jude Law is playing, he’s not going to last long in the MCU. Yon-Rogg is a Captain Mar-Vell antagonist who would make a good “secret” villain in the MCU. Mar-Vell makes more sense when you break down just what we’ve seen of Jude Law’s performance. He’s not the star by any means, he’s clearly an important character to Captain Marvel’s story.
Whoever he’s playing, Mar-Vell or Yon-Rogg, he’ll make a big impact on Carol who will take over the MCU. Whoever Jude Law is playing will influence her heroism, it’s simply a matter of what direction they’ll take her in.
Who do you think Jude Law is playing? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Captain Marvel hits theaters March 8th, 2019.