'Captain Marvel' plot & cast news: Gemma Chan is MCU's Minn-Erva

Gemma Chan as Mia in "Humans." Colin Hutton/Channel 4

"Captain Marvel" is slowly rounding up its cast with "Humans" actress Gemma Chan the latest one to be added to the Brie Larson-topped roster.

The 35-year-old British actress best known as Anita/Mia in the Channel 4 sci-fi series will star as Minn-Erva in the upcoming film, according to Deadline.

Debuting in 1977's Captain Marvel #50, Minn-Erva, also known as Doctor Minerva, is a Kree geneticist who is obsessed with the evolution of her alien race and a frequent enemy of Carol Danvers's mentor Mar-Vell. She sought to mate with Mar-Vell in attempt to advance the entirety of the Kree species through modifying his genetic code. Apart from her unique motivations, the character also possesses incredible strength, subsonic speed, flight, and enhanced perception.

Chan has confirmed her casting, expressing on Instagram her excitement in joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her character is the third Kree to be announced for "Captain Marvel," assuming Ben Mendelsohn's undisclosed role is the rumored Kree commander Yon-Rogg.

Chan joins Jude Law as fellow Kree and original Captain Marvel Mar-Vell/Walter Lawson and Samuel L. Jackson as a still two-eyed Nick Fury. DeWanda Wise and Robert Kazinsky are slated to appear as well, though their roles have not been revealed to date.

Set in the 1990s, "Captain Marvel" follows Larson's Carol Danvers, a United States Air Force pilot, as she transforms to a superheroine with superhuman strength, flight, and energy projection following a bizarre accident that fused her DNA with that of a Kree. The movie will also feature the Skrulls, another shape-shifting, a green-skinned alien race that is constantly at odds with the Kree.

Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, "Captain Marvel" is set for release on March 8, 2019. It will be followed by the untitled "Avengers 4" two months later on May 3, where Carol Danvers is also slated to appear.

 

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