Minn-Erva will make her MCU debut in Captain Marvel, but who is this Kree sharpshooter?
Captain Marvel will introduce a slew of new characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This includes the intergalactic peacekeeping team, Starforce, of which Carol Danvers is a member. The team is filled with some powerful characters, including the mysterious and deadly Minn-Erva. While most of the general public may not be familiar with the character, she’s had a quite a history in Marvel Comics.
Minn-Erva, or Doctor Minerva , was created by writer Scott Edelman and artist Al Milgrom made her first comic book appearance in Captain Marvel No. 50 in 1977. The character was established as a Kree geneticist, who hailed from the planet Kree-Lar. Altered by the Kree Psyche-Magnetron, she gained super strength, durability and flight. She also has heightened senses relating to probability and moments of chance.
In her debut, she was tasked with monitoring Captain Mar-Vell’s activities on Earth. She soon came into direct conflict with him after she kidnapped his ally, Rick Jones, in an attempt to lure the hero to her ship, Ananim. Minerva revealed to Mar-Vell that she believed he and Rick had the potential to produce superior offspring for the Kree. Unfortunately for her, she was ordered to forsake this experiment.
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Over the course of her publication history, Minerva has become affiliated with other notable Kree characters such as Ronan the Accuser and Captain Atlas. And while serving in the Kree/Shi’ar war, she joined the Kree’s Starforce. Although she has become synonymous with the cosmic realm of the Marvel Universe, Minerva has also been involved in other major comic book events including Spider-Verse and Civil War II. Ahead of her feature film debut, the character has already made her way to TV, as she made her first animated appearance in an episode of Disney XD’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
As with many of its characters, Marvel Studios has made a few changes to the MCU’s version of Minn-Erva, the first of course being the spelling of her name. Like in the comics, this version of the character is also a geneticist and a member of Starforce. However, she is also the team’s deadshot and a skilled pilot.
Gemma Chan, who portrays the character in Captain Marvel, has also hinted at a bit of a rivalry between her and Carol Danvers. She teased that the two become somewhat competitive as Danvers gradually becomes the star of Starforce. This should create an intriguing and tense dynamic between the two. It will also be interesting to see if she takes on an antagonistic role like her comic book counterpart.
Minn-Erva may not be a well-known character right now, but it would be safe to assume that Captain Marvel can change that. She has an interesting history and pairing that with an actor like Gemma Chan could make for a special performance. Let’s just hope directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck give her a few moments to shine. Captain Marvel soars into theaters on March 8th.