Everything You Need To Know About Gemma Chan's Minn-Erva In Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel’s launch into theaters brings along a whole new group of comic characters to join the never-ending list of heroes and villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One of the these characters is on Captain Marvel’s team and is a fellow Kree fighter: Minn-Erva, also called Doctor Minerva in the comics. The Kree doctor is perfectly portrayed by Crazy Rich Asians breakout actress Gemma Chan. But like the original comic book character, Minn-Erva is not all she appears to be in the film. So, here's what you need to know about Minn-Erva, with a rundown on the history of the character.

Minn-Erva first appeared in Captain Marvel comic #50 in May 1977. Like fellow Avenger Thor, Captain Marvel’s (Brie Larson) origin story does not begin on Earth, but instead on a planet called Kree-Lar. Minn-Erva was born on this planet and worked as a geneticist for the Kree, a group of “noble warrior heroes” as Larson’s character says in the film. The doctor later became a later a member of the supervillain team Starforce where she worked as a sniper. Besides being a talented geneticist and spy, Minn-Erva also has superhuman strength, advanced intuition and is a pilot. In multiple comics (when Captain Marvel was originally a man), Minn-Erva tried to use Captain Marvel’s enhanced genes to advance the genetics of the Kree people.

Minn-Erva rebel look matches her impressive strength. In the comics, the geneticist has blue skin, black and blue hair, and wears a red superhero costume complete with a black mask and gloves. In the film, Minn-Erva sports a slightly edgier look to coincide with the confident personality Chan exudes. Her hair is black, with one half of her head buzzed, and heavy eyeliner and a cartilage piercing finish the look. Chan’s Minn-Erva still has blue skin, but she is dressed in a green armor suit that is identical to what the rest of the Kree, including Captain Marvel, wear.

Unlike the comics, the superhero flick introduces the audience to Minn-Erva with her being on the same side as Captain Marvel. But, there are some hints that the two aren’t very close since they barely share any dialogue with each other. Plus, the secretive glances between Chan’s Minn-Erva and Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) indicate they are keeping information from Captain Marvel.

Chan’s casting continues her growing presence on the big screen. In addition to captivating hearts while playing Astrid in Crazy Rich Asians last summer, the British actress also appeared in the Oscar-nominated Mary Queen of Scots with Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie as Bess of Hardwick in 2018. Although her star power was only recently recognized, the model turned actress has had multiple roles in television and film. On the film side, she has appeared in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and Transformers: The Last Knight. In regards to television, she is mainly known for her starring role on sci-fi AMC show Humans which aired its third season in 2018.

Like with her role in Crazy Rich Asians, Chan plays another supporting role, but audiences can fully expect her to shine in every scene in Captain Marvel.