Captain Marvel's ‘Twist’ Was Spoiled in Infinity War

Warning: SPOILERS for Captain Marvel

By the time Carol Danvers joined the MCU, fans had spent months if not years wondering how Captain Marvel could beat Thanos, how she could return to Earth to join the team for Avengers: Endgame, and even why Nick Fury didn't ask for help any of the other times the world was in peril. But the biggest surprise in the Captain Marvel movie was one that nobody ever expected--and secretly made Carol a villain, herself.

We're referring to the big twist of the MCU's Captain Marvel origin, when Carol learns that the Kree she fought for had actually kidnapped her from Earth, and erased her memories. Even worse, they did it all to win the war against the Skrulls… innocent refugees on the brink of extinction, and not at all the villainous threat her Kree commanders claimed they were. That's a big leap from the shape-shifting, alien invaders most fans know from Marvel's comic history. Even more surprising? Avengers: Infinity War gave away this twist long before fans knew to prepare for it. Allow us to explain.

This Page: The Infinity War Hint That Everyone Missed
Page 2: The MCU's Kree Were Evil The Whole Time

How Infinity War Hinted at The Twist

Mantis and Rocket looking at an unconcious Thor in Infinity War

The clue delivered in Avengers: Infinity War may be an Easter Egg more than an obvious spoiler, but it's one that viewers won't need to go searching for too intensely. It comes in a single line of dialogue spoken by Gamora, after the Guardians of the Galaxy run into Thor floating through space (after his doomed bout with Thanos). Once the god of thunder is pulled into the ship, each member of the team observes his godly, muscular body with awe.

While the others comment on his style or looks, Gamora focuses in on the actual composition of his body, running her hands over his arm (to the dismay of Star-Lord) and making the following observation:

“It's like his muscles are made of Cotati metal fibers…”

Gamora drops the analogy as quickly as she drops Thor's arm once Peter Quill objects, and the line is left without further explanation. Which is a shame, because it poses an obvious question to viewers who want to know more about the alien races of the MCU's cosmic side. A question whose answer revealed more than anyone realized at the time.

What Are The Cotati?

Since the word is appropriately alien sounding, it's easy to dismiss it as a minor nod to comic book lore, or even an untranslated adjective in an alien language. But the subtitles confirm Gamora is making a reference to the Cotati: an ancient race of tree-like, peaceful, sentient beings who are apparently as important a part of Marvel's movie history as that of the comics. When it comes to the big twist, the lies, and the betrayals of Captain Marvel, the Cotati hold the entire secret in plain sight.

The reason it's impressive for Gamora to know about the existence of the Cotati at all is because so few of them remain alive… after the Kree decided they were an enemy that had to be dealt with the same way as the Skrulls in Captain Marvel's version of the story.

Page 2 of 2: The MCU's Kree Were Evil The Whole Time

Cotati Learned The True Evil of The Kree

There's a good chance that this story will sound familiar to our readers, since we brought up Gamora's “Cotati” reference in Infinity War at the time. Back then, it seemed like an Easter Egg, or a simple comic reference to get fans excited about the approach of Captain Marvel's movie, set against the backdrop of the Kree-Skrull War. And that may have been the case, too. But the writers and directors gave away more than they thought by referencing the Cotati, instead of the Skrulls or Kree. Because as militaristic, brutal, or even villainous as both sides eventually became in the comics, the Kree and Skrulls didn't BOTH start out that way in the beginning. And the beginning is the one place where the Cotati prove most important to the story.

The Kree of the comics, like the Kree of the Captain Marvel movie, would have outsiders believe that their feud with the Skrulls is through no fault of their own--merely the threats, deception, and treachery of the Skrulls (like most centuries-long, or even millennia-long blood feuds on any planet, including our own). But the truth as told in the comics is that the Skrulls weren't a war empire to begin with, but one of trade, commerce, and diplomacy. Those were the plans they had when they arrived at the planet Hala, homeworld of the Kree. Until they learned that the planet was home to two sentient species: the resilient, mighty tribes of the Kree, and the peaceful, tree-like Cotati. You can see where this is going.

A contest proved the Cotati were closer to the peaceful, nurturing Skrulls than the Kree, and at the thought of being denied the greater power and empire that might come from joining the Skrulls, the Kree lashed out. Wiping out the Cotati, murdering the Skrull emissaries, and uniting into a Kree Empire fueled entirely by the Skrull technology they now held in their possession. And also their rage, of course, with the goal of annihilating their ‘enemy’ no matter how long it took.

The Kree Did The Same With The Skrulls

The Captain Marvel movie honors that comic book origin story for revealing the truth about the Kree, and suggests that the MCU's version of Mar-Vell is the exception to their people, more than Ronan the Accuser was when introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy. While the comic book version of the Skrulls were shocked to encounter the Kree Empire thirsty for their blood and quickly became a militarized, spy-filled empire out of necessity, the movie version didn't fare so well. Based on General Talos’ description of the conflict, it sounds like the Skrulls were caught far more off guard when suddenly attacked by an unknown empire intent on their extinction.

Whether or not an official account of the Kree-Skrull War is ever given in a Captain Marvel sequel, the remaining Skrulls continue to use their shape-shifting for the same purpose as their ancestors: to walk among other races for their benefit, not out of malice or deception. Anyone looking for proof that the Kree began this conflict on the unjust, and cruel side need only do one thing: remember the Cotati, as Gamora did.

Anyone who recognized that Infinity War quietly added the Cotati to the Marvel movie universe would have seen the Kree for what they really are, anti-Skrull propaganda or not.