WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Captain Marvel, in theaters now.
Over the last few years, Marvel Studios has improved one of its biggest flaws: its villains. While Loki managed to stand out, he got a bit repetitive and -- coupled with by-the-numbers villains like Malekith, Kaecilius, Whiplash and the Mandarin -- it simply felt like the Marvel Cinematic Universe lacked intense tyrants like Heath Ledger's Joker or Michael Shannon's Zod.
Then came the likes of the Winter Soldier, Ghost and Killmonger, and it finally felt like the MCU course-corrected this problem. These villains were somewhat sympathetic and resonated emotionally, while still proving to be formidable threats. Of course, the one that combines all these factors and stands head and shoulders above the rest is Josh Brolin's Thanos. But in Captain Marvel, not even the Mad Titan himself stacks up against the cerebral Yon-Rogg.
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This is a pleasant surprise because, let's be real, no one assumed Jude Law's military commander could hold a candle to what Thanos accomplished in Avengers: Infinity War. Sure, the Mad Titan was slightly stoic and intimidating and, yes, he beat the Hulk to a pulp, instilling dread at every turn. But given his powers, with or without the Infinity Stones, that was kind of expected. He held an advantage no one else did, as he was already a godlike entity trying to enforce population control on the universe.
Yon-Rogg, though, is way more relatable and brings galactic genocide down to our level. His schemes are closer to what we read in everyday news, with nations and world powers pitted against each other in nuclear and political games. The way he brainwashes Brie Larson's Carol Danvers, infects her with his own blood and mind-controls her is shocking and goes beyond the mental conditioning Thanos placed on Gamora. Gamora had a choice but Carol doesn't, as her memory loss allows Yon-Rogg to corrupt and gaslight his protege so the Supreme Intelligence can turn her into a killer.
NEXT PAGE: Thanos vs. Yon-Rogg
His mind games are all in the name of exterminating the Skrulls, even with their dwindling refugee numbers. The cosmic genocide, military tactics and overall strategies Yon-Rogg deploys are shockingly real-world. Invading planets on the ground after bombing them reminds us of stories in the Middle East and coups in territories like South America, so that Captain Marvel does have a political slant to it. The way Yon-Rogg also deploys undercover agents like Mar-Vell across the vast corners of the cosmos so they can harness weapons of mass destruction like the Tesseract is also reminiscent of spy games from World War II and the Cold War.
Thanos didn't go this deep, as he relied on brawn rather than brain; this is why he hired Loki, Ronan, the Chitauri, Gamora, Nebula and the Black Order to do his dirty work. War was a tool to him, but to Yon-Rogg it's a way of life; it's about survival. He creates cosmic destruction and takes down worlds without an Infinity Gauntlet. He does it via plans that aren't as convoluted as Killmonger's or Captain America: Civil War's Baron Zemo.
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His schemes are stealthy yet simple, and he's a great warrior to boot. But it's Yon Rogg's brain and his overall stance as a tactician that make him the most dangerous out there, plotting beneath surface level in a way Thanos can only dream of. His mentality isn't too extremist either and comes off filled with depth as he ensures his legion is about substance over style, unlike the Chitauri. He's simply trying to achieve the balance Thanos wanted but without the spectacle, grandeur and audience, all so the Kree can remain a threat that flies under the radar, killing off inferior species all the while.
Intriguingly enough, he doesn't even have a special suit like Killmonger or powers like Loki. Yon-Rogg is a soldier in the trenches, and he isn't even the radical who wants to kill everyone. This comes full-circle in a brief moment of virtue when he admonishes Ronan for wanting to bomb random worlds using the army of Accusers. Here, Yon-Rogg makes it clear war isn't something to enjoy; it's a necessity to preserve the fabric of the Kree Empire and everyone he holds dear. And rather than leave it up to chance, he's already run the numbers and knows how to maintain the balance and order the Mad Titan labored so hard for.
Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck from a script they wrote with Liz Flahive, Carly Mensch, Meg LeFauve, Nicole Perlman and Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Captain Marvel stars Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Jude Law as the commander of Starforce, Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson, Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser, Djimon Hounsou as Korath the Pursuer, Gemma Chan as Minn-Erva, Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, Lashana Lynch as Maria Rambeau, Algenis Perez Soto as Att-Lass, McKenna Grace as a young Carol Danvers and Annette Bening as the Supreme Intelligence.