Talos (Marvel Cinematic Universe)


 *  NOTE: This article is about the incarnation of Talos from the Marvel Cinematic film series. The mainstream version can be found here: Talos the Untamed. 

"Would you like to learn what you really are?"

- Talos To Captain Marvel. "This war is just the beginning."

- Talos' most famous line.

Talos is the false main antagonist (later anti-hero) of the 2019 Marvel film Captain Marvel. He is a Skrull general who initially appeared as an enemy, but later became an ally of Captain Marvel to fight against the ruthless Kree Empire and save his entire race from annihilation.

He was portrayed by Ben Mendelsohn, who also portrayed John Daggett in Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, Danny Rayburn in Bloodline, Orson Krennic in Rogue One, Nolan Sorrento in Ready Player One, and Sheriff Of Nottingham in Robin Hood (2018).

Beginnings
Talos started out a peaceful general for the Skrulls until their homeworld planet was destroyed on the orders of the Supreme Intelligence due to the Skrulls' refusal to submit to the Kree's tyrannical rule. However, in 1989, Talos met up with Kree defector Mar-Vell, who has created a Light-Speed Engine and a giant ship that can carry Skrull refugees so that they can find a new planet to live and be safe from the Kree.

Upon learning this, Talos gets his wife Soren and their daughter along with several more Skrulls to board the ship to avoid being tracked down by the Kree. Unfortunately, the Superior Intelligence learns of Mar-Vell's intentions and has her murdered by Yon-Rogg while the engine is destroyed by Carol Danvers, who absorbs the energy while losing her memories at the same time, prompting Yon-Rogg to take her in as his new protege. Due to Mar-Vell's death, Talos forced himself to engage in a war against the Kree in hopes of getting Carol so that he can find Mar-Vell's ship and rescue his family.

Tracking Down Vers
In 1995, Yon-Rogg and his team Starforce learned that Kree spy Soh-Larr is being held captive by Talos and his forces in the planet Torfa, so they head over to rescue him. However, they realized too late that Soh-Larr's supposed capture was all a set-up to lure Carol (now renamed Vers) into the Skrulls' clutches, with Talos, disguised as Soh-Larr, capturing her. With that in mind, Talos orders him to access Vers' memories, but this only infuriated Vers to free herself and engage in a battle, inadvertently causing Talos' ship to self-destruct. Talos and his remaining forces evacuate to Earth, where they learned that Vers is also taking refuge there. To avoid unwanted suspicion, Talos gets his fellow Skrulls to impersonate themselves as civilians. Upon learning that one of his fellow Skrulls died in a car crash following a fight against Nick Fury, Talos impersonates S.H.I.E.L.D. director Keller and orders Fury to track Vers down while mourning for his fallen comrade.

However, Fury (being warned about the Skrulls' capabilities by Vers) was forced to escape with Vers to Louisiana to meet former pilot Maria Rambeau, the last person to see Vers and Mar-Vell alive. Eventually, Talos manages to track them down before revealing the truth about what happened in 1989. To that end, Talos played a recovered black box detailing Mar-Vell and Vers' last conversation, which made Vers regain her memories and realize that she was being used by the Superior Intelligence.

Fighting Against the Kree
Infuriated of being used by the Kree, Vers defects to the Skrulls, even managing to help Talos track down Mar-Vell's ship containing the Skrulls refugees, including Talos' family. Unfortunately, Yon-Rogg and Starforce arrive at the ship after killing Norex and contacting Ronan, and Talos is held prisoner along with his fellow Skrulls while Vers is being interrogated by the Superior Intelligence for her defection. Vers breaks free of the implant that was used to suppress her powers, allowing herself to free Fury, Maria and the Skrulls from captivity and have them evacuate back to Earth. As such, Talos helps evacuate his fellow Skrulls (alongside Fury and Maria) inside a ship back to Earth

Finding a New Home
Following the defeats of Starforce and Ronan's fleets, Vers (renaming herself as Captain Marvel) agreed to help Talos and the Skrulls find a new home planet to live. He is last seen piloting Mar-Vell's ship as he and his fellow Skrulls wave to Captain Marvel as they head off in the search of a new home. Unfortunately, in 2018, Captain Marvel returns to Earth after being contacted by Fury, eventually learning from the Avengers that the galactic warlord Thanos has obtained the Infinity Stones and used them to wipe out half of the universe's populace (including Fury) from existence. It is unknown whether Talos perished away alongside half of the Skrulls to Thanos' death wave or not.

Trivia

 * Unlike his mainstream counterpart, this version of Talos can still shapeshift and hasn't been granted his title "the Untamed".

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Talos (Marvel Cinematic Universe)