In April 2023, Marvel Studios released the first full-length trailer for The Marvels — the Carol Danvers-helmed ensemble film that’s serving as “Captain Marvel 2,” so to speak. Brie Larson returns as Carol, a.k.a. Captain Marvel, the ex-Air Force pilot-turned-superhero, but this time the human-Kree hybrid is joined by other Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) heroes with extraordinary powers: Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), who fans last saw getting her cells rewritten in 2021’s WandaVision, and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), a Captain Marvel superfan who becomes the body-morphing hero Ms. Marvel in her 2022 self-titled Disney Plus miniseries.
But they aren’t the only preexisting Marvel Comics characters who figure into Captain Marvel’s next outing. Directed by Nia DaCosta (Candyman, Little Woods), The Marvels film will see Carol, Monica, and Kamala navigating a destabilized universe, a wormhole, Kree revolutionaries, and, above all else, their powers becoming entangled to form the titular team. Marvel’s 33rd cinematic feature film also marks the MCU debut of South Korean actor Park Seo-joon (Parasite, Fight for My Way). So, who is Park Seo-joon playing in The Marvels and the larger MCU?
Who Is Prince Yan In Marvel Comics?
Fans of K-dramas have wondered for some time, “Is Park Seo-joon in Marvel?” In fact, the actor wondered that himself, telling The Guardian in a 2022 interview that he was in disbelief when Marvel Studios reached out to him. Although Park revealed his involvement with the MCU a while ago, details about his character were scarce. After much fan speculation, the latest trailer for The Marvels seems to have answered the question of who Park Seo-joon is playing in the MCU.
In the trailer for The Marvels, Park wears a regal-looking outfit and brandishes a sword, which, for Captain Marvel diehards, pretty much confirmed he would play Yan, the Prince of Aladna. This aligns pretty well with the rumors swirling around the film, which claim The Marvels will take some inspiration from Captain Marvel Vol 8, #9, which features Aladna — a planet with inhabitants who speak entirely in rhymes. The rumor? The Marvels will end up on Aladna and be forced to communicate in song form.
What Role Could Yan Play In The Marvels?
In the comics, Yan plays a somewhat small role. Captain Marvel visits Aladna, where Prince Yan is struggling with his culture’s marriage practice. On Aladna, women choose their spouses — and men have to oblige. Lila Cheney, a mutant singer with the power of intergalactic teleportation, ends up on Aladna as a kid and decides to become engaged to the young prince. Years later, Lila returns to the planet, and, for the native people, the engagement is still very much real.
Anything but enthused, Lila teleports herself onto Captain Marvel’s ship and asks Carol to help her stop the wedding. The plan? Carol will object to the union, hopefully ridding both Lila and Yan of the marriage contract neither of them want. Unfortunately, a conquest-minded alien named Marlo shows up, eager to seize control of the planet by marrying Yan. When Marlo decides to fight Lila for Yan’s hand in marriage, Carol steps in to fight in the mutant’s place. After she defeats Marlo, Captain Marvel — Yan’s rightful bride-to-be — gives Prince Yan the right to choose his future spouse. In the end, Yan’s first act as ruler is to abolish the whole archaic, nonconsensual practice.
Given Lila Cheney’s prominence in the issue, it sounds like this story was pulled from New Mutants or another X-Men variation, but it’s very much a Captain Marvel volume. So, will Prince Yan find himself entangled in an unwanted engagement in this upcoming MCU film? It’s hard to imagine The Marvels would introduce Lila Cheney since the film’s roster is pretty full already.
Fans have speculated that the MCU Disney Plus series Secret Invasion, which debuts in June 2023, will set up the events of The Marvels. As comic-book readers know, the Secret Invasion storyline follows Nick Fury and co. as they try to stop a Skrull invasion of Earth. Given Captain Marvel’s long-standing history with both the Skrull and Kree, the idea that this will all tie together seems well-founded.
With so much ground to cover, it’s hard to imagine all the action will unfold on Aladna. According to the movie’s official synopsis, Carol finds herself heading into a strange wormhole “linked to a Kree revolutionary,” so it’s possible The Marvels will do some planet-hopping, or space-time travel. With three protagonists to balance — Carol Danvers; Captain Marvel superfan Kamala Khan; and S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Monica Rambeau, who also happens to be Carol’s estranged niece — Prince Yan might be more of a side character. Still, it will be exciting for fans of both the talented actor and the ever-growing MCU to see Park Seo-joon in The Marvels.
After many delays and schedule changes, Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels is set to premiere exclusively in theaters on November 10, 2023.