Disney and Marvel Studios have confirmed the cast for Captain Marvel, and the supporting cast includes Clark Gregg’s return to this big screen as Phil Coulson. While Marvel Studios typically likes to operate under a formula where the movies hit theaters in chronological order, they’re changing that up in Phase 3. The biggest example of this is Brie Larson’s origin movie for Carol Danvers, which will take the Marvel Cinematic Universe back to the ’90s. This change already makes it possible for Samuel L. Jackson to make another appearance as Nick Fury, but this time as a younger version with two eyes.

However, the appearance of a younger Nick Fury is just the beginning. Since the ’90s setting was announced, fans have theorized that several other MCU favorites could show up too. Whether that was Hayley Atwell returning as Peggy Carter, or even seeing more of Martin Freeman’s Everett Ross, there were several possibilities. Unfortunately, while neither of those two options appear to be happening, there are other exciting returns in store.

Marvel/Disney confirmed Captain Marvel’s cast as part their press release announcing the start of production, and in doing so revealed some major MCU returns in the film. You can see the full cast list below, but the biggest additions include Clark Gregg coming back as Phil Coulson. Guardians of the Galaxy’s Lee Pace and Djimon Hounsou are also returning as Ronan the Accuser and Korath the Pursuer, respectively.

Marvel had several options at their disposal when it comes to bringing back characters, but they’ve made great selections here. The return of Phil Coulson to the big screen is a huge deal, considering Gregg hasn’t been in another MCU movie since his death in The Avengers - despite Coulson living on in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Knowing that he will in someway be a part of Carol Danvers’ story is a fun layer to add to Coulson, and make it so him dealing with Tony Stark in Iron Man isn’t his first rodeo.

The film stars Academy Award winner Brie Larson (“Room,” “Kong: Skull Island”), Samuel L. Jackson (Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “The Hateful Eight”), Ben Mendelsohn (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “Ready Player One”), Djimon Hounsou (“Blood Diamond,” Marvel Studios’ “Guardians of the Galaxy”), Lee Pace (“The Book of Henry,” Marvel Studios’ “Guardians of the Galaxy”), Lashana Lynch (“Brotherhood,” “Fast Girls”), Gemma Chan (“Humans,” “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”), Algenis Perez Soto (“Sambá,” “Sugar”), Rune Temte (“Eddie The Eagle,” “The Last Kingdom”), McKenna Grace (“I, Tonya,” “Gifted”), with Clark Gregg (“Live by Night,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”), and Jude Law (“Spy,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel”).

The other two returns meanwhile could improve upon what already came before. One of the common criticisms of Guardians of the Galaxy is that it doesn’t make good use of Ronan (and Korath to a lesser degree). With Captain Marvel completely focusing on the Kree-Skrull War, these characters’ inclusion is noteworthy and something we hoped for previously. Hopefully, their roles here will further flesh out the Kree warriors, and provide additional context for Ronan’s decision to eventually defect from the Kree Empire.

The other new additions to the cast, however, don’t come with much to go on. Both Rune and Algenis could be Kree or Skrull warriors, people from Carol’s pre-superhero life, or fill a number of other roles. McKenna Grace, on the other hand, could be tied to Lashana Lynch. Lynch replaced DeWanda Wise recently, and new details on who Wise was set to play included her being a mother. We theorized that Lynch could play someone like Marina Renner, who in the comics is the mother to Captain Marvel’s biggest fan, Kit. McKenna is the right age to play that role, potentially giving the movie a character who idolizes the MCU’s first leading female superhero.

MORE: Sam Jackson Gets Face Cast for Captain Marvel

Source: Marvel Studios/Disney

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