Captain Marvel star Gemma Chan has offered an early glimpse of her character, Doctor Minerva. In the comics, Doctor Minerva is a geneticist and noted enemy of Mar-Vell (Jude Law), from who Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) receives her incredible powers.

The film’s story follows Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between the Kree and the Skrulls. Comic readers know Minerva, also known as Minn-Erva, is a member of the former, which points to her having a sizable role in Captain Marvel. Fans still have a ways to wait to see the movie on the big screen, but now they have their first glimpse at Chan (somewhat) in-character.

Co-Director Ryan Fleck recently confirmed Captain Marvel production wraps in around two weeks (as of this writing), but Chan has finished a little shy of that date. In celebration of finishing work on the highly-anticipated film, Chan took to her personal Twitter to thank Marvel for “the ride” and offer a behind the scenes glimpse at the character. Check out the image below:

Just how close the character will remain to her comic book counterpart remains to be seen. Chan, after all, was last seen in Humans, playing Anita/Mia, conscious synth in service to the Hawkins family, allowing her an opportunity to play both sympathetic and menacing sides to the character. All of which could mean that Doctor Minerva may follow the trend set recently by Killmonger in Black Panther, The Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and even Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, and prove to be a more understandable and even sympathetic villain. She may even turn out not to be a villain at all, with comic book knowledge being used to mislead audiences in a way similar to the controversial twist with The Mandarin in Iron Man 3.

The picture reveals nothing as to whether or not Doctor Minerva will don her official costume, with Marvel clearly maintaining their status as the ultimate secret-keepers and Chan wisely keeping it covered. Conspicuously absent is the blue skin for which the Kree are distinctly known for, but it’s not worth reading too much into that. It’s likely this picture was taken after Chan had filmed her final scene and had her makeup removed, and Marvel is saving a full reveal for later on. It’s possible there could be some sort of deviation from the source material, but that’s difficult to say until more information comes to light. Whatever the case, the stylish quiff (which regained popularity for a time in the ’90s) Chan’s sporting is another illustration of the film’s aesthetic, following set photos of Larson from earlier this year.

Next: Kevin Feige Promises to Be “Less Cagey” About MCU Plans After Avengers 4

Source: Gemma Chan/Twitter

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