The Marvel Cinematic Universe is full of references and Easter eggs, and as you might suspect, the Annihilator moniker doesn’t exactly come out of the blue. In fact, multiple characters have used the title in a variety of ways in Marvel Comics history.
The team known as, well, the Annihilators is an extension of the Guardians of the Galaxy, initiated by the comics version of Star-Lord and put together by Cosmo the Spacedog. This space-faring collection of galactic heavy-hitters was specifically formed to handle the kinds of problems the Guardians proper would struggle with. Apart from Cosmo, Ronan the Accuser and Beta Ray Bill – at least in statue form — have already appeared in the MCU, with the rest of the team comprised of galactic powerhouses such as Gladiator, Silver Surfer, and Quasar.
Another variation of the annihilation theme is far more villainous. Annihilus is a dangerous, technologically advanced supervillain warlord from the Negative Zone and a frequent foe of the Fantastic Four. But don’t expect the Annihilator moniker to have any ties to a new Fantastic Four movie or anything like that.
Thematically, Captain Marvel’s unsavory nickname seems to be closer to the Annihilators superteam in the sense that she, too, is an intergalactic powerhouse who’s not afraid to use force to keep the peace. As an interesting twist, however, it’s exclusively used as an insult by the people hurt by her actions, and it’s clear that Carol herself doesn’t particularly appreciate the name despite knowing full well why the Kree keep using it. There are many sides to every story, and depicting the otherwise heroic Carol as the villain from the Kree standpoint just goes to show that life as an all-powerful superhero is never simple.
