Many viewers immediately recognized actress Erin Kellyman upon her first appearance in Marvel's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as the same talent behind freedom fighter Enfys Nest in Solo: A Star Wars Story. But while some have been drawing some parallels between her two roles, Kellyman herself has a decidedly different viewpoint.
Audiences were first introduced to the character of Karli Morgenthau in a recent episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which showcased not only her incredible strength and fighting prowess but also her more tender side and leadership qualities. In fact, some may say those attributes make for a better MCU villain than just plain superpowers. As the masked leader of the group known as the Flag-Smashers, Kellyman's character certainly seems to have a lot in common with Solo's Enfys Nest, who also wears a mask and leads a group of passionate fighters (albeit without the super-strength). But in a recent interview, the actress teased why she doesn't share that same assessment, saying "as the series goes on and you learn more about Karli, you'll see that they are quite different.”
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While the avoidance of spoilers meant Kellyman wasn't exactly able to give specific examples of why she sees the characters as more different than others do, she did offer the best explanation she could, given the circumstances. "Karli, as a person, is very passionate, very determined, and very driven, and you'll see more of that as the show goes on," Kellyman said to The Hollywood Reporter. "She's not going to stand for anybody trying to come between her and what she's trying to achieve." That might not sound like the most convincing defense, but remember, this is Disney. They crack down on spoilers with the ferocity of a deranged cartoon mouse, so that's probably the best she can offer right now. After all, there's always a chance The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will introduce more villains, for better or worse.
Karli Morgenthau is essentially a gender-switched retelling of the character Karl Morgenthau from the Marvel comics. In the character's original incarnation (where Morgenthau goes by the moniker Flag-Smasher), he symbolizes radical anti-nationalism sentiment, though he's still portrayed as an unambiguous villain. But while Karli is clearly inspired by her original counterpart, Kellyman explained that she still more or less treats the freedom fighter as an original character, focusing more on the script than the source material. This may explain why, while the character's politics are similar, the show frames her and her group as more sympathetic than the original Flag-Smasher.
Kellyman also discussed the audition process, which she described as more streamlined than that which got her the role of Enfys Nest. She also mentioned how excited she was to wear a mask again, citing how "handy" it is to have a mask when acting. "Your stunt double can make it all look really cool, and nobody can tell the difference," she said with a laugh. Considering how much more work is involved in being a stunt performer than some may think (as shown by this stunt concept video from Captain Marvel), it's nice to see actors appreciate their stunt doubles like this.
There's clearly much more below the surface of Kellyman's character, and it's only a matter of time before audiences get to delve deeper. Looks like everyone will just have to wait for now. Marvel really seems to have captured that "stay tuned next week" vibe for its viewers.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is now playing on Disney Plus, with new episodes every Friday.
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Source: The Hollywood Reporter