When you think of Marvel villains, Welsh accents don’t necessarily come to mind. Well that’s exactly what voice Kingsley Ben-Adir decided to use for the villain, Gravik, in new Disney+ series Secret Invasion.
Gravik is a member of the shapeshifting Skrull race, who hope to gain control of the Earth by posing as different humans around the world. Kingsley said he was inspired by the Cardiff community of Butetown when choosing an accent for his portrayal.
In an interview with Buzzfeed the 37-year-old said: "There's a mixed race community in Butetown, and I just thought that might be a nice way in.” Did you spot Gravik’s Butetown accent in the show? Let us know in the comments.
Read more: Marvel's Secret Invasion: Cast, plot, locations and how to watch
Kingsley added: "It's a large Caribbean community with a military history too, so I started speaking to people from around there to figure out the character."
He also said that upon conducting research for his role in Secret Invasion, he learned about headteacher Betty Campbell. "She was the first black head teacher in Wales There was a wonderful podcast on the BBC about her, which I listened to a lot. So yeah, I just know about Butetown and then a bit about Cardiff too."
Kingsley has previously played Malcolm X and Barack Obama on screen. He will star as one of the many Kens in Greta Gerwig's upcoming Barbie movie and will also take on the title role of Bob Marley in a new biopic.
Kingsley’s Butetown accent isn’t the first time that Wales has featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, either. The Welsh flag appeared in a scene of the United Nations in the 2018 superhero film Black Panther.
Secret Invasion is available to watch now on Disney+. For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.
