Who Is Prince Yan D’Aladna, Park Seo-joon’s THE MARVELS’ Character?
Most characters in the MCU draw inspiration from those in the pages of Marvel’s comics. Sometimes, two characters are combined. But usually, it’s a character or characters with a long history, often going back decades. And then, there’s Prince Yan D’Aladna (Park Seo-joon), in The Marvels. Prince Yan has joined the MCU and is making it to the big screen after only one Marvel Comics appearance in an issue of Captain Marvel. Here is everything you should know from Marvel’s comics about alien royalty Prince Yan D’Aladna and everything we know about the version Park Seo-joon plays in The Marvels.
Prince Yan D’Aladna’s First Marvel Comics Appearance
In Marvel Comics, Prince Yan of Aladna’s first and so far only appearance happened in 2014’s Captain Marvel (Vol.8) issue #9. The issue has Carol Danvers, who had only recently become Captain Marvel, and her alien sidekick Tic journeying to the distant world Aladna to help a mutant rock star, Lila Cheney, who also happened to be a cosmic adventurer. Lila Cheney had the mutant power to teleport across the cosmos, which led her to many entanglements with the X-Men and Carol over the years. Now, Lila found herself trapped in an unwanted engagement with alien royalty, and needed her old friend Carol to bail her out. In Prince Yan’s world, everyone has to rhyme when they speak. Good times.
Prince Yan’s Connection to an X-Men Character
When she was a child, and her mutant powers first manifested, young Lila Cheney transported herself to Aladna and fell for the planet’s handsome prince. Lila was an Earth mutant of considerable power who once dated Xavier’s student Cannonball. In Prince Yan d’Aladna’s world, only women could choose their lifemates. Being from Earth, Lila didn’t realize that when she chose Prince Yan, it was a real commitment that would have to be honored. When she returned to Aladna as an adult, they forced Lila to marry Prince Yan, even though neither of them wanted that.
Prince Yan asked Captain Marvel to help him stop the ceremony by formally objecting. During the ceremony, Marlo of Sleen, who wished to rule Aladna, appeared, intending to defeat Lila in combat and marry Yan. Carol represented Lila in battle and won. Now officially betrothed to Yan, Captain Marvel offered him the right to choose whoever he wanted to marry. Hoping to avoid the possibility of Yan being denied the crown if he attempted not to marry, Tic volunteered to become Yan’s wife. Once he became king, Yan abolished this rule for Aladna.
What Are Prince Yan’s Powers?
As far as we know, Prince Yan D’Aladna doesn’t have any superpower, at least not in Marvel’s comics. However, like everyone on his home planet, Yan can always speak and carry on a full conversation totally in rhyme. Essentially, all of Aladna’s people speak musically. So, that’s kind of a power? We’ll have to see if Park Seo-joon’s MCU Prince Yan develops any other powers in The Marvels.
Is Prince Yan Captain Marvel’s Husband?
Although Carol Danvers won the right to marry Prince Yan, she decided not to. She allowed the Prince to choose his own consort. Or rather, the consort chose him. So no, Carol is not married to the Prince in the Marvel Comics and is, therefore, not secret alien royalty. However, that did not stop him from being flirty with her.
That’s the comics’ world though; in the MCU, however, Captain Marvel and Prince Yan D’Aladna end up entangled in a “marriage of convenience,” and indeed, Prince Yan is Captain Marvel’s husband.
Park Seo-joon as Prince Yan D’ Aladna in the MCU
As mentioned, the MCU’s Prince Yan is played by Park Seo-joon. In The Marvels, Prince Yan is still part of the royal family on the planet Aladna. Carol, Kamala, and Monica go to his home planet once they realize that Kree villain Dar-Benn has made the water-rich world her next target. Her plan is to steal water from Aladna, since 90% of that world is covered by oceans. When Carol and the Marvels arrive, she awkwardly reveals to Kamala and Monica that she’s actually the Princess of Aladna, since she married Prince Yan in a diplomatic ceremony.
This is when we discover that the people of Aladna only communicate through song, which leads to much hilarity with the arriving heroes. Park Seo-joon gets to show off his vocal chops in The Marvels when he sings to his lovely princess in her gown, and then shows off his warrior chops when defends Captain Marvel from attacking Kree soldiers. Unlike most of his people in The Marvels, Park Seo-joon’s Prince Yan also can communicate non-musically, as it’s revealed that he is bilingual. The MCU version of Prince Yan got to do what his comic book counterpart did not– marry the superhero. And get to be a hero himself.
The Marvels is now in theaters everywhere.
Originally published on October 23, 2023.
