What Proxima Midnight From Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War Looks Like In Real Life
Thanos' Black Order was one of the most frightening additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the Children of Thanos helping the Mad Titan acquire the Infinity Stones in "Avengers: Infinity War." One of the evil superteam's deadliest members is Proxima Midnight (Carrie Coon), a spear-wielding foe with notable fighting prowess. In the movie, she takes on several Avengers, including Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), before dying in the Battle of Wakanda. Coon, the Emmy-winning actress who plays Proxima Midnight, ultimately looks very little like the CGI and motion capture character.
Proxima Midnight was created by Jonathan Hickman, debuting in "New Avengers" #8 (by Hickman, Mike Deodato, Frank Martin Jr., and Joe Caramagna). In the comics, the alien villain is a member of Thanos' Black Order and the wife of his top lieutenant, Ebony Maw. A skilled warrior, Proxima Midnight assists Thanos in his quest to gather the Infinity Stones. While the character's costume in the MCU is mostly comic-accurate, the live-action films significantly change her appearance. Instead of having a black helmet with parts of it extending almost like large ears, Proxima Midnight's big-screen look makes the silhouette of her comic mask part of her face, with long black horns coming from her head as opposed to a removable headpiece.
Much like the appearance of Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Ebony Maw in "Avengers: Infinity War," the CGI look makes Coon unrecognizable, transforming the small, brown-haired actress into a tall, alien-like creature.
What else has Carrie Coon been in?
While audiences might not recognize Carrie Coon as Proxima Midnight given the alien nature of the character's appearance, the talented actress has starred in several major projects in both film and television. Coon had a notable career on the stage before getting her big break in the critically acclaimed HBO series "The Leftovers." Based on the Tom Perrotta book of the same name, the drama shows what would happen if 2% of the world's population suddenly disappeared. Coon plays Nora Durst, who tragically loses her entire family in the incident. Her performance on the show was lauded and launched her into stardom.
Coon also gained recognition playing police chief Gloria Burgle in Season 3 of FX's "Fargo," earning an Emmy nomination for the role. She has starred in several films, including "Gone Girl" and "The Post," and most recently jumped into a more comedic role as Callie Spengler in "Ghostbuster: Afterlife" and its sequel, "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire."
Coon currently stars in the HBO historical drama "The Gilded Age" alongside Cynthia Nixon, Christine Baranski, and Morgan Spector. Up next, Coon will be part of Season 3 of the Mike White HBO drama-comedy "The White Lotus," joining a stacked cast including Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Jason Isaacs, Walton Goggins, and Aimee Lou Wood — although her role in the resort series hasn't yet been revealed.
Despite being a relatively late bloomer — Coon's screen career didn't really begin until she was in her early 30s — the actress has rightly earned acclaim due to her incredible acting chops. Even still, some may be surprised she's in the "Avengers" franchise given her significant transformation into Proxima Midnight.