Carol Danvers


Carol Susan Jane Danvers is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Gene Colan, Danvers first appeared as an officer in the United States Air Force and a colleague of the Kree superhero Mar-Vell in Marvel Super-Heroes #13. Danvers later became the first incarnation of Ms. Marvel in Ms. Marvel #1 after her DNA was fused with Mar-Vell's during an explosion, giving her superhuman powers. Debuting in the Silver Age of comics, the character was featured in a self-titled series in the late 1970s before becoming associated with the superhero teams the Avengers and the X-Men. The character has also been known as Binary, Warbird and Captain Marvel at various points in her history. Danvers has been labeled as Marvel's most notable female hero, and frequently described as one of the most powerful characters in the franchise.
Carol Danvers has been featured in other Marvel licensed products including video games, animated television series, and merchandise such as trading cards. Brie Larson portrays the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the films Captain Marvel and .

Publication history

1960s

The character debuted in Marvel Super-Heroes #13 by writer Roy Thomas and artist Gene Colan. In the story, she is an officer in the United States Air Force and Security Chief of a restricted military base, where Danvers meets Dr. Walter Lawson, the human alias of alien Kree hero Captain Marvel. In a later story, Danvers is caught in the explosion of a Kree device after trying to get close to Captain Marvel. Although Captain Marvel manages to save her life, Danvers sustains serious injuries.

1970s

Danvers resurfaces with superhuman abilities and becomes the hero Ms. Marvel in a self-titled series in January 1977, at first written by Gerry Conway and later by Chris Claremont. In the series, she is the editor of Women Magazine, a spin-off of the Daily Bugle. It is revealed that the energy exposure from the explosion of a device called the "Psyche-Magnetron" caused Danvers's genetic structure to meld with Captain Marvel's, effectively turning her into a human-Kree hybrid. Ms. Marvel had a series of semi-regular appearances in The Avengers, with additional appearances with the Defenders, Spider-Man, the Thing, and Iron Man. In one of these stories, the mutant terrorist Mystique kills Michael Barnett, Ms. Marvel's lover.
At the time of the publication of Ms. Marvel #1 in 1977, the title was self-consciously socially progressive for its time. This was reflected in the use of the word "Ms.", at the time associated with the feminist movement, and in Danvers fighting for equal pay for equal work in her civilian identity.

1980s

In The Avengers #200, which was written by Bob Layton, David Michelinie, George Pérez, and Jim Shooter, Ms. Marvel is kidnapped by a character named Marcus and taken to an alternate dimension, where she is brainwashed, raped, and impregnated. She gives birth on Earth to a child that rapidly ages into another version of Marcus, who is ultimately unable to remain on Earth after Hawkeye mistakenly damages his machine and takes Ms. Marvel back to the alternate dimension with no opposition from the Avengers, who perceive Ms. Marvel and Marcus to have fallen in love. Comic book historian Carol A. Strickland criticized the storyline in an essay titled "The Rape of Ms. Marvel". Citing Marcus' line, "Finally, after relative weeks of such efforts—and admittedly, with a subtle boost from Immortus' machines—you became mine", Strickland posited that this constituted rape. As a former writer of the solo title, Chris Claremont also commented on the inappropriateness of the storyline.
Claremont wrote a follow up to the Marcus story in Avengers Annual #10. In that story, Danvers is revealed to have returned to Earth—courtesy of Immortus's technology after Marcus continued to age and die of old age—but is attacked by the mutant Rogue, who permanently absorbs the character's abilities and memories. Danvers' memories are restored by Professor X, and an angry confrontation with the Avengers concerning their failure to realize Marcus had brainwashed her follows. Claremont continued to develop the character in the title Uncanny X-Men. Danvers enters the Pentagon and, while wiping the government's files on the X-Men, also deletes all records of herself in a symbolic break with her life as Ms. Marvel. During an adventure in space with the X-Men, Danvers is changed courtesy of experimentation by the alien race, the Brood, into a newly-empowered character called Binary. Drawing on the power of a cosmic phenomenon called a white hole, Danvers becomes capable of generating the power of a star. As Binary, the character has a number of encounters with the X-Men, the New Mutants, and the British team, Excalibur, as well as a solo adventure.
Claremont expanded on the incident with the character Rogue by having the Carol-Danvers persona manifest itself within Rogue's mind, sometimes overpowering Rogue's personality. This happens to Rogue on several occasions, which results in an uneasy armistice between the personalities within Rogue's mind. After Rogue passes through the ancient, supernatural gateway called the Siege Perilous, the Ms.-Marvel persona is separated from her as an independent entity. Within the same issue, the Ms.Marvel persona is killed by Magneto.

1990s

Carol Danvers continued to make sporadic appearances, and two additional issues planned for the original title—prevented by cancellation—were printed in a quarterly anthology series. That same year she appeared extensively in the storyline "Operation Galactic Storm". Near the conclusion of the story, Danvers loses her connection to the white hole she drew her powers from while diverting anti-matter from the Earth's sun left by the passing Nega Bomb, reverting to her original Ms. Marvel powers. She did retain the energy manipulation and absorption powers she had as Binary, but on a smaller scale.
After several more team and solo appearances she rejoins the Avengers with the new alias Warbird. Busiek explored the character by having her develop alcoholism, struggling to come to terms with the loss of her cosmic powers and memories. Danvers disgraces herself during the "Live Kree or Die" storyline and is soon suspended from active duty.
After a brief appearance in Marvel's alternate universe title What If?, the character was featured in Iron Man, Wolverine, and The Avengers before making a cameo appearance in Mutant X.

2000s

As Warbird, the character returns to the Avengers and plays a key role in the "Kang Dynasty" plotline. Kang's son Marcus, the Scarlet Centurion, falls in love with her, but she rejects him, in part because he reminds her of Marcus, son of Kang's older alter ego Immortus, who raped her. The Scarlet Centurion nonetheless helps her to defeat the Master of the World, a supervillain whose alien technology becomes the key to defeating Kang. In the course of the fight, Warbird kills the Master, and after the final victory over Kang she demands a court martial to review her actions. The court martial finds her killing justified as an act of war, and Carol continues as an Avenger. After the Avengers disband, Warbird leaves the group, and, along with other prominent former Avengers like Wasp, Hank Pym, Falcon and Wonder Man, is not included in the New Avengers group soon formed by Iron Man and Captain America.
The character was then featured as "Captain Marvel" in a false reality created by the mutant Scarlet Witch in the 2005 miniseries House of M. In this reality, Danvers' had glimpsed at her potential, becoming its greatest hero. After seeing how great of a hero she can really be, she decided to fulfill her potential in the main Marvel universe. Together with fellow Avenger Iron Man, Danvers also becomes a principal advocate of the Superhuman Registration Act during the events of the 2006–07 "Civil War" storyline. The story also continues in Ms. Marvel's own title as the character battles the anti-registration heroes led by Captain America.
The storyline has major consequences for the New Avengers, which debuts in the 2007 series The Mighty Avengers, with Danvers as a member. Danvers enters into a relationship with fellow member Wonder Man, appears in a crossover series with the Transformers, and becomes leader of the Mighty Avengers. The character makes an agreement with Tony Stark, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., to lead a covert strike team called Operation: Lightning Storm, its designated mission being the elimination of supervillains before they become global threats.
Ms. Marvel is captured by the Brood on Monster Island, whereupon she found the Brood Queen. An intense confrontation ensued during which Ms. Marvel's powers are temporarily disabled, forcing her to fight the Brood Queen as Carol Danvers. At one point, she is stripped of her civilian clothing and was forced to drift through space until she was able to access her powers.
Ms. Marvel also plays a significant role in the 2008 storyline "Secret Invasion", in which members of the shapeshifting alien race, the Skrulls, are revealed to have secretly infiltrated Earth by impersonating humans. She befriends Captain Marvel's Skrull impostor and proves to him that she is not a Skrull by revealing intimate details about their life together. At the conclusion of the war with the Skrulls, Norman Osborn is placed in charge of the registered Avengers team. Refusing to serve under Osborn, Ms. Marvel flees Avengers Tower, and joins the New Avengers, becoming second-in-command. Osborn appoints former Thunderbolt member Moonstone as the "new" Ms. Marvel to his Dark Avengers team; Moonstone wears a variation of Ms. Marvel's original costume. Osborn engineers a battle that results in Danvers's powers overloading, causing her apparent death. The character Moonstone takes over the title role in the ongoing Ms. Marvel series. Danvers returns with the aid of the New Avengers, a group of MODOK embryos, and a character known as the "Storyteller" and reclaims the title of Ms. Marvel from Karla Sofen.
The increased use of Carol Danvers as a prominent character in many story arcs throughout this decade eventually prompted one commentator to note that "she's now the House of Ideas' premier heroine".

2010s

In the conclusion of the second volume of Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers battles her old nemesis Mystique and a clone of Captain Marvel created by the Skrulls during the Secret Invasion, after they carry out a series of tragedies at temples belonging to the Church of Hala, a church dedicated to Mar-Vell. Danvers later aids the allied forces of Steve Rogers against Iron Patriot during the Siege of Asgard. Danvers also begins to develop a friendship with Spider-Man. Though he infuriates her the first time they work together, the two become closer when he helps her during the "Dark Reign" storyline, and she later admits to having feelings for him. Following the conclusion of the "Siege" storyline, Ms. Marvel returns as a regular character in the second volume of The New Avengers.
In July 2012, Carol Danvers assumed the mantle of Captain Marvel in an ongoing series written by Kelly Sue DeConnick with art by Dexter Soy. Danvers dons a jumpsuit and explores her own past. When describing her pitch for the series at WonderCon 2012 DeConnick said it could be "pretty much be summed up with 'Carol Danvers as Chuck Yeager. She said the series would contemplate what Captain Marvel's legend means to Danvers, how she will wield it, and how the rest of the Marvel Universe reacts.
Danvers also rejoined the main Avengers team as Captain Marvel in volume 5 of The Avengers and in the spin-off series, Avengers Assemble, also written by DeConnick. Editor Lauren Sankovitch said that Marvel editors liked DeConnick's work and that adding her to the team would "get some lady power in the Avengers lineup". DeConnick said, "You might know this – I have a certain affection for . And I decided, 'Well, if I'm deciding, there will be a slot available for her as well.
In 2013, Carol Danvers starred in the Captain Marvel / Avengers Assemble crossover storyline, "The Enemy Within". In the story, Danvers and her Avenger teammates battle Yon-Rogg, the Kree commander who was responsible for the explosion that caused Danvers to receive her powers, and in defeating the Kree Danvers loses her memories. In November 2013, Marvel announced that Danvers would be joining the Guardians of the Galaxy beginning in Free Comic Book Day: Guardians of the Galaxy by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli. In March 2014, Marvel launched an eighth volume of Captain Marvel written again by DeConnick and starring Danvers in the title role but drawn by artist David López. DeConnick said, "The big difference is we were grounded in New York City for the previous volume; at least in the latter part of it. With the new Captain Marvel #1 we start in NYC but after that we're letting her go cosmic. Carol will be spending time off planet."
During the 2015 "Secret Wars" storyline, Danvers headlined her own tie-in series, Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps co-written by DeConnick and Kelly Thompson and drawn by López. In the series, Danvers leads an elite squadron of female fighter pilots stationed at an airbase called Hala Field, where she is the only superpowered being; this leads the corps to help Danvers answer questions about her origin, which puts her in conflict with the controlling forces of Battleworld. During the storyline, Danvers becomes a member of A-Force, Battleworld's all-female team of Avengers. The series, written by G. Willow Wilson, continued into Marvel's "All-New, All-Different Marvel" relaunch campaign that followed "Secret Wars", with Danvers in a key role.
Continuing with the All-New, All-Different Marvel" initiative, Danvers starred in the ninth volume of Captain Marvel, written by Agent Carter showrunners Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas, with artwork by Kris Anka, which debuted in October 2015. The series, set eight months after "Secret Wars", sees Danvers taking over the responsibilities of S.W.O.R.D., the military agency that was previously designated to protect Earth from intergalactic threats. Editor Sana Amanat said, "This is really meant to be the next level for Captain Marvel. Carol is really meant to be a soldier and a commander, and also a diplomat. We're really trying to build up this space complex and this space world." At this time, Danvers also joined The Ultimates. Series writer Al Ewing said, "Carol's currently running Alpha Flight, which is Earth's premier space agency. seen the highs and the lows of the superhero business, and come out the other side. Right now, Carol's in the ascendant, culturally, both in-universe and outside it... Carol's story in The Ultimates is very much about her links with the ordinary super-hero world, and about trying to form a bridge between that world and the world of The Ultimates."
In 2016, Danvers played a predominant role in the storyline "Civil War II", the core miniseries of which was written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by David Marquez. In the story, Danvers is the leader of a faction of superheroes who wish to use Ulysses' precognitive power to profile people who in his visions, will commit future crimes. About her position Bendis stated, "From Carol's point of view, she is like, 'You're telling me the world is still turning at the end of the day and everyone is safe? I don't care... If it keeps us safe, that's fine. Following the conclusion of "Civil War II", Danvers starred in The Mighty Captain Marvel, by writer Margaret Stohl and artist Ramon Rosanas, which sees Danvers become a household name. Stohl explained, "She will be one of the most popular heroes on the planet—but that's not something she is very comfortable with. And of course she's lost a lot of folks that she's loved so she has to cope with that, too. That being said, she still has a job to do as commander of the Alpha Flight. Her latest mission being recruiting and training new cadets. It'll also bring with it a mysterious danger that will threaten everything Carol has built."
Beginning in July 2018, Danvers headlined a limited series titled, The Life of Captain Marvel, by Stohl and artist Carlos Pacheco. The series is described as a "retelling" of Danvers' origin story but Stohl insisted that it is not a "reinvention" explaining, "You look through a different lens. It's nothing you'll expect and nothing you've seen happen but there will be parts of her life that change the context of what you've seen before, so it's telling the other side of the story, of how she came to be." Stohl also said that there would be similarities with the 2019 film, but the film is "its own thing". The series reveals that Danvers' mother is Kree and that the blast that was responsible for her powers only awakened her preexisting Kree genes, and did not fuse her human DNA with Mar-Vell's Kree DNA as originally written.
Danvers starred in the tenth volume of Captain Marvel written by Kelly Thompson and drawn by Carmen Carnero. The story sees Danvers return to New York City after a stint in space and reconnect with allies and friends like Iron Man and Spider-Woman, as well as explore new relationships. Thompson teased, "There will definitely be some romance and it may be someone we all know and have seen before in Marvel Comics."

2020s

Danvers plays a major role in the 2020 Empyre crossover storyline written by Kelly Thompson, in which Danvers is elected as the Supreme Accuser of the newly forged Kree/Skull alliance and leads her own corps of Accusers that includes Spider-Woman, Hazmat and War Machine.

Characterization

With Ms. Marvel #1 in 1977, writer Gerry Conway played a significant role in the character's development, writing in his introduction to the series, "you might see a parallel between her quest for identity, and the modern woman's quest for raised consciousness, for self-liberation, for identity".
Ms. Marvel's uniform and abilities, however, were derived from the character's then-contemporary male counterpart: Captain Marvel. The Ms. Marvel letters page featured letters debating whether or not the character was feminist. Reader Jana C. Hollingsworth took issue with Ms. Marvel's entire origin:
Another reader had issue with the character's outfit: "Question: where is a woman who wears long sleeves, gloves, high boots and a scarf, and at the same time has a bare back, belly, and legs? The Arctic equator? That costume requires a few alterations." These questions, and the controversial rape in Avengers #200, caused many readers to question the character's portrayal, and whether she was a good role model for female readers:
It has been noted that "Danvers' initial appearances portrayed her as a strong character, but that changed over time—even after she gained super powers." When Ms. Marvel received her own title in the 2000s, Marvel Comics was "determined to have the character take center stage in the Marvel Universe", with "Joe Quesada and the other powers had the character play major roles in their huge 'House of M' crossover, in the 'New Avengers' and in the gargantuan success that is 'Civil War'." "Writer Brian Reed has had Ms. Marvel overcome worthy challenges ranging from alien invasions, time-traveling sorcerers and former teammates turned enemy." Brian Reed's characterization of Ms. Marvel has been said to be "an engaging mix of bravado and aggression juxtaposed with compassion and empathy".
The Carol Danvers incarnation of Ms. Marvel was the top-ranked female character on IGN's 2012 list of the "Top 50 Avengers". She is listed #29 in Comics Buyer's Guides "100 Sexiest Women in Comics".

Powers and abilities

As Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers initially possessed superhuman strength, endurance, stamina, physical durability, a limited precognitive "seventh sense" and a perfectly amalgamated human/Kree physiology that rendered her resistant to most toxins and poisons. She originally only had the power of flight thanks to a contraption under her suit. As Binary, the character could tap the energy of a "white hole", allowing full control and manipulation of stellar energies, and therefore control over heat, the electromagnetic spectrum and gravity. Light speed travel and the ability to survive in the vacuum of space were also possible.
Although the link to the white hole was eventually severed, Danvers retains her Binary powers on a smaller scale, enabling her to both absorb energy and project it in photonic form. She can also still survive in space. While she lacks a constant source of energy to maintain the abilities at their previous cosmic level, she can temporarily assume her Binary form if empowered with a high enough infusion of energy.
Danvers possesses superhuman strength and durability, can fly at roughly six times the speed of sound, retains her "seventh sense", and can discharge explosive blasts of radiant energy, which she fires from her fingertips. She also demonstrates the ability to absorb other forms of energy, such as electricity, to further magnify her strength and energy projection, up to the force of an exploding nuclear weapon. When sufficiently augmented, she can withstand the pressure from a ninety-two-ton weight and strike with a similar level of force, although Hank Pym theorized that this likely was not her limit. Danvers cannot absorb magical energy without consequence, though she aided Dr. Stephen Strange in the defeat of the mystic menace, Sir Warren Traveler.

Other versions

Age of Apocalypse

In the 1995 "Age of Apocalypse" storyline, a powerless Carol Danvers helps Logan and Gateway escape at the price of her life, only to be "healed" and used by Donald Pierce as a living weapon against her friends.

Age of Ultron

In the 2013 "Age of Ultron" storyline, a version of Captain Marvel was seen vacationing in London when the Ultron Sentinels arrive. Captain Marvel is assisted in the fight against the Ultron Sentinels by Captain Britain and MI-13. After Computer Graham and Magic Boots Mel are killed in battle, Captain Marvel and Captain Britain sacrifice their lives to stop the Ultron Sentinels that were invading London.

Amalgam

In the Amalgam Comics universe, Carol Danvers was combined with Helena Bertinelli of DC Comics and became this reality's Huntress. She's a rogue ex-government solo agent who uses her specialized skills and training as an agent for hire. Her crossbow was developed for her by Hawkeye of the Judgment League Avengers. She appears in the Legends of the Dark Claw one-shot where she discovers Dark Claw's secret identity and aids him in tracking down the Hyena.

Exiles

An evil version of the character features in the title Exiles, joining the alternate universe explorers Weapon X and becoming the lover of master villain Hyperion.

Marvel Mangaverse

In Marvel Mangaverse, Carol Danvers was pilot of the U.S.Airforce which was stationed in Japan. After Sunfire and his allies destroyed their base and killed Carol's partner, Rachel Leighton, Carol tried to fight, but was wounded by Silver Samurai and Lady Deathstrike. After being healed at the hospital, she developed superpowers and infiltrated the Hand's base and took notes about their plans after dispatching the resurrected Elektra. She then took the mantle of Captain America and saved Spider-Man and helped the other heroes battling the Hand. She displays superhuman strength and a near-invulnerability in the miniseries. No genuine explanation is given to how her powers came to exist in the Mangaverse, as she appears at first as a normal human.

Marvel Zombies

In the Marvel Zombies universe, Carol Danvers alongside with other Avengers members disregard the seemingly crazed ramblings of Ash Williams, only for his warnings to prove true as she is attacked and infected by the more powerful, zombified Sentry mere minutes after, turning Carol into a zombie with an insatiable hunger for human flesh.

Ultimate Marvel

The Ultimate Marvel imprint features a version of the character without superhuman abilities named Captain Carol Danvers in the "Ultimate Galactus Trilogy" storyline. As a U.S. Air Force officer, she was assigned to work on Mahr Vehl's security detail with General Nick Fury when Earth was threatened by Gah Lak Tus. In the title Ultimate Power, the character becomes acting director of S.H.I.E.L.D. after Nick Fury's disappearance. Her first missions involved working with the Fantastic Four and the X-Men opposing threats like Apocalypse, and the Silver Surfer. In Ultimate Spider-Man, she works on apprehending Norman Osborn after he escapes from the Triskelion. Things got difficult for her when Norman lied to the press that S.H.I.E.L.D. wrongly imprisoned him for trying to make the world a safer place, putting the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents out of a job.
She receives help from Spider-Man after she arrests him in public, hoping that it would lure Norman to her. She summoned a press release and had Harry Osborn tell the reporters the truth that Norman was a horrible person for experimenting on himself and killing his mother. Outraged, Norman went to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier and attacked his son along with her, Spider-Man, and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on board. Norman accidentally killed Harry and, feeling guilty, tells the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to kill him. Spider-Man becomes angry at Danvers because Harry died on her watch and told her to stay out of his life. She did not do as he asked, but she still felt sorry for him.
As S.H.I.E.L.D. Director, Danvers was put in command of the newly formed New Ultimates. When Loki attempted another invasion of Earth, Danvers and the women of the team were placed under a spell by Amora. Danvers, using technology, was able to resist the spell and was able to free the rest of the team to battle Loki's forces.
After Spider-Man was captured and replaced by the Chameleon, Danvers decided that having Peter, untrained, loose in the city was doing more harm than good. She approached May Parker and they both agreed that Peter would attend training lessons from individual members of the New Ultimates.
Danvers and her New Ultimates battled Nick Fury and his Avengers while each side accused the other of being traitors to S.H.I.E.L.D. and the United States of America. During the fight, Danvers was hit by a Police Cruiser, leaving her in critical condition. Her role as S.H.I.E.L.D. Director was then passed on to Gregory Stark, the one that had in fact engineered the events from the start. After Stark is killed, Fury replaced Danvers as director.

Infinity Warps

In Warp World, a copy of the Marvel Universe folded in half during the Infinity Wars storyline, Carol Danvers was fused with Justice Peace, creating Captain Peace. She travels from the year 2099 to the present where she tells Weapon Hex that her victory against the Demon invasion caused the Martians to invade Earth.

X-Men: The End

The 2004–2006 miniseries trilogy features a version of the character that exists as pure energy and controls the Starjammers' spaceship, The Starjammer.

Universe X

In the Universe X limited series, a version of Carol Danvers allied with Mar-Vell and she along with Nova, Quasar and Starlord formed the Realm Marvel.

Deadpool Kills Deadpool

In Deadpool Kills Deadpool, a version of Carol along with a version of Invisible Woman were captured by Dreadpool.

Age of Sentry

In Age of Sentry, a version of Carol Danvers is a sidekick to the Sentry.

Infinity Countdown

During the Infinity Countdown, Carol Danvers of the main timeline sees some alternate universes of herself:
In Marvel Universe Vs. The Punisher, Carol Danvers was part of the population who were infected from a virus which was accidentally spread by the Punisher and turned the people into cannibals. She allied with the Thing, but was later killed by the Punisher.

Venomverse: War Stories

In the universe of the Venomized Rocket Raccoon, the Kree put a bounty on Carol Danvers as Captain America. Rocket planned to kill Captain America and claim the bounty, but they were evenly matched causing the battle to not end, until Rocket was pulled into another dimension.

In other media

Television