This article is about Carol Danvers. For other articles that share the same name, see Captain Marvel (disambiguation).
Carol Danvers, also known as Captain Marvel, is a superheroine from Marvel Comics. An Air Force lieutenant turned Colonel and a Captain in the Kree army after an explosion from a lighter-than-speed engine powered by the Tesseract gave Carol cosmic powers, which she uses as a protector of the universe, taking the mantle of Captain Marvel from the heroic Kree who invented the engine (and befriended Carol), Mar-Vell.
She has appeared in several Marvel animated series. She debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the titular protagonist of the 2019 live-action film Captain Marvel and the 2023 film The Marvels, and also appeared in Avengers: Endgame and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Carol Danvers was created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan.
Background
Born as Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel grew up engaged in numerous sports and activities. However, she grew estranged from her father because he thought none of her hobbies were healthy for females to be involved in (given Carol was born in the mid-1960s). After becoming disconnected from her family, Carol joined the United States Air Force, where she met Maria Rambeau and became her best friend. Thanks to her hardships in childhood, she had an unquenchable thirst to prove herself, which allowed her to conquer the trials she faced during her training in the US Air Force. Later on, she became the godmother of Maria's daughter, Monica. Around this time, she befriended a scientist named Wendy Lawson and her "cat", Goose. She helped Wendy in developing an experimental light-speed engine for an aircraft that could aid in ending wars. Higher, Further, Faster
Personality
Before becoming a superhero, Carol was dedicated and proud in her work and achievements, never allowing the antics of others to distract her or others from their more important and urgent matters. She believed in keeping a professional level in dealing with other coworkers. Even without powers, she was shown to be brave and bold, constantly getting back up every time she fell and refusing to give up in the face of overwhelming odds. Only when a situation seemed disastrous did she even consider changing her mind. She protected and helped others. She was shown to have a dry wit and a short temper. She also seems to be quick to judge others.
The explosion that gave her powers not only stripped her of her memory, but also her personality, as she was consequently led by the Kree, particularly Yon-Rogg, to believe that her name was Vers, they had given her her powers by implanting a device on her neck (which was actually limiting them), and could strip them by removing it, that the Kree were "noble warrior heroes" and the Skrulls were evil aliens who would use their shapeshifting abilities to destabilize civilizations across the universe. This, combined with her training under Yon-Rogg's mentorship, resulted in Carol becoming an unemotional, naïve warrior. Her strength as a warrior had also been increased by a blood transfusion from Yon-Rogg, transforming her into a human-Kree hybrid.
When she regained her memories, she also saw Kree and Skrulls alike for their true nature, realizing that she had committed war crimes on the Kree's orders, and actively began seeking redemption by finishing Mar-Vell's work, which involved helping the Skrulls find a new home planet, and fighting with them against the Kree. Since she retained her training as Vers and her newer memories, instead of being the original, flawed Carol Danvers or the trained Vers alone, she became the best of both.
Likely out of vengeance, however, Carol became reckless in her quest for redemption. By destroying the Supreme Intelligence, she sought to liberate the Kree from its influence, but this ironically triggered a civil war that rendered Hala barely habitable, destroying its atmosphere, oceans and sunlight. Her guilt over this caused her to isolate herself from her family and friends on Earth, including Monica, not wanting them to see what she had become.
Powers and abilities
Powers
- Superhuman Strength: Captain Marvel is superhumanly strong to an unknown limit.
- Superhuman Durability: Captain Marvel's skin, bones, and tissue are far denser and resistant to damage when compared to an ordinary human. Like her physical strength, Captain Marvel's maximum durability has been compared to Hulk and Thor, who are both incredibly durable themselves. Her durability is increased by the fact that she is able to absorb energy, both by the fact that most energy-based attacks are rendered ineffective, and because the absorption of said energy actually increases the amount of damage her body is capable of taking.
- Longevity/Immortality: Thanks to a Kree blood transfusion in the 1990s, Carol ages extremely slow; remaining in the prime of her late 20s for many decades. Even in her late 50s/early 60s in 2023, Carol still remains youthful as she did 30 years ago.
- Flight: Captain Marvel is able to soar through the air at high speeds and with great maneuverability. Her top speed is unknown. Her flight speed could presumably be increased by the absorption of energy.
- Energy Manipulation: Carol's altered physiology has endowed her with the ability to naturally harness all forms of energy and to utilize in battle.
- Energy Projection: Captain Marvel is able to project bursts of energy from her hands as a form of ranged combat.
- Energy Absorption: Captain Marvel is able to absorb various kinds of energy. This energy serves to increase her other abilities, allowing her to become far stronger, take more damage, fly faster, and produce even more powerful energy blasts. This power also means that most energy attacks are rendered completely ineffective against Captain Marvel, leaving foes with such powers defenseless against her.
Appearances
Avengers: Infinity War
While she doesn't physically appear in Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel was alluded to when the device Nick Fury uses to send a "Code Red" on, right before he and Maria Hill fade away, displays her insignia as a mean to summon Captain Marvel back to Earth quickly for the emergency situations Thanos caused.
Captain Marvel
- “I've been fighting with one hand tied behind my back. What happens when I'm finally set free?”
- ―Carol Danvers
Set in the 1990s, Captain Marvel makes her cinematic debut in the titular film, serving as the MCU's first female protagonist. She starts pilot training with her best friend Maria Rambeau, but is experimented on when she accidentally interacts with the Tesseract, which is housing the infinity stone known as the space stone and gains cosmic powers, while the Kree transform her into a Kree-human hybrid from their blood. Carol informs her friend Maria of this and meets Nick Fury who wants to arrest Danvers. However, Danvers is able to convince Fury she is going to use her powers for good and meets Maria's daughter Monica, whom quickly sees Carol as her aunt. Wanting to use her powers for good, Carol wants to stop the Kree-Skrull war. Having her memories wiped, Carol goes under the name Vers for a few years, having no idea who Maria or her daughter are.
Danvers, later rejecting her Vers persona, unlocks her true powers and defeats the Kree invasion onto Earth that is being led by Ronan the Accuser, before setting off out to the far reaches of the galaxy to finish what her late mentor Mar-Vell had previously started, honoring her by becoming known as Captain Marvel. After reuniting with Maria and an 11 year old Monica, Carol decides she needs to defend the galaxy , but does promise Monica she will be back "before she knows it".
Many years later, in 2018, Captain Marvel arrives at the Avengers Compound where she meets Steve Rogers/Captain America and Natasha Romonoff/Black Widow, after receiving a distress call by Nick Fury. Worried, she asks the Avengers where he is. Danvers is then informed that Fury has been killed by the snap, which has been executed by Thanos to wipe out 50% of all living creatures in the universe.
Avengers: Endgame
Captain Marvel rescues Iron Man and Nebula after the two get stranded in outer space, returning them to Earth. She is then informed of Thanos succeeding in wiping out half of the universe's population with his Infinity Gauntlet. Captain Marvel was saddened to discover that Nick Fury was among those killed from Thanos' snap. Captain Marvel then attended to Iron Man when he collapsed after angrily arguing with Captain America on their failure to stop Thanos. Furious with Thanos' action, Captain Marvel attempted to go confront and kill Thanos herself, only to be relent when the Avengers tell they work as a team. After locating Thanos, Captain Marvel informed the Avengers that if they use the Infinity Stones, they can revive everyone killed by the snap and they would be able to win with her on their side. When questioned by War Machine on her absence from Earth, Captain Marvel dryly responded that she had a responsibility to a multitude of other planets that did not have the protection of the Avengers. They all then agreed upon the mission. Thor tested Captain Marvel by summoning Stormbreaker in front of her, which she did even flinch from. Thor became impressed with Captain Marvel where she joined the remaining Avengers in finding and confronting Thanos.
Later, after Hulk/Bruce Banner uses the Infinity Gauntlet to undo the snap and bring everyone back to life, Captain Marvel joins the rest of the heroes in their fight against Thanos and his army of Chitauri, Outriders and the Black Order. Captain Marvel and a team of heroines fight off against Thanos' army while Captain Marvel attempts to take the Infinity Gauntlet to into a quantum tunnel in Scott Lang's van. However, Thanos destroyed the van before Captain Marvel can reach it, preventing her from returning the Infinity Stones to their proper timelines. As Thanos attempted to take the Gauntlet, Captain Marvel flew towards him. The two then fought, but when Thanos grabbed her arm, he threw her away. Captain Marvel then rushed back to stop Thanos, who now wore the Gauntlet, but she was able to stop him from snapping his fingers.
As Captain Marvel held his fingers apart, Thanos attempted to headbutt her, but it did not affect her. Captain Marvel then used her superior strength to overpower Thanos, pushing him down as she levitated above him. However, Thanos removed the Power Stone from the Gauntlet and used it to increase his strength as he punched her, sending her flying away. However, Thanos was prevented from snapping his fingers by Iron Man who removed the Infinity Stones from the Gauntlet and put them on his own, wiping out Thanos and his army by snapping his own fingers.
After the defeat of Thanos and his army, Captain Marvel attended Iron Man's funeral, along with the Avengers and other heroes she fought alongside, to pay her respects. She also reunited with Nick Fury for the first time in years before she returned to space.
WandaVision
Captain Marvel never appears in the series, but she is mentioned. In the fourth episode, "We Interrupt This Program", Monica hears Carol's voice, in her head, after being resurrected, via the Blip. In the fifth episode, "On a Very Special Episode...", Jimmy Woo argues, that the only person who came close to killing Thanos besides Wanda, was Captain Marvel, and Darcy recalls how she gained her powers from an infinity stone, like Wanda. Monica's expression hardens, after hearing mention of Carol, and she tells Darcy and Jimmy that they're not talking about her. In the sixth episode, Director Hayward mentions Monica's past with Carol Danvers, when accusing her of advocating on the behalf of super-powered individuals. In the seventh episode, Monica can hear Carol's voice, amongst others, as she passes through the Hex.
What If...?
Captain Marvel first appeared as a cameo character at the end of episode "What If... The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?", summoned by Nick Fury, after he found Captain America frozen in ice.
Captain Marvel in "What If...?"
She reappears in the seventh episode "What If... Thor Were an Only Child?", where she was summoned by Acting Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Maria Hill to put a stop to Thor's party antics. She first arrived in Paris to confront the Party God.
In the eighth episode, Ultron invades Xandar. She attempts to put a stop to him by ramming him to the planet's core but was killed by Ultron when he unleashed the power of the Infinity Stones, destroying multiple planets in the system.
In the first season finale "What If... The Watcher Broke His Oath?", Captain Marvel from the third episode reappears at the end of the episode, fighting against Loki and his army alongside Captain America and Nick Fury; she is shortly joined by another version of Black Widow from another universe.
An alternate Captain Marvel made a cameo appearance in "What if... Strange Supreme Intervened?".
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Captain Marvel appears in the films mid-credit scenes. Wong escorts Shang-Chi and Katy to the Sanctum Sanctorum, where both Captain Marvel and Bruce Banner are, via hologram, and the group discuss the nature of Wenwu's Rings. Bruce questions whether it could originate from the Chitauri, but Carol is unfamiliar with it. She asks how long Shang-Chi's father possessed them, before he obtained them, and he reveals it was for roughly a thousand years. Bruce discloses that the rings are much older, and a holographic beating light is shown, symbolizing the Rings, acting as a beacon transmitting a message, though they remain oblivious to where. Carol is suddenly called away, and apologizes, for having to abruptly leave. She tells Kate and Shang-Chi, they can contact her, via Bruce, but once she leaves, he states he doesn't have her number, and she frequently does that.
Ms. Marvel
Throughout the series, Kamala's bedroom is seen, decorated with images of the heroine.
Captain Marvel doesn't appear in the first episode, but an animated version of her can be seen, amongst the other heroes, as Kamala records the final chapter, in her 10-part series, about the battle against Thanos. She narrates how Captain Marvel blasted through Thanos' fleet and punched him in the face, adding that while they while her whereabouts are unknown, she hopes to find something out, during AvengerCon. Kamala also sports a shirt with Captain Marvel and Valkyrie in the episode. For AvengerCon, Kamala takes part in a Captain Marvel cosplay competition, and has a costume prepared, airbrushed to match Captain Marvel's colors. At the event, there are various pieces of memorabilia in reference to her, including a large statue, which Kamala admires.[2]
An illustration of Captain Marvel can seen in the opening title of the third episode. When Kamala learns of the huge risk involved in helping the Clandestines return to the Noor Dimension, she states that Carol Danvers wouldn't wait, and she'd punch a hole in space and time and to help them now.[3]
She is mentioned in the final episode, when Yusuf tells Kamala that her name is derived from the word "Kamal", which means Marvel in Urdu, and Kamala is excited at the prospect of sharing the same name with Carol Danvers. She physically appears in the mid-credits scene of the episode. When Kamala's bangle begins to glow, Carol is mysteriously transported into Kamala's bedroom through unknown means, swapping places with Kamala. She breaks through Kamala's wardrobe door, and recovers, to the shock of finding herself elsewhere. Carol panics and makes an exit.[4]
The Marvels
- “I know that this situation isn't ideal, but it is actually nice having people on board again. It gets pretty lonely out here.”
- ―Carol to Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan[src]
In 2026, Carol and Goose are living a quiet life in her spaceship until she received a call from Fury, asking her to investigate the jump point anomaly. She found herself at the Khan family home with Kamala's family in the living room. As she flies off, she gets brought back to the planet and gets attacked by the Kree soldiers.
Carol tells Monica her mother would be proud.
After 30 years, Carol is reunited with her honorary niece Monica Rambeau, but things are tense between them as Carol promised Monica she would return, when she was a little child. Captain Marvel is also introduced to her super fan, Kamala Khan who goes by Ms. Marvel, and the three women learn their powers are entangled due to their Quantum bands. However, they learn to work together and must defeat Dar-Benn, who is after their bands. It is also revealed that Carol is married to Yan, the prince of Aladna, making Carol the princess.
After the three women are stranded, Carol confesses to Monica as to why she never returned when she was a child, as she wanted to fix her mistake. Monica assures Carol that she never expected her to be the "mighty Captain Marvel", but just her aunt. Kamala and Monica learn what happened while Monica was dusted for 5 years, when Carol shows them her memories, including in 2020, when Carol learnt that Maria's cancer had returned, and Carol was given Goose as Maria knew she didn't have much life left in her.
When Monica learns she must seal the rip in space time, Carol is hesitant to let her do it as it could mean she would get trapped. Monica is able to seal the gap, but ends up getting trapped in another reality, even with Captain Marvel's best efforts to save her. With Monica in another universe, The Marvels are no more although Carol and Kamala remain on good terms. Carol returned to Hala to restore the sun, finally making amends. With the job's done, Carol moved into the Rambeau residence in Louisiana "just until Monica gets back" from the alternate reality.
Other appearances
In the opening sequence of Flora & Ulysses, Flora is narrating on the nature of superheroes, and a montage is featured with many Marvel characters, and includes a comic panel of Captain Marvel, surrounded by adoring fans.
Video games
Disney Infinity: 2.0 Edition
Captain Marvel appears in the game as a mission giver for the Avengers playset.
Marvel vs. Capcom series
Captain Marvel was recently confirmed as one of the first four playable characters, the first of two brand new characters, and the first female character, to be playable in the upcoming Capcom crossover fighting game Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite. She also made a cameo appearance in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 as an ability card in Heroes and Heralds Mode under her original codename of Ms. Marvel.
Gallery
Trivia
- Originally, the character was labeled as Ms. Marvel in the comics and other media, partially due to the fact that DC Comics has a character of the same name (later renamed "Shazam" for DC Comics media) and partially due to the fact that she originally worked alongside a man who previously held the codename Captain Marvel, whose real name was Mar-Vell. In 2012, Carol officially assumed the "Captain Marvel" title. In the comics, prior to becoming Captain Marvel, she also previously went by the codenames Binary and Warbird. Currently, the character Kamala Khan uses the codename Ms. Marvel in the comics and other media. The DC Captain Marvel had a movie released in 2019, Shazam, set in the DC Extended Universe. Due to Marvel owning the rights to the Captain Marvel name, Captain Marvel in Shazam is never called as such or given any superhero name (the closest being when Freddy Freeman calls him "Captain Sparklefingers"). 2023 also had the DC Captain Marvel getting a movie, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, marking the second year that both the DC Captain Marvel and the Marvel Captain Marvel had movies released.
- In Ms. Marvel, a poster of Captain Marvel can be seen in Kamala Khan's bedroom. This image comes directly from the Marvel comic Captain Marvel (2016) — Issue #4.
- While Carol was originally perceived as the strongest MCU character and Avenger, it was confirmed by Kevin Feige that Scarlet Witch is the strongest character in the MCU and that she almost defeated Thanos by herself.[5]
- Carol Danvers is the third Avenger to be married within the main timeline, following Clint Barton/Hawkeye and Tony Stark/iron Man. She is the first female avenger to be married.
- Captain Marvel was originally going to die during the final battle against Dar-Benn in The Marvels, until the idea was scrapped and the death scene was going to feature a lot of water, strongly implying Carol was going to drown.[6]
- Following the poor outcome at the box office for the release of The Marvels, Brie Larson believes there might not be much more for Marvel to do with the character.[7]
- In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain Marvel is one of the heroes to be portrayed by a female, unlike the comics where the character is male.
- Captain Marvel was going to originally debut at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, when Steve Rogers and Natasha Romonoff start training Sam Wilson, James Rhodes, Wanda Maximoff and Vision to officially become members of the Avengers. However, Kevin Feige didn't think it was the right time to debut the character and felt she wouldn't have fitted into the storyline as well without establishing her backstory.[8] A stand-in actress was shown during a deleted scene for the movie.
- A character named Majesta from the Ladybug & Cat Noir special, "Miraculous New York", is based off of Carol Danvers' Captain Marvel as they share very similar powers, with Majesta even having a very similar hairstyle to the one Carol had in Avengers: Endgame.
See also
- Captain Marvel (Earth-838)
- Ms. Marvel (The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes)
- Captain Marvel (Marvel Animated Universe 2012-18)
- Captain Marvel (Marvel Animated Universe 2015-20)
- Captain Marvel (Marvel Rising)
References
- ↑ "Marvel Zombies on Disney+ to Have the 'Gore and Splatter You Want From a Zombie Show'". IGN (July 22, 2022).
- ↑ "Generation Why", Ms. Marvel, Season 1, Episode 1. (June 8, 2022). Disney+
- ↑ "Destined", Ms. Marvel, Season 1, Episode 3. (June 22, 2022). Disney+
- ↑ "No Normal", Ms. Marvel, Season 1, Episode 6. (July 13, 2022). Disney+
- ↑ "Scarlet Witch Is Strongest MCU Hero, Says Kevin Feige". Screenrant (December 30, 2019).
- ↑ The Marvels Star Reveals Alternate Ending With Major Death
- ↑ "The Marvels Star Brie Larson Offers Disappointing Update on MCU Future". ComicBook.com (February 26, 2024).
- ↑ MTV interview with Kevin Feige
External links
Captain Marvel on Marvel.com- Carol Danvers (Marvel Cinematic Universe) on Wikipedia
- Captain Marvel on the Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki
- Carol Danvers (Earth-199999) on the Marvel Database
Captain Marvel (Marvel Cinematic Universe) on Heroes Wiki
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