Everything you need to know about Captain Marvel - one of the strongest superheroes

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

For the release of the next movie of the MCU, Lifehacker tells how the character changed, what the comics were about and what to expect in the cinema.

For the first time in 10 years, the studio decided to dedicate a film to a female superhero. At the same time, Captain Marvel has existed on the pages of comics for more than half a century, and its history has changed several times.

How Marvel Comics took over the Captain Marvel title from DC

Captain Marvel only got into Marvel Comics because of DC Comics' greed. The thing is that for the first time a hero with that name appeared in the early 1940s in the comics of the now forgotten company Fawcett Comics. It was a story about a boy who, with the help of magic, turns into a pumped-up hero in a red suit and a white cloak with a zipper drawn on his chest. If it seemed to someone now that this is very reminiscent of the plot of the future film "Shazam!", Then you are absolutely right.

DC Comics considered the character to be too similar to their Superman (costume, logo, set of abilities). Moreover, comics about Captain Marvel sold better than "Superman". And then DC decided to sue Fawcett Comics for copyright infringement.

For the period of the proceedings, the release of the comic was stopped. And at this time, the Marvel studio registered the Captain Marvel trademark. And in 1967 she began publishing her own stories about a completely different hero with that name. DC only licensed the character in the early 1970s and lost the opportunity to publish comics with this title. Then the name "Shazam!" Appeared, although the hero still bore the name Captain Marvel. But to avoid confusion, readers increasingly named the character by the title of the comic - Shazam. And in 2011, DC finally gave up and renamed the hero.

Ironically, the Captain Marvel stories from Marvel and Shazam from DC will be released on the big screens literally a month apart.

Who was the first Captain Marvel

In the mid-1960s, the next issue of the Marvel Super Heroes comic was released, where Stan Lee and Gene Colan first introduced a hero named Captain Marvel into the plot. But this was not the character Brie Larson would play in the movie. Although he will also appear in the upcoming film.

The first Captain Marvel is a Kree alien named Mar-Vell. He was sent to Earth to oversee the development of human technology for interplanetary travel. Mar-Vell lived among the people under the name of the deceased Dr. Walter Lawson and became increasingly attached to the earthlings. At the same time, his compatriot Yon-Rogg tried in every possible way to harm people and Mar-Vella, and then completely declared him a traitor to the race.

In the first comics, the hero mainly confronts the intrigues of Yon-Rogg, Ronan the Accuser and other evil representatives of the Kree, and also periodically saves the world from other dangers. Later, he already went beyond earthly problems and saved his home planet, fought with the traitors of his race. It was then that the hero received some additional powers and a new costume. Captain Marvel knew how to fly, possessed immense strength and the ability to absorb energy.

Then Mar-Vella was thrown into the so-called negative zone. Earthman Rick Jones helped him to get out. With the help of "bliss-bracelets", he and the Captain changed places at the necessary moments. This continued until Mar-Vell found a way to free both of them at the same time. This happened, by the way, with the help of Dr. Richards from the Fantastic Four.

Captain Marvel has participated in many global comic book events. For example, it was he who helped the Avengers defeat Thanos, since he was associated with the almost omnipotent "cosmic mind". When the hero began to die of cancer, his DNA was copied and Genis-Vella was created - the genetic son of Mar-Vell, who also began to bear the name Captain Marvel. Later, the mantle passed to his sister File-Vell. In addition, at various times, other people and Kriyas have performed under this pseudonym.

And since 2012, Carol Danvers' dugout has become Captain Marvel, which will act as the main character of the new film. Although this heroine appeared in comics much earlier, but at first she bore a different name.

How Miss Marvel appeared - the female version of the hero

Soon after the appearance of Captain Marvel on the pages of comics, the authors came up with a girlfriend for him - US Air Force pilot Carol Danvers. It happened in 1968. And, it would seem, the appearance of such a character was associated with the development of the feminist movement. Carol and was positioned as a typical "strong woman": she drove an airplane, had a sharp mind and at the same time knew how to fight perfectly. Soon, Nick Fury recruited her into the CIA and began to give the most difficult tasks.

It seems that Carol Danvers could lay claim to the title of an icon of feminism. But in fact, for a long time she remained a traditional comic book "girl in trouble" and a romantic person. Moreover, the authors did not forget about the sexy costumes for the heroine. Plus, Carol had an affair with Wolverine. And it was he who had to save the heroine when she was captured by the KGB during a mission to the USSR.

After the CIA, Carol Danvers got a job at NASA, where she met Mar-Vell. The heroine, of course, also began an affair with him. It was from Mar-Vell that she received super powers. The girl was kidnapped by the villain, and Captain Marvel tried to save her. At this time, an energy device exploded, and Carol was transferred part of the alien's abilities. And soon Danvers became the superhero Miss Marvel.

But her powers did not manifest immediately. Carol Danvers first wrote a book and started working as an editor for the newspaper The Woman, a subsidiary of The Daily Bugle, where Peter Parker (Spider-Man) worked. And after that, she became one of the strongest heroines in Marvel comics. Like Mar-Vell, Ms. Marvel fought the most dangerous enemies, was part of the Avengers and was even considered the strongest in their team.

What the Ms. Marvel comics talked about

Comics about this character cannot be called very bright and memorable. Most often it was a confrontation with the traditional villains of Marvel, only seasoned with the heroine's personal problems. So she fought with mutants, the supervillain MODOK and a whole network of terrorists. Separately, we can highlight her confrontation with the Mystic, known to all from the "X-Men". Their struggle lasted for a long time, and then continued in the form of clashes with the adopted daughter of the villainess Rogue.

There were very strange and even scandalous stories. For example, in issue 200 of the 1980 The Avengers comic, Carol became pregnant by the villainous Marcus from the Limbaugh dimension. To be precise, Marcus drugged and then impregnated the heroine with himself in order to be reborn in the ordinary world. As a result, her child was born in just a few days. And after a couple of days he became an adult and honestly told Ms. Marvel that he was now her husband and son. After which, with the approval of the Avengers, they left to live in Limbo.

Subsequently, this comic was much criticized as an excuse for rape. And in 1981, they tried to fix the plot, returning the heroine to the ordinary world and showing that she did not want to forgive her former colleagues for inaction in a dangerous situation. And further comics about Carol Danvers were devoted to her personal experiences as much as saving the world.

When faced with the already mentioned Rogue, she almost lost her strength. And then she briefly joined the X-Men team, but because of the conflict with the same Rogue, she could not find a common language with them. After a while, Miss Marvel left Earth and went to other planets. Then she managed to increase her powers even more. But the Earth was in danger, and Carol had to spend all her energy to save her.

Almost exhausted, she returned to her home planet and again joined the Avengers. But against the background of previous experiences and loss of abilities, Carol began to have problems with alcohol. Only Iron Man, also a former alcoholic, noticed this. The heroine threatened the activities of the Avengers several times, so she left the team and decided to return to writing. But first, she had to defeat alcoholism. At the same time, Carol Danvers changed her superhero nicknames several times. She put things in order in space under the name Double Star, and on Earth for some time she was known as the Bird of War.

And only in 2012, after a short resurrection and the subsequent death of Mar-Vell, Carol Danvers, as his heiress and lover, received the right to bear the name Captain Marvel. And in parallel, as in the case of the male version of the character, the title of Miss Marvel at different times was worn by several different heroines. For example, in 2014 she became Kamala Khan, the first Muslim superheroine to receive her own comic book series.

What Carol Danvers Can Do

Initially, Carol Danvers was just a capable and trained person with military training. She had a sharp mind and excellent physical shape. In addition, she knew how to fly an airplane and knew about technology. For example, in the Ultimate-universe of Marvel comics (with a different version of character development), she, without possessing any super powers, took the post of director of the top-secret organization SHIELD. after the disappearance of Nick Fury.

Having received superpowers from Mar-Vell, Carol became one of the strongest superheroines on Earth. It can withstand loads and impacts of almost 100 tons and can fly in the atmosphere at speeds in excess of 100 meters per second. At the same time, it is able to move several times faster in outer space. In addition, Ms. Marvel can absorb and transform various types of energy. This gives her the ability to shoot energy charges from her hands.

In various versions, the girl received additional strength. As a Double Star, it could absorb the energy of the stars. This made it possible to control even the force of gravity and fly at cosmic speeds. Sometimes the heroine, due to a collision with enemies or simply because of an internal state, lost the strength that she had.

What is Captain Marvel's place in the MCU

The idea to introduce the strongest female superhero into the cinematic universe was born at the studio a long time ago. It was planned to appear in the crossover "Avengers: Age of Ultron". Then they decided to postpone it until the global "War of Infinity". In addition, it was rumored that the appearance of this character in the TV series "Jessica Jones" from Netflix was discussed. But in the end, the management decided to start the story of the superheroine with a solo project.

Captain Marvel will be the next chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will lead to the events of the movie The Avengers: Endgame. In the post-credits scene of Infinity War, Nick Fury managed to send a message to Captain Marvel before disappearing. She probably should be one of the keys to defeating Thanos.

However, the action of the film will unfold in the past, namely in the mid-nineties. The plot will partly retell the story of the classic comics. But according to the tradition of the cinematic universe, a significant part of the canon has changed. The main character - Air Force pilot Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) - receives super powers as a result of the explosion, after which he undergoes training in the special squad of the Starforce Kree race.

After returning to Earth, the heroine wants to understand her past, which she does not remember well. And at the same time, he tries to prevent the invasion of Skrulls - aliens capable of transforming into any living creature or even an object. In the fight against them, she is assisted by Special Agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).

The plot of the film will explain why Captain Marvel did not participate in Infinity War and how she will help the Avengers in the new part of the story. In addition, the appearance of the Skrulls adds a new intrigue - any hero at some point may turn out to be a transformed villain.