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By JV Tanjuatco
Columnist
We’re weeks away from the premiere of Captain Marvel (opening on March 6) and Marvel Studios is promising us yet another cosmic installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! While comic book fans are stoked to see this pivotal character from the comics smash her way onto the big screen, mass audiences have no idea of who Carol Danvers is and what her deal is. All everyone knows is that she’s the first female Marvel superhero to headline her own movie and that she’s going to play a key role in taking down Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. Here’s a primer on why we need to know who this Avenger is.
Powerful Hero — She’s notably one of the Marvel Universe’s strongest superheroes, capable of taking down both the Hulk and Thor, at the same time! In addition to her Superman-like abilities (super strength, invulnerability, and flight), she has energy absorption powers that allow her to manipulate all types of energy and enhance her strength. At one time she was so powerful, she could tap into the limitless energy of a white hole and lift over 100 tons! She is one tough customer! With the Avengers seriously depleted at the start of Avengers: Endgame, getting her on the roster will give the team a serious boost in the powers department if they’re going to save the world.
Her Personality — In the first 40 years or so of comics, many female characters were depicted as weak-willed, superficial, and had co-dependent relationships with the male protagonists. In their early years, Lois Lane, Gwen Stacy, the Wasp and even Wonder Woman (villains were always using her Golden Lasso to tie her up!) ended up as damsels in distress! Carol Danvers was one of Marvel’s first major attempts to address these concerns. When she made her comic book debut in the sixties she was a security chief at a top-secret military base. Her title and affiliation implied that she was a hard woman to reckon with. It was a good start to defying convention but the character was still relegated to the token love interest. Subsequent takes made her seem too aggressive and difficult to relate with. Eventually, writers like Gerry Conway and Chris Claremont would make her more compassionate and empathetic. These refinements made her more appealing to modern readers.
Career Woman — Air Force captain. Spy. NASA pilot. Security chief. Magazine editor. Avengers leader. Carol Danvers has quite the resume breaking glass ceilings on each of them. Her prowess as an ace pilot among her peers, got her recruited to work in Air Force intelligence. This led to NASA pirating her to their space program. When she became a superhero, she worked as a magazine editor and fought for equal pay for women and wrote female empowerment articles. She is one of the few women to be elected as an Avengers leader. She was proof that women can do what men can do and do it better.
#MeToo member — In one of her darkest moments in her superhero career, Marcus, a mysterious man used his mind control powers to manipulate and impregnate her. During that time the Avengers were accepting of the situation (which was basically, rape) because they thought she wanted to be with the man. They had no idea that she was under the man’s control. She gave birth but Marcus and the baby died quickly after that. Carol would quit the Avengers for a long time because of their unintentional complicity in this traumatic event. Despite the trauma, she carried on with her life and eventually made peace with it.
Social-political relevancy — Carol faced many relatable issues lifted from today’s headlines. At a low point in her career, she suffered from depression and became an alcoholic. Desperate to keep her place on the Avengers, she hid her illness and endangered her teammates on a mission. She was thrown off the team. But was able to deal with her alcoholism with the help of Tony Stark. Years later, Danvers would take charge into the fray of two superhero civil wars (!) that involved the question of safety versus freedom. The first war made unlicensed heroes illegal. The second war focused on averting threats before they occurred. In both wars, she conservatively chose safety. While these choices made her controversial, the logic behind them were understandable and portrayed her as someone who was resolute.
Icon For Everyone — Marvel thinks that Captain Marvel is iconic enough to match DC’s foremost female hero, Wonder Woman. That’s an uphill battle considering Diana is recognizable globally (and this was before her big movie debut). Still, Carol Danvers has a lot going on her side – unlike Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel’s superhero name is gender neutral. She’s a hero not specifically for women but for everyone. The look of her costume is in line with her name; it may not be as sexy as WW’s but it still maintains her femininity without letting it totally define her. Plus, CM’s outfit looks very iconic. Lastly, Danver’s backstory and struggle to succeed in life is very relatable compared to an Amazon princess trying to bring peace to Man’s World. Yes, Wonder Woman is an excellent character but if there’s someone who can challenge her, it’s got to be Captain Marvel!
About The Author:
JV Tanjuatco, comic book writer/editor/publisher, founded Comic Book Lab that publishes the comic book titles Mythopolis and War of Whispers (co-created and co-written by him). Comic Book Lab’s most recent project was the graphic novel anthology Stay: 21 Comic Stories authored by Palanca Award winner Angelo R. Lacuesta and illustrated by a stellar line-up of artists including Trese’s Kajo Baldisimo. He has also written articles/reviews for Spot.ph and Ain’t It Cool. He is adobo‘s regular columnist for comics. 
