Carol Susan Jane Danvers is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Gene Colan, the character 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 (March 1968). Danvers later became the first incarnation of Ms. Marvel in Ms. Marvel #1 (cover-dated January 1977) 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.
Carol Danvers has been described as one of Marvel's most notable and powerful female heroes, being labelled as a symbol of female empowerment. Since her original introduction in comics, the character has been featured in various other Marvel-licensed products, including video games, animated television series, and merchandise such as trading cards. Brie Larson portrays Carol Danvers in the live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe films Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame (both 2019), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), and The Marvels (2023). Mckenna Grace portrayed a young Carol in Captain Marvel. Alexandra Daniels voices alternate reality versions of the character in the Disney+ animated series What If...? (2021).
Development In an interview, Gerry Conway recalled the reason why Danvers was turned into a super hero, "It actually came about for fairly uncreative reasons... there was this idea, that I was kicking people off books in order to take over writing their books, this was of course not the case, at least from my point of view but given that how was they felt, I said to Stan," "well is there any way that we could create some stuff so I'm not kicking people off books?" Stan had either just created She-Hulk or was thinking about creating her," and we thought, 'can we come up with another female super hero, that can use the Marvel name?'"
Publication history
1960s
The character debuted in Marvel Super-Heroes #13 (March 1968) 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.Captain Marvel #1 (May 1968). Marvel Comics (New York). Although Captain Marvel manages to save her life, Danvers sustains serious injuries.Captain Marvel #18 (November 1969). Marvel Comics (New York).
1970s
Danvers resurfaces with superhuman abilities and becomes the hero Ms. Marvel (created by writer Gerry Conway and artist John Buscema) 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 #1–23 (January 1977–April 1979). Marvel Comics (New York). Ms. Marvel had a series of semi-regular appearances in The Avengers, with additional appearances with the Defenders,The Defenders #62–63 (August–September 1978). Marvel Comics (New York). Spider-Man,Marvel Team-Up #77 (January 1979). Marvel Comics (New York). the Thing,Marvel Two-in-One #51 (May 1979). Marvel Comics (New York). and Iron Man.Iron Man #125–126 (August–September 1979). Marvel Comics (New York).
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 (October 1980), which was written by Bob Layton, David Michelinie, George Pérez, and Jim Shooter, Ms. Marvel is kidnapped by a character named Marcus (the apparent son of Avengers foe Immortus) and taken to an alternate dimension, where she is raped by Marcus 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, "The Rape of Ms. Marvel," due to the storyline implying Marcus to have potentially brainwashed Danvers into falling in love with him. 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, having been disallowed from having the character have a normal child and be a single mother.Chris Claremont, quoted in X-Men Companion #2 (Fantagraphics Books, 1982): "Actually, my reaction was a lot stronger than that. But how callous! How cruel! How unfeeling! Considering that [the Avengers] must have seen Ms. Marvel only a couple of days before, or even a couple of months before. She wasn't pregnant then. How could she be eight months pregnant now?"
Claremont wrote a follow-up to the Marcus story in The Avengers Annual #10 (1981). 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 Danvers' 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.The Avengers Annual #10 (1981). Marvel Comics.
In a later published flashback story, written by Claremont and Simon Furman, it was shown that Carol's enemy Mystique had slowly and gleefully sadistically beaten Carol's psychiatrist and boyfriend Michael Barnett to death while being disguised as Carol herself. After this brought Carol in conflict with Mystique's Brotherhood of Mutants group, Rogue stole Carol's powers and memories and afterwards tried to kill her by throwing her into the San Francisco Bay, but Carol's life was saved by Spider-Woman.Marvel Super Heroes (vol. 2) #11 (August 1992)
Claremont continued to develop the character in the title The 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.The Uncanny X-Men #158 (June 1982). Marvel Comics. 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 (created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum).The Uncanny X-Men #164 (December 1982). Marvel Comics. 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 Uncanny X-Men #166–167 (February–March 1983); #171, 174 (July, October 1983); #200–201 (December 1985–January 1986). Marvel Comics. the New Mutants,The New Mutants #19 (September 1984); #50–51 (April–May 1987). Marvel Comics. and the British team, Excalibur,Excalibur #17 (December 1989) as well as a solo adventure.Marvel Fanfare #24 (January 1986). Marvel Comics.
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.The Uncanny X-Men #182 (June 1984); #203 (March 1986); #235–239 (October 1988–February 1989). Marvel Comics.The Uncanny X-Men #246–247 (July–August 1989). Marvel Comics. 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.The Uncanny X-Men #269 (October 1990). Marvel Comics.
1990s Carol Danvers continued to make sporadic appearances, including being featured in the two issue mini-series X-Men Spotlight On... StarjammersX-Men Spotlight On... Starjammers #1–2 (May–June 1990). Marvel Comics. Two issues of the original Ms. Marvel title—never previously published due to the original series' cancellation—were printed in a quarterly anthology series.Marvel Super-Heroes (vol. 2) #10–11 (July–October 1992). Marvel Comics. That same year she appeared extensively in the storyline "Operation Galactic Storm." Near the conclusion of the story, Danvers lost 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 retained the energy manipulation and absorption powers she had as Binary, but on a smaller scale.Quasar #34 (March 10, 1992)
After several more team and solo appearancesThe Avengers #350–351 (both August 1992); Starblast #1 (January 1994); X-Men Unlimited #1 (December 1996); Excalibur #116 (January 1998). Marvel Comics. she rejoined the AvengersThe Avengers (vol. 3) #4 (May 1998). Marvel Comics. with the new alias Warbird (created by writer Kurt Busiek and artist George Pérez). Busiek explored the character by having her develop alcoholism, struggling to come to terms with the loss of her cosmic powers and memories. Danvers disgraced herself during the "Live Kree or Die" storylineIron Man (vol. 3) #7; Captain America (vol. 3) #8; Quicksilver #10; The Avengers (vol. 3) #7 (August 1998). Marvel Comics. and was suspended from active duty.The Avengers (vol. 3) #8 (September 1998). Marvel Comics.
After a brief appearance in Marvel's alternate universe title What If?,What If? (vol. 2) #111 (August 1998). Marvel Comics. the character was featured in Iron Man,Iron Man (vol. 3) #12, 18 (January, July 1999). Marvel Comics. Wolverine,Wolverine (vol. 2) #133–134 (January–February 1999) and The AvengersThe Avengers (vol. 3) #17–18, 21 (June–July, October 1999). Marvel Comics. before making a cameo appearance in Mutant X.Mutant X #14 (November 1999). Marvel Comics.
2000s
As Warbird, the character returns to the Avengers and plays a key role in the "Kang Dynasty" plotline.The Avengers (vol. 3) #41–54 (June 2001–July 2002) Kang the Conqueror'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 Avengers #500–503 (September–December 2004), The Avengers: Finale #1 (January 2005)