Who Is Captain Marvel?

The buzz from the new movie Captain Marvel, which is hitting theaters March 8th, is just now erupting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Many people who are fans of the Marvel movies, but were never avid comic book readers, may be asking the question, “Who is Captain Marvel?” This is a reasonable question to ask because she has not appeared in any other recent films created by Marvel studios. In fact, this character has yet to be seen at all on the big screen. So who is she? Let’s take a closer look.

Back in the early 1970s, Captain Marvel (also known as Mar-Vell) was a man when the character was originally created. In this rendition of Captain Marvel, the character is based of the human female Carol Danvers. Danvers was working as the head of NASA security when one day, she was exposed to a powerful alien device which exploded and caused her genetic structure to meld with Mar-Vell’s. This gave her half-alien DNA and powers that are superhuman. She eventually became the superhero known as Ms. Marvel, but one of the things you never knew about Captain Marvel is that, with the feminist movement pushed forward, Ms. Marvel was finally promoted to leading lady. She was eventually granted and completely embodied the role of Captain Marvel.

Captain Marvel is another military veteran, similar to Captain America. Before working at NASA, Carol Danvers was an Air Force pilot. She originally wanted to go to college, but her father didn’t think a college degree was necessary for a housewife. Danvers wanted to prove her father wrong, so she joined the military instead. The need to prove herself plays a huge role in Danvers’ personality. She is constantly pushing harder and going above and beyond to prove she is just as good as the boys. After her father dies, a deep set pain, a sense of insecurity, and anger continues to fuel her in her journey through life.

Danvers’ genetic makeup is the first thing that will explain how she became a superhero. When the Psyche-Magnetron exploded and Carol’s genetic structure changed, she received superhuman strength, endurance, stamina, durability, resistance to toxins and poisons, and future vision (prescience). She can also control heat, travel at the speed of light, and survive in space. Other alien races are no match for Captain Marvel, so if a galactic war were to ever occur, she would prove to be a powerful ally.

The feminist movement was a driving factor for creating the character of Ms. Marvel, which eventually turned into Captain Marvel. Unlike other female characters in the Marvel comics and movies, Captain Marvel’s personality is strong, stubborn, and all her own. She is not a supporting role, and is very much a leader both as a woman and as a superhero. She is not there just to be pretty. Captain Marvel is arguably one of the most important and powerful members of the Avengers to date, and when Earth is caught in a tough spot, it will be this woman who saves the day.

As mentioned above, Captain Marvel is known as one of the Avengers, but because she is half-alien, she also works closely with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Because setting Captain Marvel’s movie as a sequel to the most recent Marvel movie, Avengers: Infinity War, wouldn’t make sense (you’ll have to watch the ending to Infinity War to find out why), Captain Marvel will be set in the 1990s. A TV spot for the new movie was released recently, featuring a young Nick Fury before he’s an experienced agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Samuel L. Jackson, playing Fury as always, takes a large role in the new movie, alongside Brie Larson as Danvers. The best part is that we get to see Fury without his eye patch, and may just learn how he got it in the first place.

The most exciting aspect to the creation of the film is that it will be the first female superhero in the MCU to have a film of her own. There have been over 20 Marvel movies made so far, and not one has had a female lead until now. While this is a big risk for Marvel to take, it’s about time. Other major female superhero films, such as Catwoman and Elektra, were received terribly by audiences. However, these superheroes didn’t have the same fervor that Captain Marvel has. What’s different about Captain Marvel is her strong personality, her feminist outlook, her insane powers, and her determination to save the world, even with massive egos surrounding her like those of Iron Man, Thor, and Starlord.

There are so many male superhero figures for young boys to look up to, read about, or watch on television, but the comic world has always been lacking in female role models. We see the sexiest Marvel heroines of all time stand beside the men as they bark out the orders, but times are changing; and that archetype is fading fast as women are seen as more competent and powerful leaders in today's day and age.

Now is the age for women to take power and stand in the spotlight while the men assist. Captain Marvel will change the course of the MCU with her poise and the superhuman powers, saving the world all her own. She doesn’t need the help of a man, but she can work in tandem with the Avengers when needed. It’s unclear whether Captain Marvel will appear in Avengers: Endgame, which is the next Avengers movie, but the fact that she’s receiving her own movie now is noteworthy. Captain Marvel will make history in the Marvel cinematic universe, and we can’t wait to see how the film performs on the big screen.