This weekend sees the release of the 21st Marvel Studios film Captain Marvel. If you’re unfamiliar with the character, we’ve got you covered with a look at every version of the character thus far.
The next big Marvel Cinematic Universe flick is Captain Marvel. The film is directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck and stars Brie Larson as the superpowered hero. The character of Captain Marvel has a complex background that goes beyond Carol Danvers (Larson’s role in the film), and there’s a chance that some of that will come into play in the film. We’re going to cover all the bases of the character today so you know who the character is, understand some of the finer details of the film, and can catch some easter eggs that are sure to be in the newest MCU entry.
Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell)
First gracing the pages of Marvel comics in 1967, Stan Lee and illustrator Gene Colan created the character of Captain Marvel. This version of the character was of an alien race known as the Kree. His name was Mar-Vell, and he was sent to Earth to determine if the planet was a threat to the Kree Empire. Mar-Vell would come to fall in love with Earth, much to the chagrin of his home planet and his commanding officer, Colonel Yon-Rogg. Over the years, Mar-Vell would face off against villains like Ronan the Accuser, Thanos, and the shapeshifting alien race known as the Skrulls. Mar-Vell was killed off in 2012 and the moniker of 2012 would be taken over by a different hero, Carol Danvers.
Carol Danvers
Carol Danvers was introduced in 1968 as a US Air Force officer and colleague of Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell, while he assumed the human identity of Dr. Walter Lawson. Carol becomes caught in an explosion and is saved by Mar-Vell. She survives the event thanks to a blood transfusion with Mar-Vell, which in turn gives her superhuman abilities including flight, superhuman strength, energy absorption and projection, enhanced speed, endurance, and stamina. She eventually takes up the moniker of Ms. Marvel, and from 1977 to 2011, uses that title for most of her comic book history. In the 80’s she also used the monikers Binary and Warbird.
In the 2008 crossover storyline “Secret Invasion,” it is revealed that Mar-Vell on Earth had been replaced by a Skrull imposter. After the real Mar-Vell returns and is then killed in 2012, Danvers takes up the title of Captain Marvel. Her role as that hero and the popularity of her solo comic helped elevate her popularity to a higher extent than ever before in her long history in the Marvel universe. She has been a major player in the Marvel comic book universe since then and has had a major role in every crossover storyline since then. Two of the biggest points of her background are her history as a US air force pilot and her pet cat Chewie, who turns out to be an alien from the Flerken race.
TV & Video Games
Carol Danvers has been featured in various X-Men and Avengers animated series since the 90’s, including the classic 90’s X-Men cartoon, and the Marvel’s Super Hero Squad materials. In 2018 she became part of the series of shorts and accompanying animated film Marvel Rising. Danvers has appeared as both Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel within the various TV shows and video games, often voiced by Grey DeLisle.
Keep following Poor Man’s Spoiler for all of our Captain Marvel coverage and be sure to see the film when it hits theaters Friday March 8th.
Poor Man's Spoiler 
8 thoughts on “Captain Marvel 101: Everything You Need To Know About The MCU’s Newest Hero”