Growing up, Whenever I heard Captain Marvel, there were, at best, TWO choices. It was either: “The Big Red Cheese” (as he was called by his nemesis, and some of us), a.k.a. Captain Marvel, from Whiz comics (sure, we laughed. We were kids!!)
And there was the more literary version (read: wordy) FROM Marvel: Captain Mar-vell (his name and rank in the Kree Army).
And now Iʻm seeing “The Marvels” trailer, looks good. And the question was asked of me; How many Captain Marvelsʻ are there?
Lets go chronologically, shall we?
First, as I mentioned before, was Captain Marvel of Fawcett Comics, later DC, was published in Whiz Comics #2 (February 1940) less than 2 years after Superman made his first appearance in Action Comics #1. Captain Marvel routinely outsold Superman, selling over one million copies per month (to put this statistic in perspective, modern-day comics rarely sell over 100,000 copies).
DC sued, and after a years-long legal battle that ended with a 1948 decision by the court saying Captain Marvel was indeed an illegal copy of Superman. DC had the rights and in 1973:
In Marvel Super-Heroes #12 (December 1967) they premirered a Science Fiction war in space, and a Captain in the Kree Army, Mar=Vell, goes rogue on Earth to save earthlings, and…well that kinda is like the MCU version…until issue 17 when they introduce the costume you may be more familiar with, along with a device called Nega-Bands, (Because of the attunement to the NEGATIVE Zone, duh!) and the re-introduction of Rick Jones (I REALLY need an article about HIM!) who, donning the Nega-bands, becomes telepathically linked to Mar-Vell, and when he slams his wrist bands together:
So then, Carol Danvers? Nope.(ALTHOUGH the character Carol Danvers shows up in the SECOND Captain Marvel story, in Marvel Super-Heroes #13 [March 1968])
Next up is Monica Rambeau, who takes the name Captain Marvel in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16 (October 1982), following Marvelsʻ FIRST graphic novel, “The Death of Captain Marvel”. She later cedes the name to the SON of Mar-vell, Genis-Vell.
Genis-Vell.Genis-Vell is, well, ..heʻs the genetically-engineered son of Mar-Vell and his lover Elysius. Phyla-Vell is the daughter of superhero Mar-Vell and the sister of Genis-Vell, and she is the next to take the title UNTIL… a rip in time and space apparently brings the ORIGINAL (Mar-Vell) Captain back from the past to the present….not really, itʻs a Skrull programmed as a sleeper agent for the Secret Invasion.His name was Khn’nr, and he embraced the hero he thought himself to be and bequeathed the title to….Carol Danvers? Hold on, no.
The next Captain Marvel is Noh-Varr, the character first appeared in Marvel Boy #1 (August 2000).
And FINALLY, in Avenging Spider-Man #9 (July 2012), Carol Danvers makes her first official appearance as Captain Marvel. And not Ms Marvel…because Kamala Khan is now Ms. Marvel.
Well I think that covers some Marvel-ous information, huh? huh?
till next time
