Who’s Captain Marvel? What You Need to Know

Captain Marvel has been back in the headlines recently with set photos appearing online showing Carol Danvers herself in a Kree-colored superhero suit. She’s all set to wow Marvel fans in a movie of her own on March 6 2019, and without spoiling too much, is pretty obviously going to be a big part of Avengers 4 when it releases May 3, 2019. So who exactly is Captain Marvel? Well, let’s find out.

In the MCU

What You Need to Know About Captain Marvel

First off, let’s see where Captain Marvel fits into the MCU in its current form. Room actor Brie Larson is set to take on the role of Carol Danvers in her own solo movie next year. The movie is set in the ’90s, with a young Nick Fury and Agent Coulson rumored to have big parts to play. It will follow Danvers as an air Force pilot and understudy to Mar-Vell, who is being played by Jude Law. We know that her adventures will lead her into battle with the Skrulls, and that she is set to become the universe’s very first superhero. Other than that, we know very little about the big screen version of Captain Marvel, so we will have to wait and see how she fits in come 2019.

In the Comics

What You Need to Know About Captain Marvel

Just like any superhero in comic books, Captain Marvel has had a varied origin and identity over the years. She was first introduced as an Officer in the United States Air Force and a colleague of Mar-Vell, the Kree superhero (and original Captain Marvel), in 1968. She later became the first incarnation of Ms. Marvel in 1977 before debuting as Captain Marvel in her own series run. She has featured in a ton of different comic book lines, from X-Men to Avengers, over the years under the names Warbird, Binary, and Captain Marvel. Her most recent run will begin in July 2018, as she headlines the new series titled The Life of Captain Marvel. It is said to be a retelling of the hero’s origin and is intended to share a lot of its DNA with the upcoming movie.

Powers

What You Need to Know About Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel’s powers draw directly from the cosmic realm. These include flight, enhanced strength, durability, and the ability to shoot concussive energy bursts. Generally though, the specifics of her arsenal are pretty murky, given that she’s had multiple incarnations over the years and shares her title with Mar-Vell, who possesses different powers entirely. It’s likely that the MCU version of Carol Danvers will possess a mix of powers pulled from different versions of the character. Some additional powers might include the ability to survive out in space, a cosmic awareness that allows her to predict an enemy’s attacks, and the ability to absorb and redirect energy.

How Powerful is She?

What You Need to Know About Captain Marvel

Again, exactly how powerful Captain Marvel is depends on which version you’re talking about, but if comments from Kevin Feige are any indication, she’s set to be pretty strong in the MCU. So strong in fact that, during an interview back in 2016, Feige proclaimed that she was set to be “by far the strongest character we’ve ever had.” High expectations, then, but hardly surprising given that in the comics she has been known to absorb the energy from stars, alter gravity, time and space, and face down Thanos. This will all come in handy when she joins the fight in Avengers 4, let’s hope she’s up to the challenge.

For more Marvel goodness, be sure to check out some of the burning questions we still have after watching Avengers: Infinity War.