Captain Marvel is the Ultimate Strong, Independent Woman

Higher, Further, Faster.

As an avid Marvel fan, I am extremely hyped for the new Captain Marvel movie that will be released in early March. Not only am I excited for this being Marvel’s first female lead superhero film, but Captain Marvel has such an interesting origin story that I am curious how the studio is going to use this opportunity to retell it.

Originally the title of Captain Marvel was held by Mar-Vell — an alien warrior of the ancient Kree race — who wielded his cosmic powers in defense of the entire galaxy and his adopted homeworld, Earth. During an explosion, Mar-Vell’s DNA fused with his colleague’s, Carol Danvers, giving her superhuman powers. Mar-Vell eventually died of cancer surrounded by the Avengers.

Carol was an officer for the United States Air Force when her DNA was fused with Mar-Vell’s. She took on the name Ms. Marvel and fought alongside the Avengers and the X-Men. Throughout her history in comics she has taken on many names and acquired different powers. Most notably when she took on the name Binary and could draw on the power of a white hole to generate the power of a star, enabling her to both absorb energy and project it in photonic form. Her other powers include superhuman strength, endurance, stamina, physical durability, a limited precognitive “seventh sense” and a perfectly amalgamated human/Kree physiology that rendered her resistant to most toxins and poisons. Oh, and she can survive in space. In short, this character is EXTREMELY powerful.

Even though this character has been around for almost 50 years, it wasn’t until recently that she took on the mantle of Captain Marvel. In 2012, writer Kelly Sue DeConnick took the lead on the ongoing series for Danvers and pitched it as “Carol Danvers as Chuck Yeager. The series would contemplate what Captain Marvel’s legend means to Danvers, how she will wield it, and how the rest of the Marvel Universe reacts.”

When Carol Danvers was first created, her character was considered socially progressive for its time. Ms. Marvel #1 was issued in 1977, and the titles use of the word “Ms” was then associated with the feminist movement. In the series Danvers also fought for equal pay and equal work for women in her civilian identity.

Every time this character is rebooted and makes a new appearance, she becomes stronger and takes on more of a leadership role. This is reflective of how the power of women has changed in society. Young girls today can look up to Captain Marvel as a strong female role model who embraces herself and her own independence.

There is a lot of pressure on Marvel Studios to make the Captain Marvel movie successful because of its leading character being female. If there is negative feedback on the film it could potentially ruin the possibilities of other title female leads (where is my Black Widow solo film? I’ve been waiting since 2008). I personally think the movie is going to do well in the box office because Danvers is such a relatable and well liked character. In 2012 she was the highest ranking female character (at #11) on IGN’s list of “Top 50 Avengers”.

I look forward to watching the film once it is released and discovering how Captain Marvel’s introduction will change the future of the MCU.