Captain’s List # 13— Carol Danvers
Corsair’s Profiles in Leadership Series
The captains of fiction and history have much to teach us. They are leaders who often serve in times of great challenge and turmoil. Articles in this series focus on an individual captain and utilizes their quotes, their writings, and their actions to inspire core leadership elements in all of us.
Captain Marvel
Carol Danvers has been around the halls of Marvel for half a century. She first appeared in 1968 and was only recently announced as one of the newest additions to Marvel’s film franchise.
Feminism
Throughout those fifty years, her character has been at the forefront of conversations on feminism and women’s rights. At times she has been a model and subject of praise, at others the subject of criticism. While this article is really not concerned with that aspect of her history, it is an important component of her character and background.
Adaptation
Carol first appeared on the pages of Marvel as an officer in the US Air Force. She would return again and again over the ensuing decades, each time in a new and varied adaptation. Carol’s alter-egos have included Ms Marvel, Binary, Warbird, and most recently Captain Marvel. As often occur in comic book story lines, her story and her powers have adapted with her.
Resilience
Throughout her history she has battled everything from aliens to alcoholism. She has been stripped of her powers, her memories, and even her clothing. Her resilience in the face of adversity has served her well. She has survived assassin’s, archenemies, alien DNA, and alternate realities. With each victory, she has further established her position among the most elite and powerful Marvel superheros.
Leader and Icon
This one-two punch of resilience and adaptation made Carol Danver’s iconic. Unlike many of her male counterparts, it is her character that defines her. While many capes and masks have been passed from one generation to the next, Carol herself keeps returning in new iterations.
And while many teams have seen numerous leaders, Carol’s resume is full. At times she has led organizations from S.W.O.R.D. to Alpha Flight. She even takes over as acting director of S.H.I.E.L.D. for Nick Fury in one of Marvel’s many story lines. She is a Captain in the truest superhero sense!
This series has focused on many attributes of leadership. Some have been assets that serve their owners in the short term. Other over-arching characteristics that have served their owners for a lifetime. Carol may be the first Captain whose attributes truly define a career. While her comics often feature moments of brilliance and courage, her story is one that is far more approachable to real world leaders.
Perhaps it is odd that a superhero would provide us this opportunity? Or perhaps it simply that resilience and adaptation are such subtle traits that they rarely call out in the lives of real world leaders? Regardless, they are powerful assets for any leader.
Corsair’s Profiles in Leadership, Captain’s List is an article format created by Corsair’s Publishing in conjunction with our parent company Corsair’s Ventures. This series seeks to focus the reader on core components of leadership by utilizing the larger-than-life and often fictitious stories of the great captains of history.
