Marvel made a HUGE change to Captain Marvel's Origin
Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, has always had a complicated origin story, so much so, that Marvel had to clean it up a little in the recent comic book, The Life of Captain Marvel. Marvel did not merely erase the story that had been previously told by their writers, but rather alter a key component.
COMIC BOOK SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
A Brief History on Carol Danvers
The Danvers family had several issues at home like any other family, but their problems only increased after her father, Joseph, told her that he would not pay for her college education. Joseph believed that a woman should not go to college, and their place should be at home. So naturally, Carol ran from home and enlisted in the Air Force. She thought that if her father would not help her, then she would prove him wrong.
Years later, Carol had become one of the highest ranking pilots in the Force. She completed her term in the Air Force and joined NASA as a security officer. During her time there she met a Kree soldier posing as a scientist. The Kree soldier Mar-Vell, also known as the original Captain Marvel, was tasked with protecting Earth from the evil Skrull race. Amidst one of his battles, Carol had been caught in the crossfire. A Kree device by the name of the Psyche-Magnitron exploded, and Carol emerged from the ashes with the same powers as Mar-Vell.
Recent Changes
Since the explosion, a lot has happened. Carol had worked with the Avengers under the alias of Ms. Marvel, watched her mentor Mar-Vell pass away from cancer, fought alongside the X-Men under the identity of Binary, and has even given birth to an interdimensional being. It wasn’t until 2012 that Carol had finally taken on the Captain Marvel name. For as long as Carol could remember she owed everything to Mar-Vell, that is until her father died.
Carol returned home to the New England suburbs to visit her family. It was finally her turn to confront her past. Her father was an abusive alcoholic with outdated ideas, and Carol left her family with him. Now that he is no longer around, she will never get that moment of approval she had wanted, but she can make things right with the rest of her family. Her brother Joseph Jr. and her mother, Marie Danvers, deserved that.
The time she spent back in the Danvers household was cut short when a Kree Kleaner had come to their front door searching for someone named, Mari-Ell. Kree Kleaners are not known for their delicate touch, they come out for blood. Mari-Ell had been charged with abandonment, and the penalty for such a crime is death.
Carol sprang into action to protect her family, but someone else had already engaged the Kleaner. Carol’s mother, Marie, had been a Kree soldier all along. Marie, or Mari-Ell as she was once known, abandoned her Kree mission to raise a family and live a peaceful life on Earth. After all this time, Carol did not receive her powers from Mar-Vell, but from her own mother. Unfortunately, Mari-Ell was overpowered by the Kree Kleaner and perished in the battle.
Carol slaughtered the machine in pure rage and came back to her mother for her last moments. Her family had always driven Carol away, but it was fitting to know that her mother had come from a place far away and chose to stay.
This change to Captain Marvel was one of my favorite to date. Carol has always had problems to run away from, and we can all relate to family issues. I can only hope that the Captain Marvel movie comes close to this story. For those of you who are interested in reading the full story, I recommend reading The Life of Captain Marvel #1-5.
What do you think of this change to Carol’s history? Are you excited to see her movie coming in a few weeks? Let us know in the comments section.