1960s The character debuted in
Marvel Super-Heroes #13 (March 1968) by writer
Roy Thomas and artist
Gene Colan. In the story, she is an
officer in the
United States Air Force and Security Chief of a restricted military base, where Danvers meets Dr. Walter Lawson, the human
alias of
alien Kree hero
Captain Marvel. In a later story, Danvers is caught in the explosion of a Kree device after trying to get close to Captain Marvel. Although Captain Marvel manages to save her life, Danvers sustains serious injuries.
1970s Danvers resurfaces with superhuman abilities and becomes the hero
Ms. Marvel (created by writer
Gerry Conway and artist
John Buscema) in a self-titled series in January 1977, at first written by Gerry Conway and later by
Chris Claremont. In the series, she is the editor of
Women Magazine, a spin-off of the
Daily Bugle. It is revealed that the energy exposure from the explosion of a device called the "Psyche-Magnetron" caused Danvers's genetic structure to meld with Captain Marvel's, effectively turning her into a human-Kree hybrid. Ms. Marvel had a series of semi-regular appearances in
The Avengers, with additional appearances with the Defenders,
Spider-Man, the
Thing, and
Iron Man. At the time of the publication of
Ms. Marvel #1 in 1977, the title was self-consciously socially progressive for its time. This was reflected in the use of the word "
Ms.", at the time associated with the
feminist movement, and in Danvers fighting for
equal pay for equal work in her civilian identity.
1980s In
The Avengers #200 (October 1980), which was written by
Bob Layton,
David Michelinie,
George Pérez, and
Jim Shooter, Ms. Marvel is kidnapped by a character named Marcus (the apparent son of Avengers foe
Immortus) and taken to an
alternate dimension, where she is raped by Marcus and impregnated. She gives birth on Earth to a child that rapidly ages into another version of Marcus, who is ultimately unable to remain on Earth after
Hawkeye mistakenly damages his machine and takes Ms. Marvel back to the alternate dimension with no opposition from the Avengers, who perceive Ms. Marvel and Marcus to have fallen in love. Comic book historian Carol A. Strickland criticized the storyline in an essay, "The Rape of Ms. Marvel", due to the storyline implying Marcus to have potentially
brainwashed Danvers into falling in love with him. Citing Marcus' line, "Finally, after relative weeks of such efforts—and admittedly, with a subtle boost from Immortus' machines—you became mine", Strickland posited that this constituted rape. As a former writer of the solo title, Chris Claremont also commented on the inappropriateness of the storyline, having been disallowed from having the character have a normal child and be a
single mother. Claremont wrote a follow-up to the Marcus story in
The Avengers Annual #10 (1981). In that story, Danvers is revealed to have returned to Earth—courtesy of Immortus's technology after Marcus continued to age and die of old age—but is attacked by the mutant
Rogue, who permanently absorbs Danvers' abilities and memories. Danvers' memories are restored by
Professor X, and an angry confrontation with the Avengers concerning their failure to realize Marcus had brainwashed her follows. In a later published flashback story, written by Claremont and
Simon Furman, it was shown that Carol's enemy
Mystique had slowly and gleefully sadistically beaten Carol's psychiatrist and boyfriend Michael Barnett to death while being disguised as Carol herself. After this brought Carol in conflict with Mystique's
Brotherhood of Mutants group, Rogue stole Carol's powers and memories and afterwards tried to kill her by throwing her into the
San Francisco Bay, but Carol's life was saved by
Spider-Woman. Claremont continued to develop the character in the title
The Uncanny X-Men. Danvers enters
the Pentagon and, while wiping the government's files on the
X-Men, also deletes all records of herself in a symbolic break with her life as Ms. Marvel. During an adventure in space with the X-Men, Danvers is changed courtesy of experimentation by the alien race, the
Brood, into a newly empowered character called Binary (created by writer Chris Claremont and artist
Dave Cockrum). Drawing on the power of a cosmic phenomenon called a
white hole, Danvers becomes capable of generating the power of a star. As Binary, the character has a number of encounters with the X-Men, the
New Mutants, and the British team,
Excalibur, as well as a solo adventure. Claremont expanded on the incident with the character Rogue by having the Carol Danvers persona manifest itself within Rogue's mind, sometimes overpowering Rogue's personality. This happens to Rogue on several occasions, which results in an uneasy armistice between the personalities within Rogue's mind. After Rogue passes through the ancient, supernatural gateway called the
Siege Perilous, the Ms. Marvel persona is separated from her as an independent entity. Within the same issue, the Ms. Marvel persona is killed by
Magneto.
1990s Carol Danvers continued to make sporadic appearances, including being featured in the two issue mini-series
X-Men Spotlight On... Starjammers Two issues of the original
Ms. Marvel title—never previously published due to the original series' cancellation—were printed in a quarterly anthology series. That same year she appeared extensively in the storyline "
Operation Galactic Storm". Near the conclusion of the story, Danvers lost her connection to the white hole she drew her powers from while diverting anti-matter from the Earth's sun left by the passing Nega Bomb, reverting to her original Ms. Marvel powers. She retained the energy manipulation and absorption powers she had as Binary, but on a smaller scale. After several more team and solo appearances she rejoined the Avengers with the new alias Warbird (created by writer
Kurt Busiek and artist
George Pérez). Busiek explored the character by having her develop
alcoholism, struggling to come to terms with the loss of her cosmic powers and memories. Danvers disgraced herself during the "Live Kree or Die" storyline and was suspended from active duty. After a brief appearance in Marvel's
alternate universe title
What If?, the character was featured in
Iron Man,
Wolverine, and
The Avengers before making a cameo appearance in
Mutant X.
2000s As Warbird, the character returns to the Avengers and plays a key role in the "
Kang Dynasty" plotline.
Kang the Conqueror's son Marcus, the
Scarlet Centurion, falls in love with her, but she rejects him, in part because he reminds her of Marcus, son of Kang's older alter ego Immortus, who raped her. The Scarlet Centurion nonetheless helps her to defeat the
Master of the World, a supervillain whose alien technology becomes the key to defeating Kang. In the course of the fight, Warbird kills the Master, and after the final victory over Kang she demands a
court martial to review her actions. The court martial finds her killing justified as an act of war, and Carol continues as an Avenger. After the
Avengers disband, Warbird leaves the group, and, along with other prominent former Avengers like
Wasp,
Hank Pym,
Falcon and
Wonder Man, is not included in the
New Avengers group soon formed by
Iron Man and
Captain America. The character was then featured as "Captain Marvel" in a false reality created by the mutant
Scarlet Witch in the 2005 miniseries
House of M. In this reality, Danvers' had glimpsed at her potential, becoming its greatest hero. After seeing how great of a hero she can really be, she decided to fulfill her potential in the main Marvel universe. Together with fellow Avenger Iron Man, Danvers also becomes a principal advocate of the
Superhuman Registration Act during the events of the 2006–07 "
Civil War" storyline. The story also continues in Ms. Marvel's own title as the character battles the anti-registration heroes led by Captain America. The storyline has major consequences for the New Avengers, which debuts in the 2007 series
The Mighty Avengers, with Danvers as a member. Danvers enters into a relationship with fellow member
Wonder Man, appears in a
crossover series with the
Transformers, and becomes leader of the Mighty Avengers. The character makes an agreement with
Tony Stark, director of
S.H.I.E.L.D., to lead a covert strike team called Operation: Lightning Storm, its designated mission being the elimination of supervillains before they become global threats. Ms. Marvel is captured by the Brood on Monster Island, whereupon she found the Brood Queen. An intense confrontation ensued during which Ms. Marvel's powers are temporarily disabled, forcing her to fight the Brood Queen as Carol Danvers. At one point, she is stripped of her civilian clothing and forced to drift through space until she was able to access her powers. Ms. Marvel also plays a significant role in the 2008 storyline "
Secret Invasion", in which members of the shapeshifting alien race, the
Skrulls, are revealed to have secretly infiltrated Earth by impersonating humans. She befriends
Captain Marvel's Skrull impostor and proves to him that she is not a Skrull by revealing intimate details about their life together. At the conclusion of the war with the Skrulls,
Norman Osborn is placed in charge of the registered Avengers team. Refusing to serve under Osborn, Ms. Marvel flees Avengers Tower, and joins the
New Avengers, becoming second-in-command. Osborn appoints former
Thunderbolt member Moonstone (
Karla Sofen) as the "new" Ms. Marvel to his
Dark Avengers team; Moonstone wears a variation of Ms. Marvel's original costume. Danvers returns with the aid of the New Avengers, a group of
MODOK embryos (creations of the organization
Advanced Idea Mechanics [AIM]), and a character known as the "Storyteller", and she reclaims the title of Ms. Marvel from Karla Sofen. The increased use of Carol Danvers as a prominent character in many story arcs throughout this decade eventually prompted one commentator to note that "she's now the House of Ideas' premier heroine".
2010s In the conclusion of the second volume of
Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers battles her old nemesis
Mystique and a clone of
Captain Marvel created by the Skrulls during the Secret Invasion, after they carry out a series of tragedies at temples belonging to the Church of Hala, a church dedicated to Mar-Vell. Danvers later aids the allied forces of
Steve Rogers against
Iron Patriot during the
Siege of Asgard. Danvers also begins to develop a friendship with
Spider-Man. Though he infuriates her the first time they work together, the two become closer when he helps her during the "
Dark Reign" storyline, and she later admits to having feelings for him. Following the conclusion of the "Siege" storyline, Ms. Marvel returns as a regular character in the second volume of
The New Avengers. signing copies of
Captain Marvel at the 2014
New York Comic Con In July 2012, Carol Danvers assumed the mantle of
Captain Marvel in an ongoing series written by
Kelly Sue DeConnick with art by Dexter Soy. For the title, artist
Jamie McKelvie redesigned Danvers' costume, giving her a
jumpsuit that used her traditional colours and her sash, but also paid homage to her military roots. McKelvie was DeConnick's first choice but originally completed the redesign as a bet with DeConnick. In the series, Danvers explores her past. When describing her pitch for the series, DeConnick said at
WonderCon 2012 that it could be "pretty much be summed up with 'Carol Danvers as
Chuck Yeager. She said 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. Danvers also rejoined the main Avengers team as Captain Marvel in volume 5 of
The Avengers and in the spin-off series,
Avengers Assemble, also written by DeConnick. Editor Lauren Sankovitch said that Marvel editors liked DeConnick's work and that adding her to the team would "get some lady power in the Avengers lineup". DeConnick said, "You might know this — I have a certain affection for [Carol Danvers]. And I decided, 'Well, if I'm deciding, there will be a slot available for her as well. In 2013, Carol Danvers starred in the
Captain Marvel /
Avengers Assemble crossover storyline, "The Enemy Within". In the story, Danvers and her Avenger teammates battle
Yon-Rogg, the Kree commander who was responsible for the explosion that caused Danvers to receive her powers, and in defeating the Kree Danvers loses her memories. In November 2013, Marvel announced that Danvers would be joining the
Guardians of the Galaxy beginning in
Free Comic Book Day: Guardians of the Galaxy (May 2014) by
Brian Michael Bendis and
Sara Pichelli. In March 2014, Marvel launched an eighth volume of
Captain Marvel written again by DeConnick and starring Danvers in the title role but drawn by artist
David López. DeConnick said, "The big difference is we were grounded in New York City for the previous volume; at least in the latter part of it. With the new
Captain Marvel #1 we start in NYC but after that we're letting her go cosmic. Carol will be spending time off planet." DeConnick initially planned to end
Captain Marvel in six issues. However, the success of the comic book series led her to work on more issues. During the 2015 "
Secret Wars" storyline, Danvers headlined her own tie-in series,
Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps co-written by DeConnick and
Kelly Thompson and drawn by López. In the series, Danvers leads an elite squadron of female fighter pilots stationed at an airbase, Hala Field, where she is the only superpowered being; this leads the corps to help Danvers answer questions about her origin, which puts her in conflict with the controlling forces of
Battleworld. During the storyline, Danvers becomes a member of
A-Force, Battleworld's all-female team of Avengers. The series, written by
G. Willow Wilson, continued into Marvel's "
All-New, All-Different Marvel" relaunch campaign that followed "Secret Wars", with Danvers in a key role. Continuing with the All-New, All-Different Marvel initiative, Danvers starred in the ninth volume of
Captain Marvel, written by
Agent Carter showrunners Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas, with artwork by
Kris Anka, which debuted in October 2015. The series, set eight months after "Secret Wars", sees Danvers taking over the responsibilities of
S.W.O.R.D., a military agency that was previously designated to protect Earth from intergalactic threats. Editor
Sana Amanat said, "This is really meant to be the next level for Captain Marvel. Carol is really meant to be a soldier and a commander, and also a diplomat. We're really trying to build up this space complex and this space world." At this time, Danvers also joined
The Ultimates. Series writer
Al Ewing said, "Carol's currently running
Alpha Flight, which is Earth's premier space agency. [She has] seen the highs and the lows of the superhero business, and come out the other side. Right now, Carol's in the ascendant, culturally, both in-universe and outside it... Carol's story in
The Ultimates is very much about her links with the ordinary super-hero world, and about trying to form a bridge between that world and the world of The Ultimates." In 2016, Danvers played a predominant role in the storyline "
Civil War II", the core miniseries of which was written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by
David Marquez. In the story, Danvers is the leader of a faction of superheroes who wish to use the precognitive power of the
Inhuman Ulysses Cain to profile people who in his visions, will commit future crimes. About her position Bendis stated, "From Carol's point of view, she is like, 'You're telling me the world is still turning at the end of the day and everyone is safe? I don't care... If it keeps us safe, that's fine. During the storyline, Carol headed an effort to systematically lock up citizens without a trial for crimes they had not yet committed, and might never do, and the event culminated in that she killed her Avengers teammate
Tony Stark, who had previously made a prolonged effort to help her recover from her alcoholism. This has been criticised as bad writing that did not fit with Carol's personality, and nearly destroyed her as a character. Following the conclusion of "Civil War II", Danvers starred in
The Mighty Captain Marvel, by writer
Margaret Stohl and artist Ramon Rosanas, which sees Danvers become a household name. Stohl explained, "She will be one of the most popular heroes on the planet—but that's not something she is very comfortable with. And of course she's lost a lot of folks that she's loved so she has to cope with that, too. That being said, she still has a job to do as commander of the Alpha Flight. Her latest mission being recruiting and training new cadets. It'll also bring with it a mysterious danger that will threaten everything Carol has built." Beginning in July 2018, Danvers headlined a limited series,
The Life of Captain Marvel, by Stohl and artist
Carlos Pacheco. The series is described as a "retelling" of Danvers' origin story, but Stohl insisted that it is not a "reinvention" explaining, "You look through a different lens. It's nothing you'll expect and nothing you've seen happen, but there will be parts of her life that change the context of what you've seen before, so it's telling the other side of the story, of how she came to be." Stohl also said that there would be similarities with the
2019 film, but the film is "its own thing". The series reveals that Danvers' mother is Kree and that the blast that was responsible for her powers only awakened her preexisting Kree genes, and did not fuse her human DNA with Mar-Vell's Kree DNA as
originally written. In early 2019 Danvers starred in the tenth volume of
Captain Marvel written by
Kelly Thompson and drawn by Carmen Carnero. The story sees Danvers return to New York City after a stint in space and reconnect with allies and friends like Iron Man and Spider-Woman, as well as explore new relationships. Thompson teased, "There will definitely be some romance and it may be someone we all know and have seen before in Marvel Comics."
2020s Danvers plays a major role in the 2020 "
Empyre" crossover storyline written by Al Ewing and
Dan Slott, in which Danvers is elected as the
Supreme Accuser of the newly forged Kree/Skrull alliance under
Hulkling and leads her own corps of Accusers that includes Spider-Woman,
Hazmat and
War Machine. During an investigation, Danvers discovers that she has a half-sister named
Lauri-Ell, who was genetically engineered using her mother's DNA. ==Characterization==