﻿Hey guys, I’m Kya,
and on this episode of 'Yellow Spandex,' we’re talking about Captain Marvel.
When young Billy Batson met an ancient wizard...
… Oh, he’s not Captain Marvel anymore?
Okay, well…
After the Kree Supreme Intelligence sent a spy named Mar-Vell to earth…
… Wait, he’s been dead since 1982.
Allright, for real this time.
Carol Danvers is blazing new trails and shattering the glass ceiling as Marvel’s first female superhero to star in her own movie.
Over her 50-year history, Carol’s gone by a lot of names,
but her new movie is about to introduce her to the world as the latest in the long legacy of Captains Marvel.
From second banana to superstardom,
this is
The Evolution of Captain Marvel
Carol’s late-career renaissance has made her one of today’s most important superheroes,
but she’s been kicking around the Marvel Universe since the late ‘60s
so let’s start, as always, with
The Comics
In her first appearance,
Carol was a U.S. Air Force officer who oversaw security for a top-secret military base,
one where a Kree soldier named Mar-Vell just so happened to be undercover.
Soon, the O.G. Captain Marvel traded in his green military uniform for a more traditional black and red superhero costume,
just in time to save the day when Carol was caught in an massive alien explosion.
The blast merged her human DNA with the Kree’s
giving her crazy cosmic powers,
which, of course, required a snazzy superhero look of her own,
along with a new codename:
Ms. Marvel.
The character was linked to the feminist movement from day one.
Her name, Ms. Marvel, as opposed to Miss or Mrs.,
was a response to Gloria Steinem’s groundbreaking magazine of the same name,
and so was Carol’s new job,
the editor of a suspiciously similar publication.
So far, so good, right?
But as for her costume designed by John Romita,
well, let’s just digest this for a second.
From the shoulders up, it’s perfect.
A feminized version of Mar-Vell’s second uniform,
with a nice mask, long sleeves and gloves,
and even a scarf to protect her from the harsh vacuum of space,
But that’s not going to keep you warm with an exposed midriff and less than zero pants.
Seriously, it looks like the doorbell rang when she was getting dressed and forgot to finish,
and everyone from the readers to the creative crew complained.
By issue #9, Carols shirt was extended to cover her belly,
and when artist Dave Cockrum took over the drawing duties in issue #20,
he debuted a brand new costume that was completely divorced from her Kree connection:
A simple one-piece with a lightning bolt logo,
thigh-high boots, opera gloves, and a big, red, pointless sash.
For some reason, Cockrum had a fixation on sashes,
(see also, Phoenix)
but the super ‘70s design stuck for a long time.
After an evil Rogue permanently sapped her powers,
Carol was transformed by the Brood into Binary,
complete with a set of star-based superpowers and a brand new fiery costume.
After cruising the cosmos for a few years,
Carol returned to earth and stepped back into her Ms. Marvel uniform to join the Avengers,
but she left her old name behind,
and re-christened herself “Warbird” after a slang term for fighter jets.
Carol’s stint in the Avengers didn’t work out so well,
she was dealing with an alcohol addition at the time and was kicked off the team for drinking on duty.
But she managed to take control of her life,
take back her name,
and by 2012, she was
Taking Flight
When Kelly Sue DeConnick took control of Carol Danvers,
she had a clear goal in mind:
To portray the troubled pilot as a bold explorer of the unknown,
in the vein of pioneering astronauts and test pilots like Chuck Yeager.
And, by having her finally assume the mantle of Captain Marvel,
DeConnick was able to explore what the legendary heroes really means to the universe they’re named after.
Along with the new name and direction,
Carol also received a new uniform, designed by artist Jamie McKelvie.
It keeps the colors and symbolism of Mar-Vell’s classic suit,
and remixes them with a fighter pilot’s sensibility.
There’s a high collar, sturdy gloves and boots, and a full-length zipper that--
actually stays zipped!
Who'da thunk?
It even comes equipped with a badass helmet for flights through the vacuum of space.
Carol’s new uniform was an incredible mix of comic book form and military functionality...
Well, except for the sash,
but there’s no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Whatever that means...
DeConnick said the costume looks like ‘the dress uniform for the superhero branch of the military,’
and she’s not wrong.
Carol’s new look has become iconic,
and with a few minor alterations,
it’s the one we’re finally going to see
Onscreen
Carol first appeared in, of all places, the ‘90s ‘X-Men’ animated series,
as a figure from Rogues’ past who returns to haunt her in a storyline ripped straight from the comics.
Sadly, Carol spends most of the show in a coma,
while her crazed consciousness battles for control of Rogue’s body.
She’s referred to as Ms. Marvel here,
It's Miss Marvel!
That's Ms. Marvel to you!
but there’s no indication of her connection to the Kree,
or any real explanation as to why she had powers.
Still, it was cool to see her show up,
especially because Carol wouldn’t appear outside of comics again,
until she popped up in the 'Ultimate Alliance' games nearly a decade later.
One of my favorite animated incarnations of Carol came in the amazing ‘Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ cartoon,
where she wore the midriff-free version of her original Ms. Marvel costume.
She was also voiced by Jennifer Hale,
one of the most badass voice actors ever.
She played the far superior FemShep throughout the ‘Mass Effect’ trilogy,
and that same hard edge made her the perfect fit for the Air Force vet Carol.
Okay. Let's do this, ugly!
Sadly, this was the only time Hale would play the role,
since Grey DeLisle has become Carol’s de-facto actress across most Marvel multimedia,
from ‘Avengers Assemble’
to ‘Marvel vs. Capcom.’
In 2019, Brie Larson is stepping into Carol’s boots for her big live-action debut,
although we actually could have seen her even earlier.
Originally, Carol was planned to be a supporting cast member in ‘Jessica Jones,’
until Marvel decided to give her the spotlight she deserves,
and replaced her with Patsy Walker.
Given how the Netflix shows seem almost embarrassed by the concept of superhero costumes,
Look like a damn fool.
You run around dressed like a moron beating people up!
This is it! This is the one!
No.
That's the whole point! Is superhero costumes and capes and for them to look stupid but confident!
After Brie Larson was cast and set pictures first leaked
we saw a version of the suit with a pale green color scheme,
which is both a callback to Mar-Vell’s very first appearance,
and an indication that she’ll be serving with the Kree military before breaking out on her own.
And now that we’ve finally seen the final version,
it looks like the MCU has once again delivered an amazing translation from page to screen.
Underoos!
Nice job, kid!
Thanks! Well I coulda stuck the landing a little better, but, new suit...
It's nothing, Mr. Stark, it's perfect, thank you.
The 2012 redesign was already pretty practical by superhero standards,
so it didn’t require many changes to bring it to life.
It definitely looks a lot more armored,
with the same accent lines throughout the body we see in costumes like Captain America and Homecoming Spidey.
I like the militaristic new touches like the fingerless gloves,
it's very 20... What year was it when everyone used to wear fingerless gloves?
'Cause I used to LOVE them.
and while I’m sad there’s no sign of the sash,
I’m pumped we’re going to see a version of her infamous mohawk helmet.
Overall, Captain Marvel’s movie costume is one giant leap forward for female superheroes,
and, just like she did in the comics,
Carol Danvers is about to take the entire genre higher, further, and faster.