The following is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. It’s the third video of my ongoing series regarding the prospect of rebooting Ultimate Marvel. This one covers my vision for a new Ultimate version of the Avengers. Please check out the first video for the full story regarding this effort. As always, I welcome feedback and comments. Enjoy!
Tag Archives: Skrulls
New Comic Book Day April 14, 2021: My Pull List And Pick Of The Week
This is usually the time of year when I pay my taxes. Then again, this is not a usual year, nor was last year. I still made the effort. I did my duty, as a citizen of the United States, to pay my fair share. Naturally, I’m a little sore and a bit jaded, as tends to be the case for anyone who deals with the IRS. That makes this New Comic Book Day all the more enjoyable.
We all have duties and responsibilities that aren’t exactly fun. We still do them because it’s the responsible thing to do, as functioning adults. However, while there’s always a time for duty and responsibility, there’s also a time for fun and relaxation. That’s what new comics do for me. After paying my taxes, I appreciate that feeling even more.
There aren’t a lot of epic stories you can tell about paying your taxes or making it through another year without falling behind on your bills. That’s perfectly fine. Now, I’m eager to follow those stories.
I want to read a comic that involves superheroes beating up invading aliens. I want to read a story about giant monsters fighting giant monsters. I just spent a good chunk of my weekend itemizing deductions and going over my W2 forms. I need this.
If you’ve managed to pay your taxes like I have, more power to you. Enjoy this week more than most. If you haven’t, I strongly encourage you to do so. Tangling with the Joker, Lex Luthor, and Godzilla is arduous, but it’ll never be as scary as dealing with the IRS. I’ve given them my share. Now, here is my pull list and pick of the week. Enjoy!
My Pull List
Iron Fist: Heart Of The Dragon #4
My Pick Of The Week
Guardians Of The Galaxy #13
Filed under Jack's Quick Pick Comic
New Comic Book Day July 15, 2020: My Pull List And Pick Of The Week
For lifelong comic book fans, like myself, there’s usually one Wednesday in every month where all the major comic publishers drop a glut of high-profile comics. It’s not always predictable. You rarely know when a week like that will drop. Sometimes, you’ll just have weeks that dump a large amount of comics on the market. Those are fun, but like many things, quality counts more than quantity.
Without going too deep into spoilers on this beautiful Wednesday morning, I can safely say that this is one of those weeks. It’s a week where quality, and quantity in terms of new titles, achieves a harmonious balance that would make Thanos himself smile. There’s no need for an Infinity Gauntlet or a snap that wipes out half of all life in the universe. It just happened, thanks to the tireless work of this colorful industry.
It’s another sign that the comics industry, as a whole, is emerging from the many delays and cancellations caused by the global pandemic over the past several months. There will still be effects here and there. I doubt we’ll know the full extent of those effects for another year. For now, though, the comic book world is hitting its first grand slam in months.
We all need good, encouraging news more than usual these days. For comic fans, this might as well be a trip back to the middle of 2019 before we heard of N95 masks and social distancing. I encourage everyone to savor this rare, yet precious iteration New Comic Book Days. We don’t know whether the world will go to shit again before we get another.
As always, here is my pull list and pick of the week.
My Pull List
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #51
My Pick Of The Week
Empyre #1
Filed under Jack's Quick Pick Comic
Jack Fisher’s Weekly Quick Pick Comic: Captain Marvel #10
Every so often, a new character comes along that you just know in your gut is going to be a big deal. I certainly felt it the first time I read about Kamala “Ms. Marvel” Khan back in 2014. I also felt it the first time I saw X-23 show up in a fateful episode of “X-Men Evolution.” It may be a bit premature on my part, but I definitely got that feeling about Ripley “Star” Ryan “Captain Marvel #10.”
For the past few issues of this series, writer Kelly Thompson has been teasing a new hero to challenge Carol Danvers in ways beyond who looks better in skin-tight outfits. Like Carol, she’s got blond hair, superpowers, and a fondness for punching the giant monsters that seem to invade New York City at least once a week. Marvel has even teased her as being the next big thing in their ever-evolving pantheon of heroes.
I admit, I was skeptical. Whenever a comic company goes out of their way to push a new hero like this, it tends to be hit or miss. Some, like Kamala Khan, work out wonderfully. Others become so forgettable that they’re relegated to punchlines for an entire era. For the most part, Star came off as just some generic woman trying to take advantage of Carol’s recent hardship. That all changed in “Captain Marvel #10.”
After reading this book, I believe Star has the potential to be something special for both Captain Marvel and the larger Marvel universe. I’m not saying that potential could include a future phone call from Kevin Feige at Marvel Studios, but if I were Ms. Thompson, I would start preparing for that conversation.
Whereas the past few issues have been full of questions, setbacks, and failures for Carol, “Captain Marvel #10” offers a fair amount of answers. Thanks to Tony Stark and an old adversary, Dr. Minn-Erva, who fans of the movie should recognize, Carol finds out why her powers have been acting up lately.
It has nothing to do with stress, mental blocks, or one too many grabs from Rogue. Someone infected her with a Kree-engineered virus and Dr. Minn-Erva doesn’t even try to make a mystery of it. She’s not exactly subtle and she gives Carol plenty of reasons to punch her senseless. On top of that, Dr. Minn-Erva is asking for Carol’s help. Let that sink in for a moment.
It’s not the charitable kind of help, either. It has been canon for a while that the Kree really screwed themselves, going all the way back to the “Black Vortex” event in 2015. They’re scattered, broken, and desperate. That gave Dr. Minn-Erva more than enough excuses to start experimenting with Kree and human DNA.
On paper, it seems like a good idea. Carol Danvers is half-Kree and she has proven on plenty of occasions that she can kick ass on an inter-stellar level. That’s exactly what the Kree needs in such desperate times.
As often happens with alien biology experiments in comics, things don’t go as planned.
Without getting too deep into spoilers, I’ll note that Dr. Minn-Erva’s plans go beyond infecting Carol. I’ll also confirm that Star, who is revealed as Ripley Ryan, is a big part of those plans. Now, Ripley is very much a blank slate. Her first appearance was in “Captain Marvel #1” and she was just a sweet, hipster journalist looking to interview Carol.
Now, as Star, she’s a lot more than that. Between her powers and how she got them, her story is indelibly tied to Carol’s, more so than Kamala Khan’s. It’s also because of that connection that she has the potential to be Carol’s greatest ally or worst enemy. She proved in previous issues how capable she can be as an ally. In “Captain Marvel #10,” she proves what she can do as an enemy.
Once the answers are laid out and the truth is revealed, the fighting starts. That’s where artist Carmen Carnero gives both Star and Captain Marvel the colorful spectacle that they deserve. It’s not just a clash between a new hero and an experienced veteran, either. There’s drama in this fight that you just can’t get from a typical rampaging monster or superhero brawl.
The events of “Captain Marvel #10“ put Star at a unique crossroad. She can still become a hero. She can also become a dangerous new rival capable of challenging Captain Marvel, the Avengers, and anyone else who gets in her way. It’s not the least bit clear which path she’ll take, but the final pages hint that she’s willing to cross a few lines to realize her potential.
Thompson has achieved something special with both Star and Captain Marvel, which will likely make this comic a valuable collector’s item. Star isn’t the kind of superhero who got dragged into it by accident or circumstance. She chose to pursue it. She sought the kind of power and abilities that help make Carol Danvers the hero she is.
Star would not be on this path if someone like Captain Marvel hadn’t inspired her. It offers a unique perspective on the influence of superheroes. By doing what she does so well, Captain Marvel might have created her greatest rival. Like it or not, she’s a part of Star’s journey and “Captain Marvel #10” marks a critical stage of that journey.
It’s still hard to say whether Star will become the kind of character who will one day fight alongside Brie Larson in a Captain Marvel movie, but the potential is there. Since the world can never have too many charismatic female heroes, I’m certainly rooting for her.
Filed under Jack's Quick Pick Comic
Higher, Further, Faster, And Fun: A (Spoiler-Free) Review Of “Captain Marvel”
Soaring to new heights, venturing into uncharted territory, and achieving greater things always requires a great deal of risk. If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll only get what you’ve always gotten and that’s just not enough for some people. For Marvel Studios, the gold standard by which all other movie studios are measured, it has to take those risks in order to expand its dominance into another decade.
A movie as big as “Avengers: Infinity War” or as diverse as “Black Panther” had high stakes on top of higher aspirations. They had to keep raising the bar that Marvel Studios had already raised to unprecedented heights. Those movies both succeeded and raked in record profits, but even those movies never faced challenges like the ones faced by “Captain Marvel.”
Without a doubt, this movie will go down as one of the riskiest movies Marvel Studios has ever made, which is saying something for the same studio that made an “Ant Man” movie. It’s not just because “Captain Marvel” is Marvel’s first female-led superhero movie, nor is it because DC set a pretty high bar with “Wonder Woman.”
“Captain Marvel” arrives with more baggage than any other superhero movie not associated with Joel Shumacher. In some respects, it’s coming out at the worst possible time. This is an era where gender politics are on a hair-trigger and features an actress who has been outspoken on where her political affiliations lie. It’s like bringing a tank of gasoline to a growing wildfire.
The context of this movie and its politics are already well-documented and I’ve made my opinions on it known. Beyond the politics, the heated gender debates, and coordinated efforts to tank this movie, there’s still one critical question that overrides all the baggage and burdens.
Is “Captain Marvel” a good movie?
Having seen it at a midnight showing in which the theater was quite packed, I can say in my humble opinion that yes. It is a good, entertaining movie. It doesn’t deviate too far from the Marvel Studios tradition of making superhero movies that are fun, entertaining, and heartfelt. However, “Captain Marvel” ends up achieving much more than that.
Before I go any further, I want to make a few comments about the heated politics surrounding this movie. I’m not going to focus too much on them, but I’m not going to avoid them, either. I get that some people will go into this movie with certain expectations and look for any excuse to justify those expectations. This is my response to those specific individuals.
No, this movie is not laced with radical feminist undertones.
No, this movie does not denigrate men or a specific race of men.
No, this movie does not make overtly political statements.
No, Carol Danvers is not a Mary Sue who is never allowed to fail or be wrong.
Yes, the movie is entertaining and fun in the tradition of good superhero movies.
Yes, the movie is respectful of the history and personality of the character.
Having said all that, I understand that there are a number of people who may disagree with every one of those statements. However, after seeing the movie and having time to digest all its high-flying details, I believe that doing so requires a level of outright pettiness that obscures just how good this movie is.
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This movie does not have the luxury of expanding on a character who was previously introduced. Unlike Black Panther, Carol has nothing to build on when the movie starts. However, things move quickly once the action gets going. We find out early on that Carol is in a difficult situation, but tenuous situation. In addition, that situation helps further the world-building that is so distinct of the MCU.
We learn more about the Kree in the first 20 minutes of this movie than we have in any other Marvel movie, to date. They’ve been mentioned before in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” but who they are and what they’re like is firmly established in “Captain Marvel.” Their iconic rivals, the Skrulls, are also introduced and it’s here where the movie really shines.
If you’re not familiar with the history of comics, it’s hard to overstate how critical the Kree/Skrull war is to the cosmic side of the Marvel universe. This massive war is something that Carol finds herself in the middle of and her role in it evolves over the course of the movie. Without getting too heavy into spoiler territory, it’s safe to say that this evolution is what helps make her Captain Marvel.
Carol’s story isn’t just about her seeking to fly higher, further, and faster. Through both flashbacks to her past and struggles in the present, her journey from being a loyal Kree warrior to Captain Marvel feels personal, even as it moves the story forward. At first, it feels like the story is on a predictable path. However, that changes, thanks largely to Carol’s the supporting cast.
This is where Samuel L. Jackson’s role as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelson’s role as Talos really complements the story. Their choices and their actions put Carol in a situation where she comes to some difficult realizations and has to make difficult decisions. In doing so, she becomes the hero that she needs to be, both for this movie and for the MCU.
It’s not unlike the evolution that other characters like Tony Stark and Thor have undergone. They start off with one particular outlook on their world. Then, they find themselves in a situation that undermines and even shatters what they thought was right and true. Rather than avoid the unpleasant implications, they confront them. That’s what heroes do and that’s what Carol Danvers does.
By the end of “Captain Marvel,” it’s easy to root for Carol. As she realizes her true power, she becomes the kind of hero that fits right in with the Avengers. The source of that power is not something she inherits or pursues. True to her comic book origins, her high-flying aspirations lead to an accident that comes close to destroying her. Also like the comics, it renders her vulnerable in unexpected ways.
Throughout the movie, Carol is guided and often frustrated by her limits. Some of those limits are things she puts on herself. Some are limits that others impose on her. Overcoming such limits, be they her own emotions or the actions of others, is the true strength of her character. It’s a strength that anyone, regardless of race, gender, or anything of the sort, can respect.
That’s not to say there aren’t flaws in that journey, along the way. In terms of a superhero origin movie, I would not put “Captain Marvel” above the ranks of “Batman Begins” or “Iron Man.” The movie does feel somewhat congested in several areas and the pacing, especially in the early parts of the movie, are a bit erratic.
There’s also an issue with villains in this movie, to the extent that they’re vague. Both the Skrulls and Jude Law’s, Yon-Rogg, aren’t going to give Thanos or Erik Killmonger a run for their money. Even the presence of a young Ronan the Accuser feels like a missed opportunity. While Carol has plenty of fights to pick in this movie, the lack of a major villain is somewhat glaring.
Let’s face it. Nobody was going to top THIS guy.
However, this doesn’t keep “Captain Marvel” from succeeding in the ways we’ve come to expect from Marvel Studios. The distinct bits of humor and tone are definitely there. The use of 90s nostalgia, from grunge rock to Blockbuster, works at every turn. The choice of music is spot on for every scene. Like “Captain America” and “Wonder Woman,” the time and place fits perfectly with the story.
By nearly every measure, “Captain Marvel” checks all the right boxes, in terms of a quality product from Marvel Studios. Again, it is possible for someone to single out certain scenes as proof that the movie is trying to make a political statement. However, I would argue that you could find similar scenes in movies like “Wonder Woman” and even “Deadpool.”
At the end of the day, if you’re really determined to hate this movie and label it as some sort of hit piece against a particular race or gender, you’ll find multiple excuses. However, it still requires a level of pettiness that requires someone to actively look for a reason to be offended and there’s already too much of that in this world.
If you watch “Captain Marvel” with the sole desire to be entertained and see the MCU evolve before your eyes, this movie will deliver in all the right ways. If I had to score this movie, I would give it a 4 out of 5. It’s a fun ride with a few bumps along the way, but is ultimately satisfying by the end. On top of that, the post-credits scene help further build the excitement for “Avengers: Endgame.”
Also, no matter your politics, the Stan Lee tribute at the beginning of the movie is beautiful.
Filed under Marvel, Movie Reviews, movies, superhero comics, superhero movies
Jack Fisher’s Weekly Quick Pick Comic: Meet The Skrulls #1
Every Wednesday is basically a holy day for comic book fans, minus the prayers, confessions, or itchy formal clothes. Like gifts from Heaven, a new batch of comics is bestowed upon this incredibly flawed world and, if only briefly, everything feels a little more awesome.
This week’s comics arrive under unique circumstances with the release of the “Captain Marvel” movie. Any new entry from the Marvel Cinematic Universe is bound to gain more attention, albeit for the wrong reasons, at times. However, in spite of and because of such circumstances, some comics stand out more than others.
In terms of comics that feel perfectly timed and beautifully relevant, “Meet The Skrulls #1” really raises the bar. It’s not a comic about superheroes or mundane family drama, either. It’s one of those books with a unique, but intriguing concept that involves shape-shifting aliens, teen melodrama, and catching politicians in compromising positions. That made it an easy choice for my weekly comic quick pick.
It may sound like a strange collection of plots, but that’s exactly what “Meet The Skrulls #1” delivers. It’s the first issue of a mini-series by Robbie Thompson and Niko Henrichon and it chronicles the mission of the Warner family. Part of that mission just happens to involve being a typical suburban family.
It almost seems too ideal for any mission involving the skrulls. The father, Carl, works at Stark Industries and has a front-row seat to Iron Man’s high-tech antics. The mother, Gloria, works for a congresswoman and specializes in making her opponents miserable. Their two daughters, Madison and Alice, are teenage girls attending high school, which gives them more incentive than most to hasten an alien invasion.
The concept is great, but not just because it involves shape-shifting aliens and teenage melodrama. “Meet The Skrulls #1” provides a rare, but meaningful opportunity to tell a story from the perspective of the villains. Throughout much of Marvel’s history, Skrulls have always either been outright villains or generally antagonistic to everyone on Earth and not just their heroes.
That behavior isn’t entirely contrived, though. The Skrulls are, by their nature, a very warlike race. Their society, their culture, and their very biology is driven by war, infiltration, and subversion. More than one major Marvel event has been built around it and it’s very possible they’ll bring major complications to the MCU.
However, this collection of Skrulls aren’t just some military unit with the same depth as the henchmen of a James Bond villain. The Warners are an actual family. The parents show concern for their children. The children find ways to frustrate their parents. They deal with personal, professional, and identity issues. It utilizes sentiments that resonates with everyone, regardless of whether they’re a shape-shifting alien.
“Meet The Skrulls #1” does plenty to introduce the Warners and explain their mission. Compared to other Skrull missions, it doesn’t vary that much in terms of goals. They still seek to invade and take over Earth, but not just because the cries of tortured humans makes them happy. They’re actually trying to create a new home for themselves and the Warners, in many ways, are the first to experience that home.
That home is already subject to many challenges. While the Warners are carrying out their mission, there’s a looming threat that promises to undermine that mission and rip apart their family. The identity and extent of that threat is only hinted at, but it certainly raises the stakes for the family. It’s not just about completing a mission. Now, it’s about protecting one another.
They’re still not heroes, but they’re not entirely villains. Sure, they want to invade Earth and take it over, but they also want to build a home for themselves. They want to create a better life for their people and their children. Even though it puts them at odds with the Avengers and everyone else on Earth, their goals feel relatable and relevant.
On top of that, the teenage melodrama with Madison and Alice provides more complications, but in a good way. They’re still part of the mission, but they’re hardly on the same page. One is all too happy to manipulate humans to her own advantage. The other feels a kinship with them that worries her family.
There are so many conflicts brewing and “Meet The Skrulls #1” cultivates them without resorting to standard superhero spectacles. That, alone, makes this comic feel like a breath of fresh air. Not every comic book has to follow a superhero as they fight monsters and get caught up in terrible love triangles. There is room for new perspectives and new insights.
Thompson and Henrichon set up a lot, in terms of plot and potential. There’s only so much they’ll be able to realize in a five-issue mini-series, but that’s exactly what makes “Meet The Skrulls #1” so enjoyable. Every moment counts and with Skrulls about to have their big breakout on the big screen, the timing couldn’t be better.
Filed under Jack's Quick Pick Comic
“Captain Marvel” Second Trailer
Another glorious preview for “Captain Marvel” has dropped. Let’s all take a moment to soak in its marvelous glory. She’s destined to fly higher, farther, and faster than any hero before her. Thanos is fucked. Nuff said!
Filed under Marvel, superhero comics, superhero movies
The following is a review I wrote for PopMatters for “The Life of Captain Marvel #5.” Enjoy!
Losses, Journeys, and Ascensions: ‘The Life of Captain Marvel #5’
December 21, 2018 · 10:21 pm
Marveling At The Second “Captain Marvel” Trailer
The second “Captain Marvel” trailer has dropped. There’s a lot I’d love to talk about. For now, though, let’s just take a moment to marvel at what awaits us in March 2019.
Understanding The Recent Changes (And Upheavals) In The Life Of Carol Danvers
Some characters are iconic from the get-go. Spider-Man, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman all managed to establish themselves as special early on in their history. They’re the lucky ones, though. Most characters have to go through a long, arduous process to reach the top tier of superhero icons. A lot of them never make it, but those that do are special in their own right.
These days, the character who best embodies that spirit is Carol Danvers. You don’t have to go back too far to remember a time when she was relegated to the superhero B-list. As Ms. Marvel, she had her share of fans. I was one of them. She also had her place in the annuls of Marvel lore. However, she was never able to break through and join that elite club occupied almost exclusively of Stan Lee creations.
That all changed when Kelly Sue DeConnick came along and reinvented Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel in 2012. That process, which has since become one of my favorite runs on a comic book series of the past 10 years, helped Carol finally break into the upper echelon of superheroes. With a movie coming out in 2019 staring Brie Larson, it’s safe to say she’s entrenched.
I could write a dozen articles about why Carol Danvers’ character resonates more now than it did when she first showed up in 1968. I’ve already mentioned some of the unique challenges she faces as she enters rarefied air among Marvel heroes and female superheroes, in general. However, I want to focus on one particular aspect of her character that helps her stand out.
As it just so happens, it’s also part of her character that recently underwent a major upheaval in the comics. Among other comic book fans, it has been controversial. I’ve certainly seen more than a little whining on message boards and Reddit. I have my share of criticisms too, but I intend to justify why I believe this is a promising new era for Carol “Captain Marvel” Danvers.
The upheaval in question occurred in a recently-launched mini-series called “The Life of Captain Marvel.” Written by Margaret Stohl, who has been guiding Carol’s journey for several years now, I cannot recommend this series enough. It is, by far, one of the best Carol Danvers stories ever written. Years from now, it will likely mark a major turning point for her story.
That’s because Stohl does something that’s both critical and controversial to Carol’s history. She makes a major alteration to an aspect of Carol’s life that doesn’t change her past, but puts it in a very different perspective. That change, in my opinion, makes Carol a much more intriguing character.
If you want to avoid spoilers, you should probably stop reading here and check out the series. Again, I highly recommend it. The big change, however, takes place in the fourth issue. Here, her mother, Marie, drops a bombshell revelation on Carol that rocks her world. She reveals that she’s half-human and half-alien. Specifically, she’s half-Kree.
Anyone who saw “Guardians of the Galaxy” knows why that’s a big deal.
Anyone who has a passing knowledge of Marvel history knows why that’s a huge deal.
The fact that she’s half-alien isn’t that unique. Peter “Starlord” Quill has a similar heritage. The reason it’s such a big deal for Carol is because it changes the context of how she got her powers and the role she plays in the greater Marvel universe.
Before this change, Carol’s powers were somewhat of an afterthought. Like Spider-Man, they were the result of an accident. Her’s just involved alien device called the Psyche Magnetron. She got caught in an explosion and that explosion allegedly fused her DNA with Kree DNA to give her superpowers. It’s not the most contrived origins story, but it’s not exactly epic.
To some extent, getting her powers by accident undercut all the work she did before that. Even without powers, she managed to carve out a successful career in the air force and NASA. That work became somewhat superfluous once she got superpowers. Unlike Peter Parker, she was already on a heroic path. Getting powers just seemed like skipping a bunch of steps.
With the revelation by her mother, there’s more connective tissue between her journey as Carol Danvers and her journey as Captain Marvel. Her mother, who comes out as a full-blooded Kree warrior, tells Carol that the accident wasn’t the sole cause of her abilities. It was just the catalyst. These are her exact words.
“What humans see as Kree powers are just our biological adaptations to a life of combat. They’re triggered in battle, usually around adolescence. Sadly, most of us have known war by then.”
This implies that even if she hadn’t been caught in the crossfire of the Psyche Magnetron, her Kree abilities would’ve come out at some point. For some fans, including die-hard Captain Marvel fans, it feels like this is denigrating her origins. I respectfully disagree with that notion. I believe this gives Carol’s story a new kind of appeal.
In terms of how superheroes become iconic, how they get their powers and how they choose to use them plays a huge part in their appeal. I would argue that just making Carol an ordinary human who got caught in an accident has limited appeal. Like I said before, she’s not Peter Parker. She’s not an average person. She’s more like Batman in that she’s an overachiever who strives to do more.
Her being half-Kree adds a new dynamic to the mix because it makes Carol a product of two different worlds. She is born on Earth and lives her whole life as a human. However, she now has this alien heritage that has already influenced her life in ways she didn’t understand. You need only look at the mass appeal of Superman to see why that story is compelling.
Being half-Kree means Carol suddenly has a connection to a race that has waged war on Earth before. She also has a connection to a world that has blatantly experimented on humans before. At the same time, her human life wasn’t exactly ideal. Unlike Superman, she was not raised by picture perfect parents like the Kents.
Her mother, despite being a Kree warrior, was in an unstable relationship with Carol’s very human father. Their family suffered a devastating loss when Carol’s brother, Steve, died in combat. They never really recovered from that and, for most of Carol’s history, that loss kept her parents as a side-note at best in her journey.
With Carol’s mother being a Kree warrior, it changes her into something more than a woman who stayed in a bad marriage. It adds more layers to why she and her husband clashed. Even in the first few issues of “The Life of Captain Marvel,” her father comes off as a generic asshole. Finding out he was dealing with an alien wife makes his struggles a lot less generic.
In many ways, Carol’s parents represent her divided heritage. Her father didn’t want her embracing her Kree side and fighting alien wars. Having already lost a son, who can blame him? Her mother didn’t want to stop Carol from embracing both sides of her heritage, even though that was sure to leave her conflicted.
It effectively connects Carol’s superhero journey with that of her family. Those journeys involve some heavy losses, painful secrets, and destructive alcoholism. It’s something you’re not going to find with Superman, Spider-Man, Batman, or any of the X-men. It leaves Carol Danvers in an uncertain, but promising state.
It’s not yet clear how much of Stohl’s revisions will find their way into the “Captain Marvel” movie. To some extent, it helps that Carol’s origin isn’t as iconic as that of other heroes. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has already done some considerable tweaks to certain characters to make them fit the narrative. I have a feeling we’ll see plenty of that in the movie.
However things plays out on the big screen for Carol, I think her story in the comics just became a lot more interesting. I know there are some fans upset by this. I’ll even concede there are some parts of this revision I don’t care for. There was some appeal to Carol just being an ordinary human who worked her ass off to achieve what she did.
Every major revelation or retcon in a comic or movie comes at a price. You’re bound to upset some people. That’s unavoidable in a world full of such diverse tastes. However, I believe that Carol gained much more than she lost in “The Life of Captain Marvel.” I believe she’s bound to gain a whole lot more, both through her movie and through the new host of stories that can be told.
Whatever the case, I hope Brie Larson takes plenty of notes.
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