Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics)
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- For the Fawcett Comics character now owned by DC Comics, see Captain Marvel (DC Comics).
Mar-Vell
- Main article: Mar-Vell
The first of these was an alien military officer, Captain Mar-Vell of the Kree Imperial Militia, who had been sent to observe the planet Earth, which was of great interest to the Empire for its resource and strategic potential. Eventually he rebelled , after having realised the intentions of his superiors, and took allegiance with Earth while the Kree Empire branded him a traitor. Thence independent, the Captain fought to protect Earth from all menaces. Captain Mar-Vell was created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan in Marvel Super-Heroes #12 (Dec. 1967).
He would later be revamped by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane. Having been punished with exile in the Negative Zone, the only way Mar-Vell could temporarily leave was to convince a young man, Rick Jones, to wear special metal wristbands called Nega-Bands which allowed the two to switch places for a limited amount of time. He was also given superpowers and his military uniform was replaced with a form fitting costume.
With the title's sales still middling, Marvel allowed Jim Starlin to conceptually revamp the character, although his appearance was unchanged. Mar-Vell was freed and then became an appointed cosmic champion of space in general, the "Protector of the Universe" appointed by the cosmic entity Eon. Together, Mar-Vell and Rick continued the battle against evil, most notably battling the Death-worshipping Thanos, a mutant member of the Titans of Saturn's moon Titan. Mar-Vell became a close ally of the Titans, and one of their number, Elysius, became his lover.
However, this career was cut short because of an earlier incident in which Mar-Vell stopped the villain Nitro from stealing a canister of deadly nerve gas. The canister leaked, and, although Mar-Vell was able to re-seal the container, he had already been exposed to a lethal dose; due to his alien metabolism, he was not killed instantly, but rather contracted incurable cancer. He died from this cancer on Titan in the presence of the Marvel Universe's superhero community, as chronicled in Marvel's first large-format graphic novel, The Death of Captain Marvel.
Monica Rambeau
- Main article: Monica Rambeau
Rambeau later joined H.A.T.E. (the Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort) in the new series titled NEXTWAVE. In this series created by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen, H.A.T.E. (a subsidiary of the Beyond Corporation©) formed a team to fight the Bizarre Weapons of Mass Destruction. Members include Monica Rambeau, a man known only as "The Captain", Boom Boom, Aaron Stack, and Elsa Bloodstone.
Genis-Vell
- Main article: Genis-Vell
Mar-Vell and Rick formed a strong friendship during their time together while Genis-Vell and Rick had a much harder time getting along. Genis' alien (and immature) perspective made him unfathomable to Rick's jaded-sidekick sensibilities. Their ability to see and hear what the other was experiencing led to awkward situations with Rick's wife, Marlo Chandler, and Genis's many amorous partners. Eventually, however, they became good friends. However, Genis would eventually go insane and threaten to destroy the universe.
After dying and resurrecting himself - with the secret aid of Baron Helmut Zemo - Genis-Vell joined the Thunderbolts under the name Photon. However, in accelerating his resurrection, Zemo had linked Genis to the ends of time, causing a degenerate effect on the universe. To prevent the inevitable destruction of all existence, Zemo killed Genis-Vell by scattering the pieces of his body through time and the Darkforce Dimension.
Phyla-Vell
- Main article: Phyla-Vell
The most recent Captain Marvel is Phyla-Vell, Genis-Vell's younger sister. Her name is a taxonomical pun on the part of Peter David, who created the character. Phyla was created when Genis, an only child, recreated the universe and, in doing so, created various anomalies which resulted in his mother being restored to life and his sister coming into existence. She was last seen romancing Moondragon.
She is due to appear in the Annihilation event. ([link], [link])
Phyla has superhuman strength. She can fire energy blasts, fly, and act like an "energy sponge", absorbing any energy attacks directed at her and returning them as energy blasts. Phyla also has cosmic awareness and is a proficient fighter.
The Next Captain Marvel?
In a November 2005 interview [link], Marvel editor Joe Quesada revealed there will be a new Captain Marvel, specifcially a male that has been established in the Marvel Universe for some time.
It is speculated that Hulkling of the Young Avengers may be the next Captain Marvel, due to the recent revelation that he is Mar-Vell's son.
However, because Joe Quesada mentioned that this new namesake has already been firmly established in the Marvel Universe, others speculate that the character of Noh-Varr (an extra-dimensional Kree created by Grant Morrison in 2000) may be the next Captain Marvel.
Ultimate Captain Marvel
- Main Article: Mahr Vehl
The Ultimate Marvel miniseries Ultimate Secret introduces a renegade Kree who has been surgically altered to look human and sent to earth by his people to observe its destruction by the entity Gah Lak Tus, but defects to help the humans. He wears a specially designed combat suit that is activated by his wristwatch. The Kree technology in the suit gives Mahr Vehl increased strength and allows him to fly, create energy shields, turn invisible, view different fields of the light spectrum, and fire energy blasts through the totalkannon located on his lower arm.
His real name is Pluskommander (literal translation of +Commander) Geheneris Halason Mahr Vehl; a reference to both Mar-Vell and Genis-Vell. As with the Marvel Universe Mar-Vell, he assumed the identity of Dr Philip Lawson, a scientist working on the space program. He is currently dating the Ultimate version of Carol Danvers. The name 'Captain Marvel' arises as a mispronunciation by General Nick Fury and Carol Danvers. Only the Falcon has bothered to learn how to pronounce his name correctly.
Both his look and actions are reminiscent of a Japanese henshin-type hero; the transforming watch especially.
Bibliography of Captain Marvel titles
Mar-Vell
- Marvel Super-Heroes (1967) #12-13
- Captain Marvel (1968) #1-62
- Giant-Size Captain Marvel (1975) #1 (reprint book)
- Marvel Spotlight (1979) #1-4
- Marvel Graphic Novel (1982) #1 (later reprinted in standard comic book format as The Death of Captain Marvel)
- The Life of Captain Marvel (1985) #1-5 (reprint series)
Monica Rambeau
- Captain Marvel (1989) #1 (also referred to as Captain Marvel Special)
- Captain Marvel: Speaking Without Concern (1994) #1
- Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. (2006) #5 (appears as Captain Marvel in flashback)
Genis-Vell
- Captain Marvel (1995) #1-6
- Captain Marvel (2000) #0-36
- Captain Marvel (2002) #1-25
- The New Thunderbolts (2004-2006) #1-18
- Thunderbolts (2006) #100 (death confirmed)
External links
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