Ms. Marvel

Ms. Marvel is a Marvel Comics super heroine, Distaff Counterpart of (their version of) Captain Marvel. Originally a supporting character in his series, Carol Danvers first appeared in "Marvel Super-Heroes" #13 (March, 1968). She was created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan. She eventually gained her own series "Ms. Marvel" vol. 1, which lasted for 23 issues (January, 1977-April, 1979). She mostly appeared in team books ever since. But returned to the spotlight with "Ms. Marvel" vol. 2, which lasted for 50 issues (May, 2006-April, 2010). She has since been making regular appearances in team books again.

Carol Danvers was a tough Air Force soldier who was involved in various missions, at one point teaming up with Logan, and another time, with Ben Grimm. She later became chief of security at NASA. At one point, she was involved in a battle with the alien Kree race, befriending their hero, Captain Marvel. Later she was hit by the explosion of a Kree Psyche-Magnetron device which messed with her DNA, causing her to later have blackouts during which her body morphed into a Kree warrior, who called herself 'Ms. Marvel'. It also caused her to fall from grace in the military world and she was forced to become a magazine editor for The Daily Bugle.

Ms. Marvel had a different personality than Carol, but eventually she came to terms with it and their personalities combined. She celebrated the change with a new costume... just in time for her series to be cancelled.

She later joined The Avengers but decided to quit after an incident which caused her to become pregnant by an adult version of her baby. Later, Rogue (at the time a villain under Mystique) ambushed her. After a grueling battle, Rogue absorbed Ms. Marvel's powers AND memories, then threw her off below the Golden Gate bridge, leaving her to die. Fortunately, Spider Woman/Jessica Drew was around at that time and rescued Carol and sent her to the X-Mansion for treatment courtesy of Professor Xavier. After she sort of recovered (she regained her memory, but not her powers or emotions) Carol chose to stay with the X-Men for a while.

Unfortunately this led to her getting caught by the Brood aliens along with the X-Men. The Brood experiment on her and she ends up turned into a new superhero named "Binary" (as in 'binary star') with the power to manipulate stellar energy. She had some space adventures after joining the Starjammers, but eventually returned to Earth. At that time, her full memories and powers as Ms. Marvel returned and she went by the name Warbird (with Ms. Marvel's and Binary's powers combined) since another character had taken up the name Miss Marvel in her absence. She also rejoined The Avengers. Unfortunately, all the sufferings she experienced became a burden to her and she resorts to alcohol to relinquish her pain, which got her expelled from the group. A consolation from fellow alcoholic Iron Man set her straight and she later rejoined the Avengers.

During House of M, Carol was inspired by that dimension's version of Ms. Marvel, who is essentially the Marvel version of Wonder Woman, and realizes her potential. She started taking life positively once more and used the name Ms. Marvel again ( the second Ms. Marvel had now become the She-Thing). She is later involved in various events such as the Civil War (siding with Iron Man, and kicking some dogs along the way) and the Secret Invasion. She was once the leader of the Mighty Avengers team, but now she joined the New Avengers after Norman Osborn formed the Dark Avengers. And when the Dark Reign is over, she later becomes a member of the New Avengers under Luke Cage.

The second Ms. Marvel (whose name is Sharon Ventura) was the girlfriend of The Thing (Ben Grimm) who gained Super Strength from a crooked sports promoter (and his Mad Scientist partner). She was later accidentally turned into a female version of The Thing.

In Norman Osborn's copycat Dark Avengers, "Ms. Marvel" was played by villainess Karla Sofen (Moonstone), a half-insane psychiatrist with powers from alien gems, who was later known as the heroine Meteorite from the Thunderbolts. Osborn's second set of Dark Avengers gave the role to Superia, a super-powered misandrist in a variant of Captain Mar-Vell's costume.

Carol has recently been promoted from Ms. Marvel to Captain Mar-Vell.


 * Action Girl
 * Affirmative Action Legacy: In the Marvel Mangaverse Carol becomes the second Captain America (comics) after the original is slain.
 * Later becomes one for Captain Marvel.
 * All Your Powers Combined: The current Ms. Marvel has both the power of her old self and Binary.
 * Arch Enemy: Mystique. It's not just the X-Men that wants her blood.
 * Moonstone has been played up as this a LOT recently.
 * The Brood also consider Ms. Marvel to be their greatest enemy due to the sheer damage she inflicted on their empire as Binary.
 * Some fans also jokingly consider Carol's greatest enemies to be cars due to her rather frequent tendency to get hit by them in battle.
 * The car thing took kind of a shocking twist when the unpowered Ultimate Carol Danvers was hit by a car and put in critical condition in the latest arc of the Ultimates.
 * Ascended Extra: Ms. Marvel used to be a something of a second-stringer amongst the Marvel Comics fandom and most people outside of Avengers fandom would just know her as 'The woman that Rogue stole her powers from'. After House of M, she started to get her own ongoing series and more prominence in other titles.
 * Both subverted and played straight in the Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes animated television program, she and Captain Mar-Vell are introduced in the same episode, most of the first half has her taking the guest star spotlight before she has powers while second half heavily features Captain Marvel (although one inspired by his Ultimate Marvel portrayal). Later in the next season Carol (with powers) and Mahr Vell return are once again in the same episode but Carol is given more prominence as well as joining the team later in the season.
 * Badass Normal: Even before becoming Ms. Marvel, Carol can hold on her own. Taken even further in the Ultimate Universe, where Carol is still a military woman and never became Ms. Marvel.
 * Blood Knight Become this during the Battle of New York against the Super-Skrulls. Major ass-kicking ensure.
 * Distaff Counterpart: Captain Marvel's, naturally. In the probably-not-canon "Age of the Sentry" mini-series, she was also shown becoming the Sentress.
 * Drowning My Sorrows: You know you're off the wagon when Tony Stark calls you on it.
 * Energy Absorption: Part of her super power set.
 * Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Subverted in the entry below.
 * Of course, Moonstone, so god knows why Carol thought it would work.
 * The fact that Moonstone is insane, and has gotten moreso over the last several years of continuity (apparently the writers got bored with her original, seemingly genuine, attempt at a Heel Face Turn), is surely the main problem.
 * Evil Cannot Comprehend Good:
 * Flying Brick
 * Flying Firepower: in a rare overlap with Flying Brick, she tends to switch between brawling and blasting her opponents.
 * Gendered Outfit: Her classic, more Stripperiffic costume.
 * Hair of Gold
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: In the Marvel Ultimate Alliance games, she's voiced by April Stewart; in The Superhero Squad Show, she's voiced by Grey DeLisle; and in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, she's voiced by Jennifer Hale.
 * I Have Many Names: She sticks with the default for now.
 * I Owe You My Life: While not because of 'saving from death', this might be the reason why she assists Tony in Civil War (she'd be an alcoholic wreck if it wasn't for him...). Though this is more or less the reason of her friendship with Jessica Drew.
 * Kick the Dog: Separating Julia Carpenter from her daughter just because she's a defector of the Pro-Registration side is just... well... low!.
 * It was because she was a spy for Steve Rogers.
 * Les Yay: With Jessica Drew.
 * And Jessica Jones, which is perhaps more impressive for not being Claremont's fault.
 * Leotard of Power
 * Light'Em Up: After the Brood experimented on her, she gained photon-based powers.
 * Male Gaze: If Carol is in a book wearing her outfit, chances are the artist will find some way to get a rear shot, regardless of what she may be doing at the time.
 * Most Common Superpower: Carol Danvers was not exactly under-endowed. (May have had something to do with why her energy-projecting incarnation was called "Binary".)
 * Ms. Fanservice: The only way Ms. Marvel's costumes can be justified.
 * Lampshaded by Moonstone/Dark!Ms. Marvel in Avengers: The Inititave when she asks Tigra just how Carol wears these outfits.
 * Pietà Plagiarism: As in parodying 'The Death of Captain Marvel', the last print of her current issue (#50) had her in this pose... with the same death figure. That doesn't kill her, fortunately.
 * Power Incontinence: At first, the Ms. Marvel persona comes without Carol's control.
 * The Rival: As of now; Moonstone.
 * Running Gag: Her being "fat".
 * Scarf of Asskicking: Part of her original costume. Carol later uses it as a sash for her more iconic costume.
 * Secret Public Identity: Carol Danvers has household name recognition
 * Split Personality: Her early problems with she overcame. Came to light again during her recent battle with Moonstone.
 * Statuesque Stunner: Carol is 5-feet-11-inches of pure hotness.
 * Stay in the Kitchen: In her earliest stories, Carol got this treatment from J. Jonah Jameson, who, as her boss, was something of a strawman misogynist.
 * Stripperiffic: Her original costume. Not that her skin-tight outfit isn't one now.
 * Her original original costume, though, was a feminized version of Captain Mar-Vell's Kree uniform, which covered everything.
 * Thigh-High Boots
 * Thong of Shielding: Depending on the Artist
 * Tsundere: Recently, towards Spider-Man.
 * Underwear of Power: Again, part of her original costume.
 * All of the costume tropes above caused Rogue (at a point in the X-Men where she was manifesting Ms Marvel's costume) to lament Danvers' choice in clothes.
 * Unexplained Recovery
 * What the Hell, Hero?: Awesomely called the Avengers out in in Avengers Annual 10, for their dickery from the 200th issue.
 * You Are Fat: A running gag in series.