Captain Marvel (Kree name Mar-Vell, Earth alias Walter Lawson) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and designed by artist

Gene Colan Eugene Jules Colan (; September 1, 1926 – June 23, 2011)Eugene Colan
at the

and first appeared in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #12 (December 1967). He is the original bearer of the name "Captain Marvel" within the Marvel brand. The character debuted during the

Silver Age of comic books The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an in ...

and made many subsequent appearances, including a self-titled series and the second volume of the ''

Marvel Spotlight ''Marvel Spotlight'' is a comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics as a try-out book. It stood out from Marvel's other try-out books in that most of the featured characters made their first appearance in the series. The series origin ...

'' series until his death in 1982, which has since remained largely permanent within mainstream continuity and most other media, with

Carol Danvers Carol Susan Jane Danvers is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Gene Colan, Danvers first appeared as an officer in the United States Air Force and a colleague of th ...

becoming the primarily featured Captain Marvel in the modern age.

Annette Bening Annette Carol Bening (born May 29, 1958) is an American actress. She has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over four decades, including a British Academy Film Award and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominati ...

portrayed a re-imagined female version of Mar-Vell (Wendy Lawson) in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...

film '' Captain Marvel'' (2019).

Publication history

From 1940 to 1953

Fawcett Comics Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s. Its most popular character was Captain Marvel (DC Comics), Captain Marvel, the alter ego of ...

published comics featuring their popular character Captain Marvel, and thus held the trademark to the name "Captain Marvel". Fawcett ceased publishing the comics in 1953 due to a 1951 copyright infringement suit from DC Comics, and their trademark ostensibly lapsed. Taking advantage of this situation, Marvel debuted its new Captain Marvel character in 1967 and quickly trademarked the name. Marvel was not the first company to try to capitalize on Fawcett's lapsed trademark; in 1966 the small publisher M. F. Enterprises released a short-lived '' Captain Marvel'' series. Due to the title containing its company name, Marvel had convinced M.F. Enterprises to cease their ''Captain Marvel'' series after five issues, paying M.F. a settlement of $4,500. Marvel's character debuted as the lead feature in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #12 (December 1967), written by Stan Lee and illustrated by

Gene Colan Eugene Jules Colan (; September 1, 1926 – June 23, 2011)Eugene Colan
at the

. Although usually credited as co-creator, Colan had no involvement with Captain Marvel's conception, and in fact has voiced an intense dislike for the character and especially his original white-and-green costume: "It was awful – just an imitation of any of the other costumed characters I'd ever done." Shortly thereafter, Captain Marvel was given his own series, commencing with ''Captain Marvel'' #1 (May 1968). These appearances established Captain Marvel, or "Mar-Vell", as an alien of the

Kree The Kree, briefly known as the Ruul, are a fictional scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cl ...

race who had come to earth as a spy before coming to identify with his human neighbors. The series failed to register with readers, and was revamped by writer-artist team Roy Thomas and

Gil Kane Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day versio ...

in issue #17 (October 1969).DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 138: "Rick Jones...became bonded to Captain Mar-Vell thanks to Roy Thomas and artist Gil Kane." The character was given a new uniform, designed by Kane and colorist Michelle Robinson, and greater abilities. An added plot feature was the introduction of

sidekick A sidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague (not necessarily in fiction) who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to the one they accompany. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, ...

Rick Jones. Jones and Marvel "shared molecules" allowing only one to exist in the real world at a time. Thomas stated that the intent of the change was to create a more science-fiction oriented update that was reminiscent of Fawcett Comics's original Captain Marvel, who similarly had an alter-ego that could not co-exist with the superhero. The change, however, was not successful, and the series was published only intermittently from 1969. It was initially canceled with issue #21 (August 1970), though the character appeared in the Kree-Skrull War storyline in '' Avengers'' #89 – 97 (June 1971 – March 1972), also written by Thomas. The ''Captain Marvel'' series recommenced with issue #22 (September 1972). Plotter and artist

Jim Starlin James P. Starlin (born October 9, 1949) is an American comics artist and writer. Beginning his career in the early 1970s, he is best known for space opera stories, for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock, an ...

decided to revamp the character with issue #25 (March 1973). Sanderson, Peter "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 159: "In March

973 Year 973 ( CMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Spring – The Byzantine army, led by General Melias (Domestic of the S ...

the first of artist Jim Starlin's many sagas of the Marvel heroes' wars against Thanos began." Comics historian

Les Daniels Leslie Noel Daniels III, better known as Les Daniels (October 27, 1943 – November 5, 2011), was an American writer. Background Daniels attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he wrote his master's thesis on ''Frankenstei ...

noted that "In a brief stint with Marvel, which included work on two characters aptain Marvel and Adam Warlockthat had previously never quite made their mark, Starlin managed to build a considerable cult following." A spin-off series, ''

Ms. Marvel Ms. Marvel is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was originally conceived as a female counterpart to Captain Marvel. Like Captain Marvel, most of the bearers of the Ms. M ...

'', was launched in 1977, but sales remained modest, and the series was published on only a bimonthly basis until it was ultimately canceled in 1979. The continued publication, however, kept the trademark current. This had the effect of requiring

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

, which in the meantime licensed the original Fawcett Captain Marvel for publication, to print its new comics under the trademark '' Shazam!'' Comics historian

Don Markstein Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

states, "Marvel didn't seem to quite know what to do with him—but they did put his comic out every other month through most of the 1970s, if only to maintain their trademark on his name." When ''Captain Marvel'' was cancelled with issue #62 (May 1979), there were five as-yet unpublished issues already complete or near-complete. The series ''

'' was revived for the express purpose of publishing them (specifically, in issues #1-4 and 8). Starlin wrote Mar-Vell's death in Marvel's first

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

, '' The Death of Captain Marvel'' (1982).DeFalco "1980s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 207: "This title by Jim Starlin was the first of a new series of Marvel Graphic Novels. Running between forty-eight and ninety-six pages, these paperback books were an attempt to compete with the European-style graphic albums." Following the character's death, Marvel published several comics with new characters taking up the "Captain Marvel" moniker, thereby maintaining their trademark on the name. The character returned, although not in a living capacity, in storylines in ''

Silver Surfer The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first a ...

'' vol. 3 #63 (March 1992) and ''Captain Marvel'' vol. 5, #5 (March 2003). The limited series ''Captain Marvel'' vol. 6, #1–5 (January–June 2008) was released as part of the 2008 "

Secret Invasion "Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight-issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008. The story involves a subversive, long-term in ...

" storyline and supposedly heralded the return of the character, although it was eventually revealed that this "Mar-Vell" was an alien

Skrull The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Skrulls first appeared in ''Fantastic Four'' #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. They originated fro ...

called Khn'nr. Mar-Vell was one of the featured characters in the 2011 three-issue limited series ''Chaos War: Dead Avengers''.

Fictional character biography

1960s

After the

's first encounter with humans, Captain Mar-Vell is sent to spy on Earth and decide if it is a threat to the Kree empire. He adopts the identity of a recently deceased scientist named Walter Lawson, but occasionally dons his Kree military uniform to protect the people he's observing. The first time he does this, people hear him incorrectly pronounce his name as "Captain Marvel". His job is made difficult by his jealous commanding officer, Colonel

Yon-Rogg Yon-Rogg is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A military commander of the Kree alien race whose weaknesses are his jealousy of others' accomplishments and his love for the medic Una, he's dispatche ...

, his growing affection for humanity, and his fake identity's criminal past. After aiding humanity several times, Mar-Vell is found guilty of treason against the Kree Empire and sentenced to death by firing squad. Mar-Vell escapes in a stolen rocket, but becomes lost in space. After drifting for 112 days, he is weak and on the verge of madness. He is manipulated by

Ronan the Accuser Ronan the Accuser is a fictional character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Ronan was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby and he first appeared in ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantasti ...

and Kree Minister Zarek into helping them overthrow the

Supreme Intelligence The Supreme Intelligence is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Supreme Intelligence is an artificial intelligence that rules the alien race known as the Kree. The Supreme Intelligence made its f ...

. To better help them, Mar-Vell is given a new costume and enhanced abilities. After the conspiracy is foiled, Mar-Vell tries to return to Earth. On the way, he is hit by a blast of radiation that traps him in the

Negative Zone The Negative Zone is a fictional setting, an antimatter universe appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The location is depicted in various publications from Marvel, most frequently in ''Fantastic Four'' and '' Captain Mar ...

. The Supreme Intelligence enables Mar-Vell to telepathically contact Rick Jones, which he uses to lead Jones to a set of "nega-bands" at an abandoned Kree base. When Jones puts on the bands and strikes them together, he trades places with Mar-Vell and is encased in a protective aura in the Negative Zone. The pair discover they are able to maintain telepathic contact. Using this method, Mar-Vell can remain in the positive universe for a period of three hours.

1970s

After brief encounters with the villain Scorpio and the Hulk Jones uses

Mister Fantastic Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member, and the leader, of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mastery of mechanical, aerospace and ...

's portal to the

to free Mar-Vell, who then becomes embroiled in the Kree-Skrull War. As a result of the war, Jones is left near death and Mar-Vell re-merged with Jones in order to save his life. Mar-Vell's consciousness begins to resurface weeks later as Jones's body becomes unable to house both his own and Mar-Vell's life energy. Photon ray treatments by a Professor Savannah stabilizes the situation and brings Mar-Vell's body and consciousness to the surface. After battling the atomic-powered Megaton, Mar-Vell is trapped in the Negative Zone once again until released by Jones via the nega-bands. Mar-Vell aids the Avengers against the

Grim Reaper Death is frequently imagined as a personified force. In some mythologies, a character known as the Grim Reaper (usually depicted as a berobed skeleton wielding a scythe) causes the victim's death by coming to collect that person's soul. Other b ...

and the

Space Phantom Sabra Sabreclaw Sabreclaw is a character in the MC2 universe who first appeared in '' J2'' #8 (May 1999). He is the half-brother of Wild Thing and the son of Wolverine. The character has claws (similar to Sabretooth), a healing factor, enh ...

. Mar-Vell allies himself with

Mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

and

Eros In Greek mythology, Eros (, ; grc, Ἔρως, Érōs, Love, Desire) is the Greek god of love and sex. His Roman counterpart was Cupid ("desire").''Larousse Desk Reference Encyclopedia'', The Book People, Haydock, 1995, p. 215. In the ear ...

against the death worshipper

Thanos Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, and first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 ( cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Deviant w ...

and his forces in a war for the

Cosmic Cube The Cosmic Cube is a fictional object appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. There are multiple Cubes in the Marvel Universe, all of which are depicted as containment devices that can empower whoever wields them. Although th ...

. Seeing the magnitude of the threat, the cosmic entity Kronos aids them by creating

Drax the Destroyer Drax the Destroyer (Arthur Douglas) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 (February 1973). The character's ...

, whose sole purpose is to kill Thanos. Another cosmic being,

Eon Eon or Eons may refer to: Time * Aeon, an indefinite long period of time * Eon (geology), a division of the geologic time scale Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Eon, in the 2007 film '' Ben 10: Race Against Time'' * Eon, in the ...

, transforms Mar-Vell into the "Protector of the Universe". This provides the hero with new abilities, including "cosmic awareness". Thanos gains the Cube and uses it to make himself omnipotent. Thanos' spirit leaves his body, and Mar-Vell uses the opportunity to shatter the Cube, which was still in Thanos' hand. This undoes Thanos's actions. Mar-Vell teams with Spider-Man to battle the

Basilisk In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk ( or ) is a legendary reptile reputed to be a serpent king, who causes death to those who look into its eyes. According to the ''Naturalis Historia'' of Pliny the Elder, the basilisk of Cyrene i ...

and later encounters a new villain named

Nitro Nitro may refer to: Chemistry *Nitrogen, a chemical element and a gas except at very low temperatures, with which many compounds are formed: **Nitro compound, an organic compound containing one or more nitro functional groups, -NO2 **Nitroalkene, ...

. While defusing a bomb placed by Nitro, Mar-Vell is exposed to a powerful

nerve gas Nerve agents, sometimes also called nerve gases, are a class of organic chemicals that disrupt the mechanisms by which nerves transfer messages to organs. The disruption is caused by the blocking of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme that ...

called "Compound 13". Mar-Vell collapses due to the exposure, but recovers when given an

antidote An antidote is a substance that can counteract a form of poisoning. The term ultimately derives from the Greek term φάρμακον ἀντίδοτον ''(pharmakon) antidoton'', "(medicine) given as a remedy". Antidotes for anticoagulants are s ...

. The gas, however, would eventually prove to be

carcinogenic A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis (the formation of cancer). This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes. Several radioactive subs ...

and cause Mar-Vell to develop cancer. During this time, Mar-Vell has an encounter with

Living Laser The Living Laser (Arthur Parks) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Don Heck, the character made his first appearance in '' The Avengers'' #34 (Nov. 1966). He would become a recur ...

. Mar-Vell investigates Nitro's allies, who are revealed to be the Kree "Lunatic Legion", leading to a series of protracted battles and the eventual trial of the cosmic entity

Uatu Uatu (), often simply known as the Watcher, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in '' The Fantastic Four'' #13 (April 1963). He is a mem ...

the Watcher for constant involvement in Earth's affairs. After ending the threat and aiding Uatu the Watcher, Mar-Vell briefly separates from Jones and has an encounter with a space

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

that assumes the form of former lover Una. Mar-Vell travels to the Kree homeworld of Hala, and through a protracted series of events that almost kills Rick Jones, frees himself from the manipulation of the Supreme Intelligence. During this period Mar-Vell also encounters the cosmic entity the Stranger. Returning to Earth, Mar-Vell encounters stranded Kree scientists who attempt to retrieve an inactive Kree Sentry located on the

S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often dea ...

Helicarrier The Helicarrier is a fictional flying aircraft carrier appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is depicted as the crucial mobile command center, forward operations platform, and signature capital ship of the fictional int ...

. This proves unsuccessful when the Sentry activates but fails to follow direction, going on a rampage. A new villain called the Cheetah attempts to manipulate the Sentry, although both are eventually defeated by Mar-Vell. The hero locates the Kree scientists, and briefly battles Ronan the Accuser, who was left with the mind of a child after a previous encounter. Rick Jones is visiting Avengers Mansion when the robotic villain the Super-Adaptoid attacks. During a battle with the Avengers, Jones trades places with Mar-Vell, with the Super-Adaptoid eventually mimicking Mar-Vell's Nega-Bands. Mar-Vell then brings the Super-Adaptoid's

pseudo The prefix pseudo- (from Greek ψευδής, ''pseudes'', "false") is used to mark something that superficially appears to be (or behaves like) one thing, but is something else. Subject to context, ''pseudo'' may connote coincidence, imitation, ...

bands together, exiling the robot to the Negative Zone and freeing Jones. Mar-Vell bids Jones farewell and encounters

Mercurio the 4-D Man Mercurio the 4-D Man (abbreviation of four dimensional - a feature of Mercurio's home world) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history Mercurio first appears in ''Thor'' #208 (Feb. ...

, who tricks Mar-Vell into returning to his home dimension, hoping to coerce the hero into building the Omni-Wave Projector. Mar-Vell, however, defeats Mercurio and returns to Earth. Mar-Vell continues to have dealings with the Kree, preventing scientist

Doctor Minerva Doctor Minerva (Minn-Erva) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in '' Captain Marvel'' #50 (May 1977), created by writer Scott Edelman and artist Al Milgrom. Doctor Minerva is a ...

from killing Rick Jones and battling High Council member Phae-Dor before travelling to Hala and, with King of the

Inhumans The Inhumans are a fictional superhuman race of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The comic book series has usually focused more specifically on the adventures of the Inhuman Royal Family, and many peop ...

Blackagar Boltagon ("Black Bolt") as his ally, preventing the "War of the Three Galaxies" by exposing a Skrull infiltrator. After another encounter with Nitro, Mar-Vell briefly attempts to adopt the Walter Lawson identity once again and works at an observatory. This plan is abandoned when forced to become Mar-Vell to stop an energy

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deat ...

named "Deathgrip". After an encounter with the Thunder God

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...

, Mar-Vell is forced to fight off Drax, who has been driven insane due to being unable to fulfill his purpose and kill Thanos. Eventually convincing Drax to aid him, Mar-Vell enters into a war against

ISAAC Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was th ...

, the sentient computer that served Thanos and now directs his forces. After a series of protracted battles, Mar-Vell convinces ISAAC's female minion

Elysius Elysius is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Elysius is an artificially created being constructed by the Titanian super computer ISAAC, and possesses some of the superhuman attributes of an E ...

to join him, causing her to fall in love with Mar-Vell; he subsequently defeats ISAAC's other pawns Chaos and Tarterus and the warrior Stellarax on Earth. Mar-Vell eventually defeats ISAAC by entering the supercomputer's programming and forcing it to experience life. Mar-Vell meets Eon once again and reflects on the events of recent times.

1980s

After a battle in the mystical "Dark Dimension"; an encounter with the Hulk and an adventure on an alien world, Mar-Vell discovers that his past exposure to the "Compound 13" nerve gas has given him cancer. Compounding the problem are Mar-Vell's nega-bands, which keep the cancer at bay but also cause it to resist all known forms of treatment, and lack of access to the Kree Empire's medical experts since the Kree consider Mar-Vell a traitor. As Mar-Vell accepts that his life is ending, many of his friends and allies come to Titan to pay their last respects. Even his mortal enemies the Skrulls send an envoy to bestow a medal on Mar-Vell to honor him as their greatest foe. In his final moments, Mar-Vell experiences a vision in which he meets Thanos once again. Thanos has come not as a foe, but as a guide to show Mar-Vell the path to the afterlife as a mark of respect to his greatest foe, giving Mar-Vell an illusion of a final struggle so that he can die fighting rather than in a bed. As he, Thanos, and

Mistress Death Death (distinguished as Mistress Death or Lady Death) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Mike Friedrich and Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in '' Captain Marvel'' #26 (June 1973). Dea ...

pass into a blinding light, Mar-Vell dies. His spirit is later called forth by the Grandmaster as a part of the

Legion of the Unliving The Legion of the Unliving are six groups of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history The original five versions first appear in '' Avengers'' #131 (Jan. 1975); ''Avengers'' Annual ...

to battle the Avengers.

1990s

When the

visits the Realm of the Dead, the character is counselled and aided in his escape by someone who appears to be Mar-Vell but is later revealed to be a manifestation of the selfless heroic ideal that is part of the Surfer's own psyche. Mar-Vell's former lover Elysius also impregnates herself with his genetic information, giving birth to a son,

Genis-Vell Genis-Vell, also known as Legacy, Captain Marvel, and Photon, is a fictional superhero turned supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is depicted as the son of Mar-Vell of the extraterrestrial Kree Empire, w ...

. When Death declares Thanos to be forever barred from her realm and that she will never love him, Thanos uses the Reality Gem to restore Mar-Vell. They discuss Thanos' ability to make Death love him with the Reality Gem, and Mar-Vell convinces him not to do it. Thanos agrees, and returns Mar-Vell to death.

2000s

Visiting the Realm of the Dead, Genis encounters his father. He learns Elysius also gave birth to a girl,

Phyla-Vell Phyla-Vell is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has gone by the names Quasar, Captain Marvel and Martyr. She was created by Peter David and Paul Azaceta and first appeared in ''C ...

. The

Young Avengers The Young Avengers are the names of two fictional superhero teams appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first team, created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung, features numerous adolescent characters who typically have ...

member

Hulkling Emperor Hulkling (Dorrek VIII, also known as Theodore Rufus "Teddy" Kaplan-Altman) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been depicted as a member of the Young Avengers, a team o ...

is revealed to be the child of Mar-Vell and Princess Anelle of the Skrulls.

2010s

During the war with the Chaos King, Mar-Vell and several deceased members of the Avengers return from the dead. He takes leadership of the group, helping protect several civilians and the comatose bodies of the main Avengers from chaos demons. He is impaled from behind by the

and is killed once more. Some time later, Kree mystics resurrect Mar-Vell using a piece of the

M'Kraan Crystal The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features. Places Certain places fe ...

and a portion of the Phoenix Force. Controlling his mind, they use Captain Marvel against the Avengers. The Vision frees Mar-Vell, who sacrifices himself to save the Kree from the Phoenix Force, which threatens Hala when it seeks to reclaim its missing energy.

Powers and abilities

Due to his Kree

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

which had evolved to cope with the heavier gravity of home planet Hala, Mar-Vell was significantly stronger and more durable than a normal human. As a soldier, he was trained in all forms of Kree combat, possessed a superior knowledge of tactics, and was equipped with a device called a "universal beam" (or "uni-beam"); which was at first a handheld pistol before Mar-Vell converted it into a wrist-mounted device capable of projecting energy, emitting beams of pure

darkness Darkness, the direct opposite of lightness, is defined as a lack of illumination, an absence of visible light, or a surface that absorbs light, such as black or brown. Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low ...

, and controlling magnetism. When manipulated by "Zo" (actually Zarek, the Kree Imperial Minister), Mar-Vell became greatly enhanced, having his physical abilities augmented to the point of crushing the hardest substance known to the Kree, and gained the ability to generate illusions, teleport to anywhere in the universe and fly at faster-than-light speeds. With the exception of strength, these abilities are lost when Mar-Vell gains the nega-bands, which convert Mar-Vell's

psionic In American science fiction of the 1950s and 1960s, psionics was a proposed discipline that applied principles of engineering (especially electronics) to the study (and employment) of paranormal or psychic phenomena, such as telepathy and psycho ...

energy into greater strength, durability, speed, flight and enabled him to exist unprotected in deep outer space. Following the photon ray treatments, Mar-Vell was able to absorb solar energy to further increase his strength. By using solar energy, Mar-Vell was able to recover faster than an average human being. After his encounter with Eon, Mar-Vell used solar energy to fly, leaving a sparkling trail of photons in his wake. Once named the "Protector of the Universe" by Eon, Mar-Vell gained "cosmic awareness", which allowed him to detect direct threats and perceive changes in the universe. This awareness was also used internally, and alerted Mar-Vell to his terminal cancer.

Reception

Critical reception

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

'' referred to Mar-Vell as one of the "greatest Avengers of all time," writing, "Mar-Vell seemed destined to live out his life as a respected hero and family man, but even the greatest of heroes can meet an unfortunate end. Mar-Vell contracted terminal cancer in a battle with the villain Nitro. He ultimately perished surrounded by friends, family, and comrades. Surprisingly in a universe where resurrections happen every other hour, Mar-Vell has yet to return to life. It remains to be seen whether that will stay true, but in life or death, Captain Marvel remains one of the most influential heroes in the Marvel Universe." David Harth of ''

CBR.com ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

'' described Mar-Vell as one of the "best cosmic heroes in Marvel comics," saying, "The Marvel universe always had a robust cosmic side, but Mar-Vell was the one who truly expanded Marvel's stories out into the stars. The first Captain Marvel started as a Kree soldier but became Earth's foremost cosmic defender, battling threats from outer space and beyond, vying with Thanos, and helping the Avengers when they needed it. Mar-Vell made Captain Marvel a legend. Whether he was fighting on Earth or in space, everyone respected him. His death brought heroes and villains alike out of the woodwork to mourn the cosmic champion in an unprecedented display of respect."

Accolades

* In 2012, ''

'' ranked Mar-Vell 24th in their "Top 50 Greatest Avengers of all time" list. * In 2015, ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'' ranked Mar-Vell 33rd in their "Let's rank every Avenger ever" list. * In 2017, ''

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ...

'' ranked Mar-Vell 3rd in their "Guardians of the Galaxy 3: 50 Marvel Characters We Want to See" list. * In 2019, ''

'' ranked Mar-Vell 3rd in their "Every Version Of Captain Marvel" list and 3rd in their "All The Captain Marvels, Ranked" list. * In 2020, ''

'' ranked Mar-Vell 2nd in their "The Kree: The 10 Most Powerful Members Of The Race" list and Mar-Vell's death 10th in their "Marvel: 10 Moments That Changed The Comic Universe's History Forever" list. * In 2021, '' Screen Rant'' ranked Mar-Vell's death 3rd in their "10 Most Shocking Deaths In Marvel Comics" list. * In 2022, ''

'' ranked Mar-Vell 4th in their "Marvel's 10 Most Powerful Healers" list and 10th in their "10 Best Cosmic Heroes in Marvel Comics" list.

Literary reception

Volumes

''The Death of Captain Marvel'' - 1982

Mark Peters of ''

Salon.com ''Salon'' is an American politically progressive/ liberal news and opinion website created in 1995. It publishes articles on U.S. politics, culture, and current events. Content and coverage ''Salon'' covers a variety of topics, including re ...

'' asserted, "This is one of comics legend Jim Starlin’s greatest works, showing that a writer/artist known for his cosmic stories is just as good at telling the most human story of all. Throughout the comic, Marvel’s greatest heroes search for a cure unsuccessfully, as close friends of Mar-Vell such as Rick Jones deal with the grief and try to help their friend cope." Christos Tsirbas of ''

'' stated, "''The Death of Captain Marvel'' is still shocking, even 35 years after its initial publication because it shows the frailty and finality of the human condition without providing the comfort of a reset switch. The final fight is a dream and a metaphor. The promise of a new beginning is the last wish of a dying man. Mar-Vell’s heart stops and he is gone. It is a sobering end. This is why the greatest way to honor his legacy is to let Captain Marvel rest in peace. The gut-wrenching perfection of Starlin’s elegy to the hero will lose its impact if he is brought back to life. Mar-Vell’s greatest story—indeed one of the greatest stories in the superhero genre—will be rendered meaningless by his resurrection. Perhaps it is best to leave his mantle to those who have carried it since: Monica Rambeau, his own son Genis-Vell, and currently, Carol Danvers. After all, the moral of his story is that death is the end of all, but we can all leave a lasting legacy." Marc Buxton of ''

'' wrote, "His final story is unforgettable, chilling, and poignant. The death story was so powerful that it would be impossible for Marvel Comics to undo it. It would somehow cheapen the moment and minimize the suffering of real warriors who battled cancer. So because of Starlin’s final Mar-Vell tale, the good Captain was no more. Yes, there would be some journeys to the afterlife where heroes would meet Mar-Vell again and there was even a teased return during the Secret Invasion event of the mid-2000s, but that turned out to be a Skrull in disguise. Mar-Vell is still dead. But his legacy would live on stronger than ever. After the tragic death, the hero Monica Rambeau took up the Captain Marvel name. Captain Mar-Vell’s son Genis would take up his father’s mantle as well. While Rambeau and Genis are fantastic characters in their own right (Rambeau would become Photon and Genis Legacy), it was not until Carol Danvers took up the legacy of her friend Mar-Vell that Marvel Comics found lasting success with the Captain Marvel name. But as we enter the next phase of the Captain Marvel story, let us never forget the life and death of Marvel’s first hero that took the name that has inspired so many." Matt D. Wilson of ''

ComicsAlliance ComicsAlliance was an American website dedicated to covering the comic book industry as well as comic-related media, and is owned by Townsquare Media. The site has been nominated for multiple awards including a 2015 Eisner Award win in the catego ...

'' asserted, "Despite some overbearing religious imagery, ''The Death of Captain Marvel'' took a sensitive, poignant approach to Mar-Vell's battle with cancer, as well as his relationships with other heroes. There's a reason why it's a story that's stood the test of time, and it's a key reason lots of readers know of Mar-Vell at all."

Other versions

* The

Ultimate Marvel Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Those characters ...

miniseries ''

Ultimate Secret The ''Ultimate Galactus Trilogy'' is a collection of three comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics. All three series are set in the Ultimate Marvel universe and are written by Warren Ellis. The series showcase the arrival of the planet ...

'' features a version of the character called Mahr Vehl, who aids Earth's heroes against

Gah Lak Tus Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, Galactus is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of t ...

. * In the ''

Earth X ''Earth X'' is a 1999 comic book limited series published by American company Marvel Comics. ''Earth X'' was written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon. Based on Alex Ross' notes, the series features a dystopian version of the Marvel Uni ...

'' miniseries, Mar-Vell is reincarnated as the child of synthetic beings Him and

Her Her is the objective and possessive form of the English-language feminine pronoun She (pronoun), she. Her, HER or H.E.R. may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Music * H.E.R. (born 1997), American singer **H.E.R. (album), ''H.E.R.'' ...

. * In ''

The Thanos Imperative ''The Thanos Imperative'' is a six-issue comic book limited series published in 2010 by Marvel Comics. It was written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, and was bookended by two one-shot comics, ''Ignition'' and ''Devastation''. The story focuses on ...

'', the main antagonist is Lord Mar-Vell, an evil being from the "Cancerverse", a monstrous universe in which nothing can die. As such, all life has become cancerous undying beings, desperate to find a new universe to infect. He is the leader of the

Revengers The Revengers is the name of different fictional teams appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history The Revengers is a fictional team of supervillains who were formed to fight A-Next in the MC2 series '' A- ...

, who worship the entities known as the

Many-Angled Ones Lloigor is the name of a fictional deity and a fictional race in the Cthulhu Mythos. The entity first appeared in August Derleth and Mark Schorer's short story "The Lair of the Star Spawn" (1932 in literature, 1932), and has been used in subsequent ...

. * In '

Ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

'', reporter Phil Sheldon interviews a bitter Mar-Vell, who now hates humanity as they destroyed almost all the Kree in his expedition.

In other media

Television

* Captain Marvel appears in ''

The Super Hero Squad Show ''The Super Hero Squad Show'' is an American superhero animated series produced by Marvel Animation. It is based on the Marvel Super Hero Squad action figure line from Hasbro, which portray the Avengers, the X-Men, and various other characters ...

'', voiced by

Ty Burrell Tyler Gerald Burrell (born August 22, 1967) is an American actor and comedian. Burrell is best known for his role as Phil Dunphy on the ABC sitcom ''Modern Family'', for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor i ...

. This version is

's boyfriend. * Mar-Vell appears in '' The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'', voiced by Roger Craig Smith. This version is a xenobiologist who came to Earth to investigate a genetic anomaly, but became intrigued by humanity. Disguised as a human named Philip Lawson, he fell in love with Carol Danvers. When a Kree

Sentry Sentry or The Sentry may refer to: Comics *Sentry (Kree) *Sentry (Curtis Elkins) * Sentry (Robert Reynolds) *Senator Ward (comics) or Sentry Vehicles *Sentry (AUV), an autonomous underwater vehicle used to measure deep-ocean data *E-3 Sentry AWAC ...

comes to evaluate Earth's threat to the Kree however, Mar-Vell sacrifices his false identity to save Carol, the

Wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. ...

, and

Ant-Man Ant-Man is the name of several superheroes appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, Ant-Man's first appearance was in ''Tales to Astonish'' #27 (January 1962) but first appeared in cost ...

. In doing so, he accidentally imprints some of his Kree abilities to Carol. After he and the Avengers neutralize the

, Mar-Vell becomes the new leader of the Kree.

Film

A re-imagined version of Mar-Vell appears in the

film '' Captain Marvel'' (2019), portrayed by

. A

scientist who rejected her species' war with the Skrulls, this version fled to Earth in the 1980s, adopted the alias of Dr. Wendy Lawson, and became a physicist at Project Pegasus. Using the

Tesseract In geometry, a tesseract is the four-dimensional analogue of the cube; the tesseract is to the cube as the cube is to the square. Just as the surface of the cube consists of six square faces, the hypersurface of the tesseract consists of e ...

, she sought to develop an experimental engine that would have allowed the Skrulls to settle beyond the reach of the Kree Empire. While she was killed by

, she was able to instruct

to destroy the engine before he could seize it.

Video games

* Mar-Vell / Captain Marvel appears as a playable character in ''

Marvel Super Hero Squad Online ''Marvel Super Hero Squad Online'' was a massively multiplayer online game for younger audiences based on the ''Marvel Super Hero Squad'', developed by American video game companies The Amazing Society and Gazillion Entertainment. The open beta ...

''. * Mar-Vell / Captain Marvel appears as an alternate costume for

in the PSP version of '' Marvel: Ultimate Alliance'', voiced by

Roger Rose Roger Rose (born August 15, 1958) is an American actor and former VH1 VJ, known for such films as ''Ski Patrol'' and for voice work in animated films and television series such as ''Happy Feet'', ''Rugrats'', ''Scooby-Doo'', '' The Grim Adventure ...

. * Mar-Vell appeared as an enhanced costume for Carol Danvers / Ms. Marvel in '' Marvel Heroes'', voiced by

Josh Keaton Joshua Luis Wiener (born February 8, 1979), known by his stage name Josh Keaton, is an American voice actor. He is known for his roles as Takashi 'Shiro' Shirogane in '' Voltron: Legendary Defender'', Spider-Man in various media in addition to ...

Collected editions

* '' Marvel Masterworks Captain Marvel'': ** Volume 1 collects ''Marvel Super-Heroes'' #12–13, ''Captain Marvel'' #1–9, and ''

Not Brand Echh ''Not Brand Echh'' is a satiric comic book series published by Marvel Comics that parodied its own superhero stories as well as those of other comics publishers. Running for 13 issues (cover-dated Aug. 1967 to May 1969), it included among its co ...

'' #9, 230 pages, September 2005, ** Volume 2 collects ''Captain Marvel'' #10–21, 272 pages, August 2007, ** Volume 3 collects ''Captain Marvel'' #22–33 and '' Iron Man'' #55, 288 pages, April 2008, ** Volume 4 collects ''Captain Marvel'' #34–46, 248 pages, January 2012, ** Volume 5 collects ''Captain Marvel'' #47-57, ''Avengers Annual'' #7, ''Marvel Two-In-One Annual'' #2, 288 pages, July 2014, ** Volume 6 collects ''Captain Marvel'' #58-62, ''

'' #1-4, 8, ''Marvel Super-Heroes'' #3, ''

Marvel Graphic Novel ''Marvel Graphic Novel'' (''MGN'') is a line of graphic novel trade paperbacks published from 1982 to 1993 by Marvel Comics. The books were published in an oversized format, 8.5" x 11", similar to French albums. In response, DC Comics establi ...

'' #1, and material from ''Logan's Run'' #6, 296 pages, May 2016, * '' Essential Captain Marvel'': ** Volume 1 collects ''Marvel Super-Heroes'' #12–13, ''Captain Marvel'' #1–21, and ''Not Brand Echh'' #9, 512 pages, July 2008, ** Volume 2 collects ''Captain Marvel'' #22–46, ''Iron Man'' #55, ''

Marvel Feature ''Marvel Feature'' was a comic book showcase series published by Marvel Comics in the 1970s. It was a tryout book, intended to test the popularity of characters and concepts being considered for their own series. The first volume led to the launc ...

'' #12, 520 pages, December 2010, * ''The Life of Captain Marvel'' collects ''Iron Man'' #55, ''Captain Marvel'' #25–34, and ''Marvel Feature'' #12, 256 pages, October 1991, * ''The Life and Death of Captain Marvel'' collects ''Iron Man'' #55, ''Captain Marvel'' #25–34, ''Marvel Feature'' #12, and ''Marvel Graphic Novel'' #1, 304 pages, June 2002, * ''The Death of Captain Marvel'' collects ''Captain Marvel'' #34, ''Marvel Spotlight'' #1–2 and ''Marvel Graphic Novel'' #1, 128 pages, June 2010, * ''Avengers vs. Thanos'' collects ''Iron-Man'' #55, ''Captain Marvel'' #25-33, ''Marvel Feature'' #12, ''Daredevil'' #105-107, ''Avengers'' #125, ''Warlock'' #9-11, 15, ''Avengers Annual'' #7, ''Marvel Two-In-One Annual'' #2, and material from ''Logan's Run'' #6, 472 pages, March 2013, * ''Captain Marvel by Jim Starlin: The Complete Collection'' collects ''Iron-Man'' #55, ''Captain Marvel'' #25-34, ''Marvel Feature'' #12, ''Marvel Graphic Novel'' #1 and material from ''Daredevil'' #105 and ''Life of Captain Marvel'' #1-5, 352 page, December 2016,

References

External links

Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell)
at the Marvel Universe
Captain Marvel Culture
a history of the many Captain Marvels
Captain Marvel Appearances in Publication Order

at the Marvel Directory *

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
''Captain Marvel''
at the

Big Comic Book Database The Big Cartoon DataBase (or BCDB for short) is an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows, and cartoon shorts. The BCDB project began in 1997 as a list of Disney animated feat ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mar-Vell Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics) Characters created by Gene Colan Characters created by Stan Lee Comics by Steve Englehart Comics characters introduced in 1967 Fictional characters who can manipulate light Fictional characters with absorption or parasitic abilities Fictional characters with cancer Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities Fictional characters with nuclear or radiation abilities Fictional characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Fictional military captains Kree Marvel Comics aliens Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Marvel Comics characters with accelerated healing Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics extraterrestrial superheroes Marvel Comics male superheroes Superhero film characters