Ms. Marvel is the name of several fictional

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

es appearing in

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book 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 Comics'' in ...

. The character was originally conceived as a female counterpart to Captain Marvel. Like Captain Marvel, most of the bearers of the Ms. Marvel title gain their powers through Kree technology or genetics. Marvel has published four ongoing comic series titled ''Ms. Marvel'', with the first two starring Carol Danvers and the third and fourth starring Kamala Khan. The Carol Danvers version was the highest-ranked female character on '' IGN''s ''Top Avengers'' list, coming in at #11.

Carol Danvers

Carol Danvers, the first character to use the moniker Ms. Marvel, first appeared in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #13 (March 1968) by writer

Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly ...

and artist Gene Colan as a non-superpowered officer in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

. After being caught in an explosion with the Kree superhero Captain Marvel in ''Captain Marvel'' #18 (November 1969), Danvers resurfaces in ''Ms. Marvel'' #1 (January 1977) with super powers resulting from the explosion, which caused her DNA to merge with Captain Marvel's. As Ms. Marvel, Danvers becomes a mainstay of the superhero team The Avengers, beginning in '' The Avengers'' #171 (May 1978). Danvers goes on to use the codenames Binary and Warbird. In July 2012, Danvers assumes the mantle Captain Marvel in honor of its deceased, original bearer, Mar-Vell, after

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

tells her that Mar-Vell would want her to have it.

Sharon Ventura

Sharon Ventura, the second character to use the pseudonym Ms. Marvel, first appeared in '' The Thing'' #27 (September 1985), by Mike Carlin and Ron Wilson, as a

stunt performer A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

with the

Thunderiders Thunderiders is a fictional superhero/motorcycle team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters were originally known as Team America, a property and toy line Marvel licensed from Ideal Toy Company. Team Ameri ...

, where she met The Thing. In ''The Thing'' #35 (May 1986), Ventura volunteered for Power Broker's experiment to receive superpowers in order to join the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation with The Thing, taking the name Ms. Marvel. Ventura later joins the

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 (cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first s ...

herself in ''

'' #307 (October 1987) and, after being hit by cosmic rays in ''Fantastic Four'' #310 (January 1988), Ventura's body mutates into a similar appearance to that of The Thing and receives the nickname She-Thing.

Karla Sofen

Dr. Karla Sofen, the supervillain known as Moonstone, first appeared as the gun moll of Doctor Faustus, in ''

'' #192 (December 1975) by Marv Wolfman and

Frank Robbins Franklin Robbins (September 9, 1917 – November 28, 1994) was an American comic book and comic strip artist and writer, as well as a prominent painter whose work appeared in museums including the Whitney Museum of American Art, where one of his p ...

. In '' The Incredible Hulk'' vol. 2 #228 (October 1978), Sofen becomes the psychiatrist of the villain Moonstone, also known as Lloyd Bloch. Sofen tricks Bloch into giving her the meteorite that empowers him, and she adopts both the name and abilities of Moonstone. During the " Dark Reign" storyline, Sofen joins Norman Osborn's group of Avengers, known as the Dark Avengers, as the doppelganger of the previous Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers, receiving a costume similar to Danvers' original (Danvers wore the Warbird costume at the time). Sofen becomes the title character of the ''Ms. Marvel'' series beginning in issue #38 (June 2009) until Danvers takes the title back in issue #47 (January 2010).

Kamala Khan

Kamala Khan, created by Sana Amanat, G. Willow Wilson, and Adrian Alphona, is the fourth character to take the name Ms. Marvel. Khan first appeared in ''Captain Marvel'' #14 (August 2013) and is a 16-year-old

Pakistani-American Pakistani Americans ( ur, ) are Americans who originate from Pakistan. The term may also refer to people who also hold a dual Pakistani and U.S. citizenship. Educational attainment level and household income are much higher in the Pakistani-Am ...

from

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

character to headline her own comic book. The first collected volume of this series, ''Ms. Marvel Volume 1: No Normal'', won the 2015

Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier ...

for Best Graphic Story. '' Ms. Marvel'', a live-action television series centered on the Kamala Khan version of the character, debuted on

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

on June 8, 2022, as part of 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 ...

. Khan is played by Iman Vellani. Vellani will reprise her role in the live-action film '' The Marvels'' (2023).

References

{{X-Men characters Comics about women Feminist comics Characters created by John Buscema Characters created by Gerry Conway Set index articles on comics Comics characters introduced in 1977 Marvel Comics female superheroes Articles about multiple fictional characters