Was Captain Marvel Always a Woman?

For as long as any casual Marvel movie fan has been aware, Captain Marvel has always been a woman, brought to life by actress Brie Larson. But it turns out that the original Captain Marvel, who debuted in Marvel Super Heroes #12 in December 1967, was an alien military officer named Mar-Vell.

Comic book fans know Mar-Vell was a Kree soldier who was sent to observe Earth, but eventually went against his orders and fought for the people of Earth instead of against them. The officer used his strength, durability and uni-beam to defend the Earth against any of those looking to do evil upon it.

Mar-Vell’s character was revamped a few times over the years, ultimately becoming the “Protector of the Universe.” The character landed on this persona courtesy of creator Jim Starlin, who also created Thanos and Gamora.

Starlin had Mar-Vell fight as a cosmic being, giving him the ability to feel drastic changes within the universe. Ultimately, Starlin pitted Mar-Vell against Thanos a number of times before dying of cancer.

The Captain Marvel we have come to know comes from a separate character named Carol Danvers, who debuted in 1968's Marvel Super Heroes #13. Danvers initially worked as a United States Air Force officer, but became a superhuman when she was exposed to massive amounts of energy during an explosion. The explosion melded her genes with Mar-Vell’s own, and made her a human-Kree hybrid.

With her new identity, Carol Danvers became Ms. Marvel, a feminist superhero who fought to save the world while also fighting for equal pay.

In July 2012, Danvers became Captain Marvel, was made an Avenger, and was put in charge of S.W.O.R.D., an agency that protects Earth from alien enemies.

Fans can see Brie Larson in the first ever Captain Marvel movie when it hits theaters on March 8, 2019.