Have you seen Captain Marvel? If not, go. Run to your nearest cinema and watch it because it’s a really fun movie. I enjoyed it from start to finish and while I was already a Carol fan from the comics, I came out waiting to see more of her in the MCU. And well, given that, I skipped one fanart week poll to give her and those other women who have used her names in the Marvel Universe a much deserved homage.
Obviously, I had to start with Carol. While she hasn’t been Captain Marvel long (Compared to the time she was Ms. Marvel, or Binary, or Warbird and so on), she totally owns it now that she has found her footing. If we ignore Civil War II (And really, we should ignore it, just as we all ignore Tony’s little mistakes in Civil War I), she has really grown in her role as Earth Defender, both in the Avengers, back when she led Alpha Flight, and as her own person. And her MCU counterpart? I don’t want to give spoilers, but her last battle was the perfect mix of growth as a character and sheer joy at finally being able to let everything out.
Monica Rambeau was the first woman who used the name Captain Marvel. And she was amazing when she used it. Started her career as an avenger, at some points led the team, and while some may consider her B-list as she has changed names a lot and hasn’t had her own title for a long time, she is completely A-list, both in powers, story and personality. Right now, she’s Spectrum and she kicks ass in Avengers No Road Home, but also, her reaction and support to Carol when Carol retook the name Captain Marvel is something you have to read.
Before she was Captain Marvel, Carol was Ms. Marvel. And while for many people her career is defined by two very particular moments: her fight with Rogue when she lost her powers and memories (again. Carol tends to lose her memories a lot, and even started her Ms. Marvel career completely amnesiac), and the infamous Avengers #200 that is better left in the past. Both moments were meant to end her time as Ms.Marvel, and she came back from both, stronger and wiser.
Kamala Khan is the third person to use Ms. Marvel’s name (We don’t speak of the second Ms. Marvel), and while she did it by accident, originally, she now has the blessing of her heroine. I can’t tell you how amazing and important Kamala is both in her universe as Ms. Marvel protector of New Jersey, leader of the Champions and some-times fic writer, and in our universe as the first muslim heroine with her own title. If you are not reading Ms. Marvel now, you should. It’ a great title, with fun stories and cool art.
After the incident with Rogue, and some weird adventures with the X-men, Carol was transformed into Binary by the Brood. While that meant she was far more powerful than ever (and even now, people know she’s serious when she enters Binary-mode), in truth that meant we didn’t see her for a long time as cosmic-level powered characters tend not to stay on Earth for long and her chosen team at the time, the Star-jammers, didn’t have a constant title. Still, I loved her back then too, as not only she was almost Phoenix-level powers as she was connected to a star, she was also still human at heart.
The third woman to carry the Captain Marvel name, I must admit I don’t know much about this version of Phyla-vell. I knew a bit of the original, especially when she was Quasar, and later Martyr, but that Phyla-vell died long ago. This new one was introduced in the latest Infinity Wars event, and while I don’t know her that well, I have to admit I love how she look, and how she acts in the Guardians of the Galaxy, as the team hunts for Gamora.
I’m not going to say that Goose and Fury were the best thing of the movie, because they weren’t. However, they were the cherry of a delicious ice cream, the perfect topping to an amazing treat. I adored seeing the hardened, no no-sense spy melt over a cute purring kitten, and how Goose got to like him almost on sight. And from then on, every interaction between them. I really would love a series of shorts where we see that Fury kept Goose at his apartment, and kept her pampered and well fed. Because cat people rule.