Ever since her introduction in the 1960s Ms. Marvel, aka Carol Danvers, has been one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel universe, but it wasn’t until she took on the mantle of former male character Captain Marvel in 2012 that her popularity equalled her power. With a costume redesign by Jamie McKelvie and new stories by Kelly Sue DeConnick she became a huge hit, especially with new readers. Her legion of fans calling themselves the Carol Corps launched her into being one of Marvel’s most popular heroes, and inspired the title of her new series; Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps.
After Secret Wars ends Captain Marvel will be one of the many relaunched titles at Marvel, and as announced today will have an all new creative team as well. Marvel has announced that Agent Carter showrunners Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas will be taking over the series with artist Kris Anka.
“It’s been really fun playing in a world where you can do anything,” says Butters about the transition from TV writing to comics. “In comics, there is no budget.” This includes working with series artist Kris Anka on designs whose only limit is imagination—such as for the space station that will be Captain Marvel’s new headquarters. The new series begins eight months in narrative time after the end of Secret Wars, Marvel’s current line-wide event that will change the status quo for most of the Marvel Universe’s characters and teams.
“We are thrilled to have Michelle and Tara onboard for Captain Marvel’s next adventure,” says Marvel Director of Character & Content Development and Series Editor Sana Amanat. “They are powerhouse storytellers who will take Carol to even further heights as she explores what’s beyond Earth’s borders. Carol Corps, stay at the ready, it’s going to be one wild ride!”
And she’s getting a makeover for her new mission as Earth’s first line of defense against extraterrestrial threats. The new look isn’t that different, keeping everything that McKelvie designed, but with a slight haircut. This will probably be in line with her eventual movie look.
“This is really meant to be the next level for Captain Marvel,” says series editor Sana Amanat. “Carol is really meant to be a soldier and a commander, and also a diplomat. We’re really trying to build up this space complex and this space world. You’ll really feel like there’s an extension of the Avengers world into space, but not necessarily lost out in the Guardians of the Galaxy cosmos. It’s rooted in Earth but also an extension into the galaxy.”
Taking over from the now non-existent S.W.O.R.D. (Sentient World Observation and Response Department), her new role may be different, but you can expect the same Captain Marvel under Butters and Fazekas that fans have grown to love.
“We’re not so much changing anything as building on what already is there,” says Fazekas. “I love that she’s conflicted about things; she’s so different than Captain America or other superheroes. Does she even want this?”
