Who is Captain Marvel? Everyone who used the identity in Marvel Comics explained

Captain Marvel began life as a Kree spy who became a superhero, but the legacy of the identity is a long and winding road through several unusual Marvel characters. 

The Marvels brings Carol Danvers back to the big screen as Captain Marvel, but it also slyly features a crossover of sorts. Monica Rambeau has also been Captain Marvel in the comics, pairing the two up for more Captain Marvels than you can shake a stick at. 

It’s not really the first time this has happened, though. The first film featured Annette Benning as Wendy Lawson, the film’s gender-swapped take on Walt Lawson, a Kree spy who would become the first Captain Marvel. It all ties back to the comics’ almost flippant handling of the Captain Marvel identity for decades. 

Captain Marvel is a legacy title with a bizarre and convoluted history. In fact, for a large chunk of its existence, the person called Captain Marvel had no ties to the original or anyone related to him. It’s a proper legacy title these days, but once, Captain Marvel just existed to keep the name in circulation. 

Every Captain Marvel character in Marvel Comics

From Walter Lawson to Carol Danvers, here’s everyone who has been Captain Marvel in Marvel Comics. 

Mar-Vell

Ironically enough, the original Captain Marvel was a Kree soldier named Mar-Vell. He’s sent to Earth as a spy after the Kree’s first encounter with the Fantastic Four. 

Mar-Vell took on the alias Walter Lawson, an identity he stole from a deceased scientist, and began working on a military base alongside Carol Danvers. Over time, Mar-Vell softens his views toward humanity and leans more into his heroic Captain Marvel personality. 

Mar-Vell is perhaps best remembered today for his admittedly understated death. After years of adventuring, Mar-Vell develops terminal cancer after exposure to a nerve agent. Surrounded by heroes of the Marvel Universe, he dies quietly in his bed in the Marvel Graphic Novel story The Death of Captain Marvel. While his return has been teased occasionally, he has typically remained dead aside from a few cameos. 

Monica Rambeau

After being exposed to extra-dimensional energy, Monica Rambeau discovers the ability to manipulate and control energy. After a mix-up with the media, Monica is bestowed the name Captain Marvel. 

Monica never had much of a solo career, but she spent much of the ‘70s and ‘80s as an Avenger, even leading the team for a stretch of time. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be a permanent affair, as her powers would come and go. 

Monica’s since had her powers evolve, and with that came growth in personality and an evolution of her identities. She abandoned the Captain Marvel identity and went by many other names, including Pulsar, Spectrum, and Daystar, though most commonly, she’s known as Photon. 

Genis-Vell

Genis-Vell is the post-humously born son of the original Mar-Vell. He would make his debut in the ‘90s, taking on the identity Legacy in homage to the father he never knew. 

For much of the ‘90s, Genis-Vell is something of a C-Tier character. His exploits are mainly tied to Marvel’s cosmic characters, like Silver Surfer and Thanos. That changes when Avengers Forever rocks the universe, with a future version of Genis-Vell using his father’s Nega Bands to save Rick Jones.

The process bonded the present-day Genis-Vell to Rick in much the same way Rick was bound to Genis-Vell’s father. Genis-Vell finally adopts the Captain Marvel identity, following in the footsteps of a future version of himself. He’d operate as Captain Marvel for years, but after a bout of madness brought on by his Cosmic Awareness, he rechristened himself as Photon. 

Phyla-Vell

Phyla-Vell winds up having one of the more confusing places in the long lineage of Captain Marvel. In all honesty, her later roles largely overshadow her time as Captain Marvel.

Much like Genis-Vell, Phyla-Vell is a posthumous child of Mar-Vell and his lover, Elysius. However, her existence is the result of changes made when Genis-Vell, driven mad by his Cosmic Awareness, destroyed and recreated the universe.

Though a fight between Phyla-Vell and Genis-Vell restores his sanity, Phyla-Vell’s attempt to lay claim to the Captain Marvel identity is short-lived. She later finds herself alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy following the Annihilation event and wearing the quantum bands, becoming the new Quasar, a legacy she followed until the cosmic entity of death, Oblivion, enlisted her as his avatar, Martyr.

Khn’nr

The Marvel Universe was turned upside down by Civil War. Friend fought against friend over the Superhuman Registration Act, and when the dust settled, no one was sure what was next. That was when Captain Marvel reappeared. 

Captain Marvel was found in the Negative Zone, where he became the warden of Reed Richard’s superhuman prison, Prison 42. But when they called him in to help in the final days of the Civil War skirmishes, Mar-Vell finds himself hunted by various Skrull agents. 

It’s revealed that this Captain Marvel is actually Khn’nr, a Skrull spy who had been shapeshifted into Mar-Vell’s form but fell through time into the future. The process erases his Skrull programming, leaving the Mar-Vell personality dominant. Khn’nr would die from wounds inflicted by the Super-Skrull, inspiring the displaced Kree warrior Noh-Varr to continue his war against the Skrulls. 

Noh-Varr

Noh-Varr is a bizarre character, even by Marvel standards. Debuting in 2000’s Marvel Boy #1, he’s a Kree warrior from an alternate universe whose DNA has been spliced with a cockroach. He serves on a ship called the Marvel, which is shot down and lands in the 616 universe. 

Originally adopting the moniker Marvel Boy, Noh-Varr starts his life with a vicious grudge against humanity. The interference of the Illuminati inspires him to reconsider his stance, but he instead becomes the Captain Marvel of Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers. 

Noh-Varr pretty much immediately abandoned the Captain Marvel name once the Dark Avengers were squashed after Siege. He’s since taken on the name Protector and redeemed himself in the eyes of most, last being seen as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. 

Carol Danvers

Carol Danvers was a military officer working on the same base as Walter Lawson, the civilian identity of the Kree spy Mar-Vell. During one of Mar-Vell’s adventures, Carol is affected by an exploding Kree device, granting her powers. 

Though she adopts the identity of Ms. Marvel, Carol spends much of her career in the shadow of Mar-Vell. She finds herself at odds with her legacy and her qualifications as a hero and regularly changes her identity to reflect that. 

However, Carol is reinvigorated by seeing a prime version of herself in the House of M timeline. She doubles down her efforts for years until a briefly revived Mar-Vell dies saving the universe again. Inspired by his sacrifice, she takes on the Captain Marvel name to continue his legacy. 

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