Captain Marvel

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Powers and Abilities

Mar-Vell has four different, distinct sets of abilities that must be taken into account, as some may be absorbed/neutralized/etc. while some may not.

First, there are the natural attributes of the Kree race. These include resistance to toxins and disease (in DC Heroes terms, Systemic Antidote), and a higher natural strength and durability than a human.

Second there is the Cosmic Awareness granted him by Eon. I am unaware of any instance of direct evidence where his awareness could be demonstrated as anything other than, in DC Heroes terms, Danger Sense, Detect Weakness, and Awareness. Since the scope of his power is supposedly vast, Mar-Vell has in our game stats Acuity to cover any other possible manifestations.

Third are the Photonic powers granted him by Doctor Benjamin Savannah’s radiation treatments(everything else listed under Powers in the game stats).

Fourth, there are the enhancements given him by wearing the Nega-bands: Enhanced strength drawing from his spiritual resolve, enhanced durability, FTL  flight, and protection from vacuum (Sealed Systems).

History

Mar-Vel’s History is too involved to be gone into a gisted profile, except in brief. I recommend anyone who wants the details to see The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe .

The Kree were a technologically-advanced empire which spanned many different star systems. They are ruled by an an incredibly advanced sentient collective intelligence known as the Supreme Intelligence. The S.I. is a repository of the sum of all Kree advancement and knowledge, and is almost worshipped as a living god by the rigid and militaristic Kree society.

The Kree had forgotten about a small outpost, manned by the solitary Sentry #459. This outpost was discovered by the Fantastic Four, and the defeat of not only the Sentry but also Ronan the Accuser (a high Kree official) marked this little backwater planet as something to be watched.

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An espionage unit commanded by Colonel Yon-Rogg and consisting of Captain Mar-Vell and Medic Una (who is a member of a Kree pacifism cult) is sent to Earth to observe and collect data prior to an invasion. Mar-Vell and Una are lovers, and Mar-Vell is hated by his commanding officer out of both professional and romantic jealousy.

Mar-Vell assumes the identity of Dr. Walter Lawson, one of the chief scientists at the Cape Canaveral missle complex. He is watched by the head of security, Carol Danvers, as he tries to balance his duty to the Kree and his aversion to letting innocents die. Mar-Vell is coming to really like his adopted planet.

Mar-Vell fights such villains as the Super-Skrull, Quasimodo, a killer robot Cyberex built by the original Walter Lawson, the Aakon (alien enemies of the Kree), and the Man-Slayer. Medic Una is killed by a stupid plot of Yon-Rogg’s, and Mar-Vell vows to have vengeance.

Mar-Vell is granted powers by a cosmic entity named Zo. But it soon becomes clear that Zo is an illusion, masking a conspiracy by Ronan the Accuser and Zarek the Imperial Minister against the Supreme Intelligence. They wish to overthrow the Supreme Intelligence and establish a regime in which the racially pure Blue Kree can purge the Empire of the ’corrupted‘ non-blue Kree.

Mar-Vell defeats their efforts, and the Supreme Intelligence rewards Mar-Vell by making those powers permanent and giving him a new costume. However, he is trapped in the Negative Zone by Yon-Rogg.

Enter Rick Jones, who has left his partnership with Captain America. Led by illusions, he discovers a forgotten alien base, wherein he finds a pair of Nega-Bands. Donning these, he discovers that by slamming them together he and Mar-Vell may switch places. Mar-Vell and Rick fight Yon-Rogg, who dies shortly thereafter.

Rick and Mar-Vell travel around Earth, and become involved in the Kree-Skrull War, as they wait for the greatest battle of Mar-Vell’s career – the fight against Thanos.

The Thanos War consumes Mar-Vell and Rick’s existence as they battle Thanos’ minions. Their enemies various renegade aliens, the Super-Skrull, the Collector, and myriad others. Mar-Vell is joined in this fight by Mentor (Thanos’ father) and Eros (Thanos’ brother), Moondragon, Drax the Destroyer, and the Avengers.

Mar-Vell is made ’cosmically aware‘ by the entity Eon, and declared by Eon the Protector of The Universe. Ultimately Mar-Vell and his allies defeat Thanos and his minions. Mar-Vell returns to earth, where he faces Nitro, and is exposed to carcinogens which will ultimately kill him.

Next, Mar-Vell begins to encounter the agents of the Lunatic Legion, who send andriods to defeat him. Mar-Vell traces the Lunatic Legion to the Blue City on the moon. The Lunatic Legion is a conspiracy of blue Kree high-ranking military officers such as Admiral Sro-Himm, Zarek, and Fer-Porr.

They have obtained assistance from the Watcher, who undergoes a trial for his interference in the affairs of others and is adjudged guilty. Mar-Vell travels to the Kree homeworld where he finally defeats Ronan the Accuser and the Lunatic Legion.

On his way back he encounters the Stranger and is attacked by Drax the Destroyer (a recurring theme in Mar-Vell’s existence, it seems…). He helps the underground of Deneb IV against the Null-Trons, killer Kree robots.

He is later captured by the Supreme Intelligence, who is trying to absorb Rick Jones to gain those supra-abilities with which Rick defeated the entire Kree Empire during the Kree-Skrull War.

Mar-Vell and Rick returned to Earth, just in time to defeat the Kree Sentry #459 and his partner, the Cheetah. When he collapses at the end of the battle (well, OK… after he escapes from incarceration in a sheriff’s office), he is captured by Mac-Ron, and does battle with Ronan the Accuser. Ronan succumbs to a viral disease which reduces him to a childlike condition, and he and Mac-Ron are stranded on Earth.

Mar-Vell then helps the Avengers defeat the Super-Adaptoid, and in the process separates himself from Rick Jones. Rick goes off to pursue his own life (for a change).

While Mar-Vell foils the invasion plans of Mercurio the 4-D Man, Rick is captured by Dr. Minerva, who desires to mate with Mar-Vell so that Kree genetics can transcend that dead-end they’ve been in for the last millennium or so.

When Mar-Vell returns he is confronted by Minerva, but before she can consumate her plans (heh), the head of the Kree Science Council, Phae-Dor, takes control of her vessel and uses an energy-manifestation to try and capture Mar-Vell for use by the Kree in the War Of Three Galaxies. Mar-Vell and the Inhumans deal with the War, and Mar-Vell returns to Earth once again.

After a short period where he fights Nitro and Deathgrip, he is attacked by Drax the Destroyer, who is enraged that he has no purpose. Drax blames Mar-Vell for the death of Thanos, and attempts to destroy Mar-Vell in revenge.

Mar-Vell brings together a temporary truce when they discover that Thanos has programmed ISAAC, the master computer system of Titan, to continue his plans in the event of his death. Mar-Vell and Drax proceed to Titan.

Most of the Titans have been captured by ISAAC, and Mar-Vell frees Mentor and Eros, and battles Lord Gaea, Dionysus, Elysius (who changes her mind about working with ISAAC when she falls in love with Mar-Vell), Stellarax, and Chaos.

After the defeat of ISAAC and his minions, Mar-Vell and Elysius tour Earth together, in what Mar-Vell refers to as “it was a honeymoon of sorts”. They retire to Titan for a time, until Mar-Vell discovers that he has a problem. Titans call it “The Inner Decay”. The Kree call it “The black-end”. Terrans call it “cancer”.

When Mar-Vell defeated Nitro and sealed the leaking cannister of a deadly bio-agent, he contracted cancer. Unknown to him, his nega-bands kept the cancer in remission until the cancer mutated beyond its ability to affect, and by the time it was detectable by Mar-Vell it had mutated past a cure.

Mar-Vell was awarded the Royal Skrull Medal of Valor before his death by General Zedrao in recognition of his bravery, as a token of respect to their enemy. The Kree rejected Mar-Vell even in death. Mar-Vell was posthumously made an Avenger.

Yes, this *was* the brief version.

Description

Mar-Vell is a powerfully built man in his mid-30s with blond hair, somewhat long and falling roguishly across one eye. He has blue eyes and ruggedly handsome looks.

His fighting costume is a simple red leotard with dark blue boots and gloves, low-cut trunks, and chest/shoulders/back area an eight-rayed yellow star sits on his chest. His face is half-masked. He wears the Nega-bands (gold circlets) on his wrists.

Personality

Captain Mar-Vell is a man without long-range goals in life. He is a stellar wanderer who does not make friends easily and rarely stays in one place for long. He is, however, fiercly supportive of anyone whom he feels needs his help.

He starts as a Kree warrior, whose whole dedication is to conflict, to choosing a side and then fighting like hell for victory, allowing nothing to get in your way. His experiences with Thanos and Eon re-cast him as the champion of the living universe. He will still fight, but only to oppose, not to conquer.

Mar-Vell *never* kills, as he has become sickened with the casual attitude towards taking lives created in his race by the centuries-long wars with the Skrull Empire. He will use just the amount of force necessary to overcome those who insist on using force as a weapon, and no more – to do otherwise is to become his enemy

And then he died.

Mar-Vell died in bed, surrounded by his loved ones. His spirit resisted Death until the end, and he faced it unflinchingly, without illusion as to what lay beyond. He died with grace and dignity, and unlike so many others in comics, had the decency or good taste to stay that way.

DC Universe History

Substitute Durlans for Skrulls, Darkseid for Thanos, and make the Titanian Eternals an offshoot of the New Gods (since both are Kirby creations), and leave everything else as is. Subtract any Marvel heroes you don’t want in your campaign. The Kree are just another militaristic, conquest-bent humanoid race from another galaxy, so they can be left in.

Mar-vell would have been the greatest Green Lantern ever, probably even greater a legend than Hal Jordan. As a warrior without peer, and a cosmic hero in his own right, he was about to be offered a position in the GLC to patrol the Kree Empire, when he unexpectedly contracted cancer and died. He was awarded a Green Lantern ring posthumously, which was buried with him.

By Pufnstuff

Helper(s): Dr. Peter S. Piispanen, Jackson, Roy Cowan, Gareth Lewis, Sébastien Andrivet, Richard Lyon, Chris Cottingham, Ethan Roe. DC Adventures stats by Mister O (helper – Pawsplay).

Source of Character: Marvel Graphic Novel #1 (The Death of Captain Marvel), OHOTMU Deluxe and Masters Editions, thumbnail history by Marvelite.