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Ms. Marvel comics lightning bolt logo by yurtigo header black background

Ms. Marvel – a guide to Ms. Marvels

(Disambiguation page)


Context

There are many characters named “Ms. Marvel”, and I guess it can be confusing to people who aren’t experts.

So here’s an orientation (Wikipedia would say “disambiguation”) page for your convenience.

The version of the Ms. Marvel logo used here was done by Yurtigo  .

This article is under reconstruction, so some illustrations are missing ATM, that’s normal.

1976-2012 – Carol Danvers as Ms. Marvel

Carol debuted in 1967, but only became the original Ms. Marvel in 1976.

She had her own book for a while, then entered a long series of tribulations. These involved Ms. Danvers adopting new identities such as Binary or Warbird.

We have *extensive* coverage about that, wot goes :

0Our article about aging in the Marvel Universe.

Our exploration of Carol’s biography includes a lot of stuff about history and chronology in the Marvel Universe. So reading this article first is indispensable.

The Celestials of the Marvel Universe, to illustrate an article about super-heroes aging

1Carol Danvers before Ms. Marvel (1/3).

This intro establishes the timeline and some bit of historical context, so we have a solid base to work with.

Carol Danvers Ms. Captain Marvel Comics - piloting helmet featured portrait

2Carol Danvers before Ms. Marvel (2/3).

Carol during her youth as a hotshot USAF pilot – and a spy.

Ms. Marvel Carol Danvers comics earliest #2 - portrait featured

3Carol Danvers before Ms. Marvel (3/3).

Carol as NASA security chief. This corresponds to her era as Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell of the Kree) supporting cast character.

Carol Danvers (Marvel Comics) 1960s portrait featured

4Ms. Marvel during the 1970s (1/3).

Carol gains her powers, and works both as a feminist super-heroine and a magazine publisher.

Ms. Marvel comics (Carol Danvers) portrait featured 4 hands

5Ms. Marvel during the 1970s (2/3).

Continues the previous chapter, since two short chapters work better for smartphone readers than a somewhat-too-large one.

Ms. Marvel comics (Carol Danvers) 1970s blonde wavy bob portrait featured

6Ms. Marvel during the 1970s (3/3).

This wraps the 1970s with an appendix of sorts – since it’s mostly stats and scenarios for integrating Ms. Marvel with the DCU. Plus quotes.

Ms. Marvel comics (Carol Danvers) glasses portrait featured 5

7Ms. Marvel during the 1980s.

This is the era during which Ms. Marvel wore the black leotard and the lightning bolt symbol.

Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) (Marvel Comics) 1980s portrait featured

8Binary.

Chris Claremont then brings Carol back in Uncanny X-Men, where she becomes the quasi-cosmic Binary because Chris gotta Claremont.

Binary (Carol Danvers) (Ms. Marvel Comics) radio featured portrait

9Warbird part #1 (1998/2000).

Kurt Busiek then brings Carol back in Iron Man and Avengers, and she adopt a new identity as Binary.

Carol Danvers as Warbird (Marvel Comics) portrait featured

A few more profiles (three or so, maybe ?) remain to be done to cover 2000-2012.

2012+ – Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel

After two years without her own book, Carol makes her thunderous return under fan-favourite writer Kelly Sue DeConnick  and with a costume designed by fan-favourite artist Jamie McKelvie  .

These profiles will appear in our “Captain Marvel” disambiguation page, because there’s a whole lot of characters called Captain Marvel.

1986+ – Sharon Ventura

Sharon Ventura used the Ms. Marvel name during the 1980s and 1990s, though her career was more tragic than successful. She also went by “She-Thing” at points.

1Sharon Ventura part #1.

Sharon has a Thing character, opposing the Power Broker then joining the Fantastic Four.

Ms. Marvel Comics (Sharon Ventura) (Early) portrait featured

2Sharon Ventura part #2.

Ms. Marvel in Thing form, as a Fantastic Four member.

Ms. Marvel Comics (Sharon Ventura) Thing Fantastic 4 - portrait featured snap

3Sharon Ventura part #3.

Ms. Marvel during the 1990s, when Marvel basically throws her away.

Ms. Marvel comics - Sharon Ventura - Fantastic Four - 3 - portrait featured pensive

2009 – Karla Sofen

The villainous Karla Sofen is better known as Moonstone. But there was a span when, as a member of Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers, she stole the Ms. Marvel identity.

1Karla Sofen part #1.

Moonstone has an entire series of profiles on her own. Listing them here wouldn’t be that helpful since people rarely see her as a “real” Ms. Marvel, so let’s just list the first profile in her series.

2014 – Kamala Khan

The Ms. Marvel was claimed in 2014 by a teenager from New Jersey, Kamala Khan – a lifelong fan of Carol Danvers.

Ms. Khan, launched under the pen of another fan-favourite writer — G. Willow Wilson  — was a runaway hit. She gained fans who’d never have otherwise considered that super-hero comics were for them.

1Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) – absolute beginner.

Kamala in her earliest career, as she discovers her powers and sets up her Ms. Marvel identity.

Ms. Marvel comics (Kamala Khan) face closeup pensive

2Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) – absolute beginner.

Kamala still during her early career, but already more experienced and confident.

Ms. Marvel comics (Kamala Khan) masked face closeup

For now this series stops with the 2015 Secret War big event – which also ended the then-current Ms. Marvel.

Marvel Girl

This is a completely separate super-heroic identity. But confusing “Ms. Marvel” and “Marvel Girl” does happen.

1Jean Grey.

One of the founding mothers of the X-Men, Jean Grey went by “Marvel Girl” early on – through she’s also known as the Phoenix. She only has one writeups.org profile because she’s super-pretty and we’re too shy to talk to her.

2Rachel Summers Grey.

Jean Grey’s possible daughter from a dystopic future has used the same identities as her mum, including Marvel Girl and Phoenix. We have a series about her – this link goes to her first profile.

Mary Marvel

This Fawcett Comics, then DC Comics, has been around since 1942. People who don’t know about super-heroes might vaguely confuse her with Ms. Marvel, so let’s mention her.

1Very old Mary Marvel notes.

For now we only have these old notes. Them’s mostly stats we jotted down many years ago.