Well, THE MARVELS is sadly wrapping up its theatrical run with just a little over a month in theaters. I really loved the movie – AND I’ve seen it three times. I know, I know. But I will go to the mat and defend this film as one of the best, and probably most fun MCU entry, in the post Endgame era. THE MARVELS has the feel of a 1980s comic book series team-up issue with high adventure, many laughs, and team members all at the height of their power. But like those team-ups, THE MARVELS also features insight into the team members – all without getting too heavy or lore intensive (things that have bogged other post Endgame entries down, to a certain extent – see QUANUMANIA, covered on the blog HERE – where I also highlighted my favorite part of the film: Cassie Lang, and yes it was nice to hear her mentioned in THE MARVELS).
Anyway, I want to shine a little spotlight on team member Carol Danvers aka VERS aka Captain Marvel – an MCU character that I like, no LOVE. You see, I have a personal kinship with Carol because to me she feels like the AVENGERS version of a kid who transfers to the 7th grade during the middle of the school year while their parents are going through a divorce. Accordingly, Carol never really fits in with the Avengers or back on Hala or with the Kree – and she has a lot of haters both in-universe and in the MCU fandom because of it (just like I had all those haters in the 7th grade when I transferred schools while my parents were separating). And THE MARVELS is Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel’s FIFTH (you read that right) appearance in the MCU. She was introduced in CAPTAIN MARVEL (though technically summoned by Nick Fury in a cool post-credits scene in INFINITY WAR), then arrived to fight Thanos in ENDGAME, followed by a brief post-credits appearance in SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS, then another brief appearance in the finale of TV series MS. MARVEL, and finally returned last month in her second feature film, THE MARVELS.
I think her origin story in CAPTAIN MARVEL is as solid as they come for an Avenger. While it maybe doesn’t reach the heights of IRON MAN or DOCTOR STRANGE narratively, I like the character arc of Carol Danvers more than either Tony Stark or Stephen Strange (again – relatability is the key here). I also love Brie Larson as an actress and specifically the energy she brings to Carol. In the book, THE ART OF CAPTAIN MARVEL (which is also where quotes below from MCU Visual Director Andy Park are pulled from) Brie Larson noted, “The thing about Carol is that she’s two halves… She’s Kree and she’s human, and the Kree are really incredible warriors, hyper-intellectuals, the best at what they do – and also totally devoid of emotion. And then there’s a part of her that’s human. That is the loving part of her, but it’s also the part that makes her kind of sassy and a little brash at times. It makes her really emotional. It makes her aggressive and competitive. All of the good and all of the bad is in that human side.” Sure she’s a bit more harsh in CAPTAIN MARVEL but that is to be expected – as Brie outlines in her quote. Her journey also dictates that portrayal – Carol was someone who had a distinct world view and was essentially brainwashed. Her two movies have done an excellent job tracking that arc, seeing her go from a talented human pilot to a memory-challenged Kree warrior to, eventually, an enlightened combination of both, albeit with a massive (and understandable) chip on her shoulder.
And even though her first entry into the MCU, 2019’s CAPTAIN MARVEL, made a billion dollars, like that 7th grade transfer I compared Carol to, her movie never got a fair shake from many fans. Haters held the massive box office against it, saying it was a product of its time and positioning between INFINITY WAR and ENDGAME. And unfortunately Carol never really got enough screen time in ENDGAME to be thought of as an orthodox AVENGER. Even the AVENGERS questioned her participation (GAH!)! Still she is the most powerful hero in the MCU. Say what you will but her actions on Hala and essentially destroying Supreme Intelligence – and everything that happened because of that decision – is proof of that. And coming to terms with that power and responsibility (like so many MCU heroes have, wink-wink) is why I loved THE MARVELS so much. At the end of THE MARVELS, it finally feels like Carol is coming into her own as a hero who understands that vengeance must be tempered with mercy and empathy, an elegant arc for someone that haters often deride for being too one dimensional. And with this new realization, it feels like, hopefully, Carol should be one of the cornerstones of the AVENGERS going forward.
I also thought the best way to shine a spotlight on the journey of one of my favorite MCU heroes would be to shine a light on my favorite outfits of hers. I could use each as a way to evaluate them practically, but also explain her transforming her story. This is something I have done before for other favorite characters (in the MCU and otherwise) on this website in a series called RANK THIS! I will use each of Carol/Vers/Captain Marvel’s outfits to discuss a little bit of her history and why I really do love this misunderstood MCU hero.
- If you would like to see some of my other outfit rankings click here:
And with that, here are my top 10 outfits of Carol Danvers aka Vers aka Captain Marvel:
10. “ENDGAME” FINAL BATTLE SUIT
I just want to start out by saying that I think this is a really cool suit. I know it’s #10, and that seems low. And it is the suit some fans always wanted – just not me. It has some wonderful accents, especially the sash/skirt. MCU Visual Designer Andy Park noted, “When we look at the comics, one of the iconic things about Captain Marvel’s design is her sash.” He also noted that it was passed over for use in CAPTAIN MARVEL because “there had to be a story reason for it” because “having capes and flowing things when you are trying to fight enemies is very impractical, as THE INCREDIBLES showed us.” Still the sash looks so darn cool. And I’m so glad we got it on screen. In fact, this suit is really the only time that we see that feature on a Captain Marvel suit – as it is effectively gone in her next canon appearance in SHANG-CHI (but see below where I retcon it back in lol). And I wish it was applied to more suits in her arsenal. I always loved that element in the comics.
Still this suit is #10 on the list for other reasons also – some negative. I think the suit has too much gold in it and feels just a little off in the color scheme – like a more serious version of the neon version of the Kree suit that we see in CAPTAIN MARVEL. I’m not the biggest fan of Bree’s short hair here – a lot of fans do love it – which is great and it really is neither here nor there. The hair and the sash are both indicative of a suit with a lot of fan service: sash and short hair. And for that, it is to be commended – and is the reason it is on the list. The third phase of the MCU definitely has its fans – but I think one thing that really was a problem was the over-designed suits (many plagued with fan service but not dramatic reasoning) and this suit is also verging on over-designed. Still, it took the over-designed era to give us the sash on Carol Danvers. So I guess I’m here for it. I also probably wrote about this suit more than any other, so maybe I DO love it after all.
9. VERS’ KREE SUIT IN “CAPTAIN MARVEL”
Because this was the first suit we ever saw Bree Larson as Captain Marvel aka Carol Danvers aka VERS (do you remember VERS?), it will always hold a special place for me. Carol’s Kree costume in the comics is canonically varied depending on the story and in the film, many designs were considered including much more militarized versions complete with metallic skins. Instead, Captain Marvel Visual Designer Andy Park noted that as an attempt to simplify, “The idea was, what if we took her Captain Marvel costume and infused these colors into it?” He goes on to say, “I played with the different colors, black, teal and silver – and [directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Bowden] loved it.” I, personally, also love the Kree colors and I think it adds something to her arc to see her in this suit. Weight is also added in THE MARVELS when we see the same suit on Dar Benn when Carol incapacitates and injures her. Carol’s inability to see mercy for Hala and the Kree was a massive flaw – even though Hala and the Kree are a part of her, right down to her suit. The fact that she could not see that she always had a connection to this society inside of her allowed her to wantonly destroy a fundamental part of the planet that had repercussions far beyond what she could initially imagine. I think the fact that Carol still wears a variation of the suit under different colors and stylized is an equally interesting choice. She knows her Kree heritage is there, every time she looks in the mirror.
8. “THE MARVELS” SECOND/ALADNA HERO SUIT
If the previous Phase 3 era’s over-designed suits were an issue, we now have the most minimalist suit we might ever see on an MCU hero. Also significant because her fellow teammates Monica Rambeau and Miss Marvel have relatively over-designed suits from Aladana. My gripe here is that the star is a little big and I just think this suit really suffers from a lack of color. But I still kind of like it. It’s growing on me. I like that the costume designers tried a minimalist take. And frankly, it makes a great “Act 3” distressed suit, especially when it gets ripped up after Carol’s fight with Dar-Benn. The suit’s monochromatic scheme highlights that damage so well – as seen above.
7. 1995 EARTH OUTFIT IN “CAPTAIN MARVEL” – AKA NINE INCH NAILS SHIRT, LEATHER JACKET AND SHIELD CAP
The NINE INCH NAILS classic. Not much to say here other than it is an iconic time capsule of a time gone by. Washed jeans and a leather jacket (all from the period) compliment the look. It makes sense as Caol is really just grabbing what is popular at the time and wearing it. She has no real idea at this point that she even had a human history on earth. But as she continues to wear the outfit, you can tell that she like it, especially the NIN shirt (which has a brief cameo in THE MARVELS). It is a shirt that is both a sign of the times and a sign of Carol AT THAT TIME. It also visually bridges Carol’s journey from VERS to Carol Danvers to ultimately Captain Marvel. It is all three wrapped in one, all three personalities co-mingling. And it looks really great on Brie Larson too.
6. “ENDGAME” FIRST BATTLE SUIT
The over-designed use of gold was beginning to creep in here, but it was not quite what it would become in her final battle suit at #10 on this list. My more positive feelings for this suit mostly come from the fact that it pairs well with Carol’s current place in the MCU timeline. Let me explain. Carol needed to become the savior of the Avengers in a post-snap world. And her suit presents the evolved hero that she has become, presumably, over time. It is a visual level-up. I also really like that she wants to go out and solve the Thanos issue immediately – harkening back to (or foreshadowing in canon) her eventual confrontation with Supreme Intelligence on Hala. Here, however, it was nice to see an Avenger that was not yet intimidated by Thanos, something that the spirits of Marvel’s greatest superheroes definitely needed. And the suit reminds us that Carol has been leveling-up and kicking butt throughout the galaxy in the 20 plus years since CAPTAIN MARVEL. Although the suit has maybe a bit too many flourishes, I think it heralds her entrance into the film quite well in its ostentatious design – again, that “level-up” – something any 7th grader transferring into a new school mid-year needs.
5. LT. TROUBLE’S NEON GREEN SUIT IN “CAPTAIN MARVEL”
I really was hoping that Carol Danvers might fight in this suit in THE MARVELS or at least switch to it at some point during the film – as a fun flashback in a way to bond with Monica Rambeau, or at least break the ice with Monica. This suit was one of the biggest laughs in the original CAPTAIN MARVEL, for both Carol and the audience and a way that showed off both Monica Rambeau’s eccentricities and sense of humor (which were both on display in THE MARVELS) as well as a way to visually demonstrate VERS slowing becoming the more human Carol Danvers. I know it’s just there for a second, but in my opinion, the suit is instantaneously memorable for all of these reasons. I mean, hey, they even made a Funko for this suit!
4. “CAPTAIN MARVEL” FINAL HERO SUIT WITH HELMET ETC…
This is Carol’s final suit in CAPTAIN MARVEL, with the glowing (binary?) eyes and mohawk. MCU Visual Director Andy Park noted that Carol was originally going to appear in the post-credits of AGE OF ULTRON (!) and Marvel Studios initially designed suits for that film, but (luckily) they were mostly discarded. Then Carol was set to appear in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR and ENDGAME – which were both filmed before CAPTAIN MARVEL, so they actually began to design suits for those films first and used those to work toward her first canon suit – an almost proto-suit, the “level-down” that would ultimately set up the aforementioned level-up.
Although this is technically a “proto-suit”, it is still everything I ever wanted in a Captain Marvel suit save for the sash. It just looks cool and it shows Carol’s final transformation harmonizing VERS into Captain Marvel visually – the quintessential suit. Most of my Captain Marvel collectibles feature this suit, so frankly, it kind of has a special nostalgic place for me. So why is it at #4 and not higher? It does suffer from the “too man lines”, bordering on over-designed quality of Phase 3 that I have already mentioned and there are ways to improve it – see below.
3. “SHANG-CHI” POST CREDIT SUIT
This is one of if not THE Captain Marvel suit with the least screen time – and in the limited time it is onscreen, it is showcased through a static-filled hologram (one of the few – but big – knocks against it). But I still found it memorable and enjoyable. It was a nice merging of form and personality. Even without the narrative layers of THE MARVELS, credit to Bree for making Carol Danvers a character that really feels like an empathetic, more vulnerable human – and for the first time, Carol also felt like a true Avenger, almost like she was welcoming Shang-Chi symbolically to the team. This personality and responsibility shift is something that really only makes sense with the Hala history having already happened and being factored into the character. Her softened personality makes sense here – but the audience did not know why, YET. With THE MARVELS, that shift is explained and this suit gets a boost because it. That blend of power and compassion and humor that really makes me love this new post-MARVELS version of Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers is on full display here. Aesthetically, the tacky gold from Endgame has been replaced by the dark blue hues in the shoulders and the red in the lower torso. The gold highlights are still a little too tinny but we’re getting closer to perfection that canonically comes through in the timeline in just one more iteration. One more thing: in my head-canon, the sash is also on during this brief appearance – which again we only see from the waist up – so in my headcanon I’ve retconned the sash in! Bonus points for this suit!
2. PRINCESS CAROL GOWN IN “THE MARVELS”
Did I put this too high just for the clicks? Maybe. But this suit, or more appropriately – gown, delighted me, the CAPTAIN MARVEL fan, so much. The Princess Carol suit is something I really never thought we would see in live action. It was memorable showcased beginning in CAPTAIN MARVEL #9 in 2014, during the Kelly Sue DeConnick run, and it really is something else. I loved that MCU Carol Danvers wore this legendary gown (themed in CAPTAIN MARVEL colors and symbols) in an actual MCU film! I could never see the CAPTAIN MARVEL (2019) version of Vers/Carol wearing this or the directors thinking her character WOULD wear it. But times have changed. I think the suit showcases Carol’s continued journey, continued empathy and continued growth as she again transforms into someone more softer (in a good way) and vulnerable who can wear a ball gown… AND SING (can you imagine VERS singing lol)! This gown and that song combine to create a really wonderful moment in the Carol Danvers character arc. Unfortunately with THE MARVELS reception, I doubt we will ever see something so zany in a CAPTAIN MARVEL or (or at this point any MCU film) ever again. SO ENJOY IT!
1. “THE MARVELS” INITIAL HERO SUIT
From a purely aesthetic point of view, I loved this suit: the simplified collar, the well-placed colors, the well accented gloves. All of it felt like a sleeker more modern version of the original CAPTAIN MARVEL suit – but not something overdesigned like either ENGAME version. It still has blue, red and gold – but each seemed to be in just the right amount AND place. I also like the way the “utility belt” of the original VERS/CAPTAIN MARVEL suit has finally been removed to showcase the sleek lines. Its simple – red top, gold star (and finally not too shiny or tinny) and a sleek blue torso and pants. It just really signified a different, more majestic, and in control Carol Danvers. And it looked damn good. This is the suit that the Shang-Chi suit evolves to, the suit of another “level-up” for Carol, and the one where we the audience realize how and why she has evolved and the good and bad things that have accompanied that evolution.
So what do you think? Do you agree – or disagree? If you do disagree, let me know with a comment which suit should have been higher or lower and which suits or outfits I missed that you would have had in the list. Also, if you enjoyed reading, please give this blog a like. And thank you for making it to the end!
No Scoops Club 
This is exactly what I needed, thanks!
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