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Captain Marvel Reading Order, From Mar-Vell to Carol Danvers

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There are several characters known as Captain Marvel, and we are not here to talk about Shazam. As you may know, Fawcett’s Captain Marvel was enormously popular. Too popular for DC Comics who sued Fawcett Comics for breach of copyright. It was then claimed that Captain Marvel was too similar to Superman. This led Fawcett to stop the publication of Captain Marvel (He later came back to DC under the name Shazam). In the late 1960s, Marvel Comics gained the trademark “Captain Marvel” and, to keep it, needed to publish a Captain Marvel title. So, every few years, we’ve got ongoing series, limited series, and one-shots with “Captain Marvel” on the cover.

Created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan in Marvel Super-Heroes #12 (December 1967), the first Captain Marvel from Marvel Comics was Mar-Vell, Captain of the Kree Imperial Militia. He was sent to observe the planet Earth and became a traitor when he decided to ally himself with the humans. At one point, he even ended up in the Negative Zone, after having been exiled by the Supreme Intelligence. There, his only way of (temporarily) escape is to exchange atoms with Rick Jones through special wristbands called Nega-Bands. He was finally freed from that prison when Jim Starlin took over the title and revamped the character, making him the “Protector of the Universe.” Of course, today his death is more famous than the rest of his career because of the success of Marvel’s first large-format graphic novel, “The Death of Captain Marvel,” published in 1982.

The second Captain Marvel was Monica Rambeau. She was created by Roger Stern and John Romita Jr in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16 (1982) and quickly became a member of the Avengers. She kept the name until the original Captain Marvel’s son entered the picture. That’s how Genis-Vell became the third Captain Marvel. His younger sister Phyla-Vell (created in Captain Marvel vol. 5 #16) became the fourth.

The fifth was Khn’nr, a Skrull sleeper agent who is bound with Mar-Vell’s DNA to lock itself into Mar-Vell’s form, who first appeared in Civil War: The Return (March 2007). And then, as part of the Dark Reign storyline, Noh-Varr – who first appeared in Marvel Boy #1 – was contacted by the Supreme Intelligence and received a copy of the original Captain Marvel’s Nega Bands. He became the sixth Captain Marvel.

Finally (for now), in July 2012, Carol Danvers graduated from Mrs. Marvel to Captain Marvel in the series written by Kelly Sue DeConnick with art by Dexter Soy. 

Captain Marvel Reading Order:

Mar-Vell is Captain Marvel (1968-1982)

Branded a traitor by the vicious Colonel Yon-Rogg for defending the people of Earth, Kree Captain Mar-Vell assumes the human identity of Walter Lawson and becomes our planet’s protector against an awesome array of interstellar enemies.

And now, in the Marvel Omnibus collection:

  • Captain Mar-Vell Omnibus Vol. 1
    Collects Marvel Super-Heroes (1967) #12-13 and Captain Marvel (1968) #1-33, Iron Man (1968) #55, and material from Not Brand Echh #9.

You can also find the most iconic part of Mar-Vell’s career in:

Check out our article about The Death of Captain Marvel to learn more about his career and his tragic ending.

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Monica Rambeau is Captain Marvel (1982-1994)

A police lieutenant with the remarkable power to transform into energy, Monica Rambeau began as a reluctant superhero — but soon rose through the ranks to become field leader of the mighty Avengers! Check out our article about Monica Rambeau and her many aliases to learn a bit more about the character.

The next book collects key issues of comics revolving around Monica Rambeau as Captain Marvel:

  • Captain Marvel: The Saga of Monica Rambeau
    Collects Amazing Spider-Man Annual (1964) #16; Avengers (1963) #227, 279; Marvel Team-Up (1972) #142-143; Captain Marvel (1989) #1; Captain Marvel (1994) #1; Avengers Unplugged (1995) #5; material from Solo Avengers (1987) #2; Marvel Fanfare (1982) #42, 57.

As Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau didn’t get her own ongoing series, but she became a leader of the Avengers. Most of her adventures—before becoming known as Photon—happened in the Avengers series, from #227 (the beginning of the Modern Age era by Roger Stern) to #333 (she came back in #345)—see our Avengers Reading Order for more details about the collected editions. After that, she came back with the Starblast crossover (not collected), her last storyline as Captain Marvel. 

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Genis-Vell is Captain Marvel (1995-2004)

Introduced in Silver Surfer Annual #6 (1993) under the codename “Legacy,” Genis-Vell is the genetically engineered son of Mar-Vell and his lover Elysius, created from the late Mar-Vell’s cell samples and artificially aged to physical maturity. After appearing (mostly) in Silver Surfer and the Thanos: Cosmic Powers miniseries, Genis-Vell got his Captain Marvel series (written by Fabian Nicieza with artist Ed Benes). The series was quickly canceled (only 6 issues), but after an appearance in the Avengers Forever miniseries, a second Captain Marvel was launched in late 1999 (written by Peter David with artist Chris Cross).

In 2002, Captain Marvel was relaunched once more (still written by Peter David). Now, Genis struggles with the Cosmic Awareness, a oneness with the universe that allows him to know what will happen, what may happen, and what should happen to every living thing in the universe. All of this knowledge drives him mad…

After dying and resurrecting himself—with the secret aid of Baron Helmut Zemo—Genis-Vell joins the Thunderbolts under the name Photon. FYI, at that point, Monica decided on the name Pulsar.

In 2022, Genis-Vell is back in a new series written by Peter David that reunites Genis, Rick, Marlo, and Phyla.

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Phyla-Vell is Captain Marvel (2004)

Created by Peter David and Paul Azaceta in Captain Marvel vol. 5 #16, Phyla-Vell is Genis-Vell’s younger sister. In the story, she was created when Genis recreated the universe, introducing various anomalies that led to his mother being restored to life and the birth of his sister. After the end of Genis’ story in the previous volume of Captain Marvel, she reclaimed the title and, as Captain Marvel, she become a player in the Marvel Cosmic Universe with the Annihilation Saga.

After Annihilation, Phyla-Vell became the new Quasar, and – under that name – joined The Guardian of the Galaxy.

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Khn’nr is Captain Marvel (2008)

The story of Khn’nr as Captain Marvel is even more anecdotal than Phyla’s. As part of the Skrull Secret Invasion (see reading order of the event), the shapeshifting Khn’nr was bonded with the DNA of Mar-Vell to lock his body into Mar-Vell’s form and given technological replicas of the Kree Nega-Bands. However, his mental conditioning was botched, causing Khn’nr’s personality to be erased and leaving the Mar-Vell persona dominant. Though part of the Skrull invasion of Earth, this Captain Marvel decides to fight against the invading Skrulls.

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Noh-Varr is Captain Marvel (2009)

Created by writer Grant Morrison and artist J.G. Jones in the Marvel Boy limited series in 2000, Noh-Varr is a powerful Kree warrior who took a big part in the finale of the Secret Invasion. That’s when a dying Khn’nr appointed him as the new Protector of the Earth. With Captain Marvel’s Nega-Bands, he helped to put an end to the invasion. This led Norman Osborn to recruit him into his Dark Avengers under the name Captain Marvel – during the Dark Reign era.

After leaving the Dark Avengers, Noh-Varr abandoned the Captain Marvel identity and became known as the Protector.

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Carol Danvers is Captain Marvel (2012-)

The story of Carol Danvers started in 1968, in Marvel Super-Heroes #13. At that time, she was introduced as an officer in the United States Air Force and a colleague of Mar-Vell. In 1977, after her DNA was fused with Mar-Vell’s during an explosion, Carol gained superhuman powers. She later became the first Ms. Marvel (in 1977, Ms. Marvel #1). She started to appear with The Avengers and next to other superheroes. But she was not Captain Marvel until the Marvel Now era, in 2012.

What follows is a quick reading order for that–still ongoing–era. Shortcuts are made to focus on what is essential. For a more detailed and complete list, check out the Carol Danvers reading order.

Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick with art by Dexter Soy, the new Captain Marvel series established Carol Danvers as Earth’s Mightiest Hero.

  • Captain Marvel by Kelly Sue Deconnick Omnibus
    Collects Captain Marvel (2012) #1-17, Captain Marvel (2014) #1-15, Avengers: The Enemy Within (2013) #1, Avengers Assemble (2012) #16-19, Avenging Spider-Man (2011) #9-10, Captain Marvel & The Carol Corps (2015) #1-4.

 

The Secret Wars rebooted the Marvel Universe (the story picked up eight months after the event). It’s the “All-New, All-Different Marvel” now and the Captain Marvel series is written by Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas, with artwork by Kris Anka. Carol Danvers took over the responsibilities of the military agency S.W.O.R.D., and also joined The Ultimates.

Civil War IICivil War II! Carol Danvers is at the heart of this event. When a new Inhuman emerges, with the ability to profile the future, Captain Marvel wants him to work with the Ultimates, to preemptively tackle disasters before they happen, but Iron Man opposes the idea, suggesting it is dangerous to take his visions for granted for several reasons. This is the beginning of a conflict. For more information, go to the Civil War II Reading Order.

This event takes place after Captain Marvel (2016) #5, Ultimates #6, and A-Force #7.

  • Civil War II
    Collects Civil War II 0–8, Free Comic Book Day 2016

At that point, the series was relaunched with the title “The Mighty Captain Marvel,” by writer Margaret Stohl and artist Ramon Rosanas.

Thanos - Infinity Reading Order, a Marvel EventInfinity Wars! The Infinity Stones are back. Individually, they grant their wielders great power. Together, they bestow the power of a god! As each stone’s location is discovered, forces converge for a battle that will send the universe down a dark path…to the end! Captain Marvel is one of the main characters here. For more information, go to our Infinity Wars Reading Order.

  • Infinity Countdown
    Collects Infinity Countdown Prime #1, Infinity Countdown #1-5, Infinity Countdown: Adam Warlock #1.
  • Infinity Countdown Companion
    Collects Infinity Countdown: Black Widow, Infinity Countdown: Captain Marvel, Infinity Countdown: Champions #1-2, Infinity Countdown: Daredevil.
  • Infinity Wars
    Collects Infinity Wars #1-6, Prime, Fallen Guardian and Infinite, and material from Thanos Legacy #1.

As we entered the Marvel Fresh Start era, Marvel published a new origin story in:

In 2019, with the movie coming out, a new Captain Marvel series written by Kelly Thompson and drawn by Carmen Carnero was launched. Carol Danvers is also a member of Jason Aaron’s Avengers. You can find more about it in our Avengers Reading Order.

A new start for Captain Marvel! She is now the leader of the Avengers (by Jed MacKay) and has her own ongoing series from Alyssa Wong and Jan Bazaldua. But first, she stars in a miniseries written by Ann Nocenti…

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