Captain Marvel has been a series balancing heavier plots and character exploration of its titular hero, Carol Danvers, while also including its fair share of lighthearted stories to balance it out. The “Revenge of the Brood” arc has been able to balance some great, heavy plots for Carol while also being a fun space adventure. But Captain Marvel #46 isn’t just a good Carol story – it’s also a fun X-Men story.
For years I remember Marvel pushing the X-Men to the sidelines and pitting them against other heroes where we were clearly supposed to be rooting for the other side, but as an X-Men fan, I never could. The mid-to-late 2010s Marvel felt so alienating as an X-Men fan, especially when these characters used to have such a good relationship with the heroes around them and would consistently pop up all over the canvas in Marvel. Thanks to Chris Claremont, Carol Danvers was a huge player in that dynamic, having lived with the X-Men and fought by their side for so many years.
That’s part of what makes “Revenge of the Brood” such a fun arc: it just feels like the X-Men are finally back and even more so, that heroes from all across the board can interact with them again. The X-Men fan in me missed this, but the Captain Marvel fan in me missed this too. It’s a complete joy to be able to see these characters play off each other and interact, especially when characters like Polaris don’t really have a book at the moment. Captain Marvel isn’t just invested in Carol, either — Thompson gives the X-Men so much to do. It’s comics at their best to see team ups like this and have those awesome moments like Hazmat, Polaris, and Wolverine taking on a slew of Brood. “Brood go boom” was an awesome sequence from top to bottom and Javier Pina nails every single action scene, making them look as epic as they should.
Marvel Comics
As far as plots go, “the X-Men and Captain Marvel fight the brood” feels like a love letter to each franchise and Kelly Thompson is the perfect writer for it, obviously having a great amount of love for both properties.
The future arc was one of the best in the book thus far (if not the best full stop) and Thompson certainly doesn’t let her inclusion of Kwannon in this arc go unappreciated. Kwannon finding out about Sora, her daughter from the future Carol saw, is potentially a really interesting plot for her. Anyone who has been reading Krakoa’s X-Men books knows Kwannon’s relationship with motherhood has been a huge part of her story and the idea of this book touching on that in regards to the child she never knew (Sora) is really interesting. Kwannon’s easily one of the breakout stars of the Krakoa era and it’s great to see her getting love.
Captain Marvel #46 and the larger “Revenge of the Brood” is the book I wanted for years as an X-Men fan and as a Captain Marvel fan. Thompson’s writing perfectly balances some pure fun, comic book goodness with deeper plots that promise payoff. Each character feels like they get their moment and with Rogue coming into the fold next issue, it’s surely only going to get better.
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