It’s hard to overstate the incredibly challenging task Kelly Thompson had on her hands when she inherited Captain Marvel in 2019. Carol Danvers fans were in the worst era of her life since Avengers #200, after the character assassination that was Civil War II. Beyond that, Captain Marvel was subject to become the first female-led Marvel movie at the height of the MCU, making the character the favorite target of bigots online. For a while, it was hard to engage in content surrounding this character without being bombarded with misogynistic propaganda from incels who hated the idea of the MCU marketing female-led movies or Marvel themselves throwing her under the bus for (frankly terrible) stories like Civil War II which didn’t fit the character at all.
That was the environment Kelly Thompson was coming into in 2019. And for four years and 50 issues, she delivered Carol fans one of the greatest runs the character has ever known, reminding us how much fun it can be to love this character.
Issue #50 is a well-deserved victory lap for Thompson, who really uses this issue to wrap up the pieces of her story perfectly. You know when you finish a novel and there’s this feeling of satisfaction? The plots are all tied up, the story was great, and the ending was so satisfying that you can close the book and say “wow.” You know you’ll reread it again sometime soon — and you know you need to buy the book to keep it on your shelf (or in this case, the eventual omnibus) along with the other greats. That’s what it feels like to read Captain Marvel #50 after sticking with this series from start to finish.
Carol stews in her grief and reflects on the loss of Binary as she did last issue, but Jessica throws her a party to cheer her up first. And Carol’s party feels like a well-deserved party for us, too — the afterparty of an event that’s just wrapped up but we loved every second of it. It has everything you’d want from a final issue like this, feeling almost like a tour of Carol’s life with how it gives her moments with so many characters fans know and adore as important fixtures in her lore.
Marvel Comics
Party scenes in comics are always fun because you get those casual moments between characters all over the universe. And let me just say, I love the way Kelly Thompson just ignores every stupid death in comics. Though Jess “died” a few months ago, Captain Marvel, where she’s practically the second protagonist, never bothered to deal with that and instead carried on with its great storytelling. Kamala Khan’s justifiably hated death in Amazing Spider-Man #26 isn’t something that exists here. In-universe it’s definitely set before that issue takes place, but Captain Marvel #50 gives her better content and it’s no contest.
Truthfully, I do think Thompson’s Kamala is a bit off character-wise, which is a rare misstep for her. The over-the-top fangirl mode for all the different heroes felt more like the Kamala we see at the beginning of Ms. Marvel Vol. 1. The fangirl aspect of the character is important to that run in the sense that Kamala adored these heroes while simultaneously knowing none of them looked like her or had her experiences. Ms. Marvel Vol. 1 is all about how Kamala discovers what it means to be a hero and she learns that not from the heroes on TV, but from her community and her family. By the end of Vol. 2 she’s even standing up to the heroes she once worshipped, challenging them by saying what they are doing is wrong and that she won’t follow blindly. The fangirlisms really tone down in her arc the more it goes along and I’ve always thought it was brilliant to have her put herself on their level by saying “I’m a hero just like you. The one I never thought could exist and I learned from the best.” Even in Champions that is toned down a lot. Yes she loves superheroes and always will, but that love has matured with her.
And though I thought the fangirl gag was a bit too intense for how Kamala is today, Thompson gives her more respect in this brief appearance in this one issue than the entirety of Marvel in the last few months. As Kamala walks away, Carol and Monica look on fondly and say if someone like Kamala Khan is the future, it is definitely a bright one. It’s a sentiment that treats this character, her legacy, and her significance with more respect than the issue she died in or any promo for the “Fallen Friend” title. And I’d rather see a happy moment where Carol and Monica have a moment where they confidently agree Kamala is hope for what the future generation of heroes will be like than inserting a moment in the middle of this story where the two just say “no!” to her death.
Marvel Comics
Carol and Monica’s scenes with each other are also highlights and I love seeing the Marvel legacy explored. I love the generation chain between these three women and can’t wait to see more stories with them in the future.
The theme of “shaping the future generation of heroes” is also strong with Hazmat, who has been a joy to read interacting with Carol and Jess throughout this series. Carol has such a big heart and that’s one thing Thompson not only understands, but has gone out of her way to show throughout this run. The way she cares for young heroes and wants to create a sense of hope for them is beautiful. Javier Pina and David Lopez are perfection on this book from start to finish but in these softer moments their art really shines. They capture the emotional undercurrent of these scenes flawlessly.
From the scenes between Carol and “Wanda”, Rhodey, Jess, and Tony, Thompson writes the perfect love letter to Carol and the journeys she has took her on in the last four years. The issue ends with an uplifting sentiment of hope as the team works on rebuilding foundation quite literally.
Sometimes I lament that comics just don’t seem to have lengthier runs and are cut short. You rarely see series make it to issue #50, let alone get the chance to wrap up their run instead of being cut off abruptly. I’m so glad Captain Marvel was the rare modern comic series to make it four years strong. Kelly Thompson has so much to be proud of with this run and Carol fans have had so much to love in the last four years.
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