MS. MARVEL

 

MS. MARVEL

Real Name: Carol Susan Jane Danvers

First Appearance: Marvel Super-Heroes (Vol. 1) #13, March 1968 (as Carol Danvers); Ms. Marvel (Vol. 1) #1, January 1977 (as Ms. Marvel I); The Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #164, December 1982 (as Binary); Avengers (Vol. 3) #4, May 1998 (as Warbird); Avenging Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #9 September 2012 (as Captain Marvel VII)

Powers: Carol Danvers first gained super-powers as a result of the Psyche-Magnetron, a Kree device capable of forming any technological creation known to Kree science with a thought. As the Psyche-Magnetron exploded, the Kree Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) blocked its radiation from striking Carol. However, the radiation actually passed through Mar-Vell, endowing Carol with his traits. Her genetic code was altered to become partially Kree, she assimilated a knowledge of Kree science and battle tactics from Mar-Vell, and she even manifested a "seventh sense", a form of psychic ability possessed by Kree females. Furthermore, the Psyche-Magnetron gave her the power to manifest a costume at will, one equipped with micro-circuitry that in some ways mimicked Mar-Vell's nega bands and their ability to convert psionic energy to increase his physical powers. As a result, Carol possessed superhuman strength, endurance, durability, and the ability to fly at superhuman speeds while wearing this costume. Carol originally developed a split-personality to compensate for the stress her body and mind were placed under -- she kept the original Carol Danvers separate from a new personality (Ms. Marvel) derived from her new Kree knowledge and sensibilities. Even after a second exposure to the Psyche-Magnetron internalized all her super-powers, psychic blocks prevented Carol from accessing her super-strength, flight, etc. when as "Carol". The only power she manifested in her civilian guise was her "seventh sense", which often gave her visions of events and perils that might threaten her in the immediate future. In battle, the sense enabled her to predict her opponent's actions and reflexively counter them. Later, a dimension-traveler named Hecat'e helped Carol break down her mental barriers, and she merged her two personas and could use her powers even out of costume. Despite her mental fusion, Carol was still capable of switching between her costume and civilian clothes at will.

After being leeched by Rogue, all of Carol's super-powers were gone -- only her part-Kree genetic code remained. When she was being genetically experimented on by the Brood, Carol manifested cosmic energy powers, and became Binary. Carol could now harness the power of a white hole, the theoretical exit point for all the energy consumed by a black hole. While in her Binary state, Carol possessed Class 100 strength, near-invulnerability, the ability to fly faster-than-light and survive in the vacuum of space. Her head was aglow with a corona of stellar energy, and flame licked on the ends of her boots and gloves. Her physiology was also realigned to feed off of the energies she channeled, giving her extraordinary stamina and the ability to survive without rest or sustenance. By funneling the white hole's energies, Binary channeled stellar energy in various forms: Unfiltered discharges could virtually incinerate anything in her path. By mentally setting up filtering lenses, she could selectively summon light, heat, solar plasma, radiation, gravity, radio waves, etc., all the things being emitted by a star. She could also pull substance through her body and into the white hole, shunting things like energy or volatile radiation harmlessly out of her environment. This eventually led to the demise of her new powers.

During Operation: Galactic Storm, Binary absorbed anti-matter that was threatening Earth's sun. Sending this material to her personal white hole is apparently the reason it started to collapse, weakening her over time and eventually leaving her with half the power she normally possessed. Now, Carol no longer transforms into a Binary state, has Class 50 strength, more limited but still impressive durability, transonic instead of trans-light flight speeds, and can no longer survive totally unaided in space. She cannot filter her cosmic energy anymore, leaving her with only a single form of photonic energy blast. She can, however, absorb various forms of electromagnetic energy. Carol can be caught off-guard by energy attacks, but when prepared she can take in electromagnetic energy and use it to boost all of her superhuman powers and revitalize her natural stamina as well.

While battling the Brood and a Brood-hunter named Cru, Ms. Marvel and her opponents were caught in a devastating explosion. Cru, a techno-organic entity, was blown to pieces, and a small portion of her repair protocols became lodged in Carol's physiology. This quasi-sentient nanotechnology incorporated itself into Carol's body and began protecting her from harm. These protocols made Carol virtually invincible, dramatically increasing her durability and giving her an enormously powerful healing factor to deal with any injuries she did suffer. It even shielded her mind from outside forms of control, like the Puppet Master. Carol typically turned blue like Cru when the protocols were working. Eventually, the real Cru returned to retrieve her protocols from Ms. Marvel. During the process, the two women merged and separated some more, and Carol's own powers were left dramatically increased by the process. Able to once more achieve her Binary power levels again, Carol ultimately pushed her boosted abilities too far, and began to burn herself out from the inside. She was forced to avoid using her powers at all to keep them under control, but eventually she overloaded in battle anyway, and was killed as her body dispersed itself.

Ms. Marvel survived, but separated into a series of multi-hued energy forms. These energy Marvels were scattered across the world, and possessed many of Carol's powers such as flight and photonic blasts. With the help of the Storytellers, psychic fetuses with reality-manipulating powers, the energy Marvels were reunited into Ms. Marvel for the most part. In fact, the Storytellers created two versions of Carol Danvers: One, a warrior guided by Kree battle instincts and calling herself Ms. Marvel, and two, a writer in Los Angeles named Catherine Donovan who was living a successful, if normal, life. Due to their unique connection, Ms. Marvel's powers increased exponentially the closer she was to Catherine, making her virtually invincible and in a Class 100+ strength level. Eventually, the two women were re-merged into a single being: Carol Danvers, aka Ms. Marvel.

Carol Danvers earned a bachelor's degree from her military intelligence training. A talented journalist excelling as a freelance writer and magazine editor, she also has extensive training in espionage and is a skilled pilot with excellent hand-to-hand combatant skills.