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  1. #1
    Lazy Struggler BitParallel's Avatar
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    Default Captain Marvels Alcoholism

    I was going through some blogs and I just found out Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel suffers from alcoholism. I was never aware of her struggles with alcoholism. When did it happen?

    I know Tony is notorious for his alcoholism story line but is there one for Carols?

    Thanks in advance.

  2. #2
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    This was a storyline that ran through Avengers and Iron Man in 1998 and 1999. Kurt Busiek was lead writer on both books at the time.

    Carol had not been an Avenger since the infamous Avengers #200 back in the early '80s. In this story, she lost the cosmic powers she'd had as Binary, returned to her Ms. Marvel uniform but renamed herself "Warbird," and became part of the new Avengers roster, but her drinking (and her concealing that she no longer had the power of Binary) caused problems.

    Without giving too much away, this storyline mostly played out in Iron Man, but it started and ended in Avengers. Tony, being an alcoholic himself, noticed the signs of Carol's possible alcoholism and tried to help her, and it was a change of pace to have Tony, for once, be sober and trying to help someone else with their drinking problem (but also a subplot was about how Tony constantly becoming Iron Man may be an addiction in itself).

  3. #3
    Ultimate Member Phoenixx9's Avatar
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    How did Carol lose her cosmic Binary powers? Can't she get them back? When she lost them, she was powerless and turned to drinking?

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    Cosmic Curmudgeon JudicatorPrime's Avatar
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    If memory serves, Avengers volume 3, within the first 8 or so issues of the Busiek and Perez run is where it starts. I haven't read enough of Carol's current books to say if writers continue to note her struggles with alcohol. I have often wondered if alcohol addiction was itself symptomatic of a bigger addiction, especially since she started drinking at a time when her Binary powers were on the fritz. It wouldn't shock me if her true addiction -- the real rush that she gets and can't live without -- is linked to her powers.
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    Moo-tant? Ultimate Rogue's Avatar
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  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phoenixx9 View Post
    How did Carol lose her cosmic Binary powers? Can't she get them back? When she lost them, she was powerless and turned to drinking?
    No, she wasn't powerless, she was back to her old powers as Ms. Marvel, super strong, flight, energy projection, instant costume changes, etc.

    As Beast says, she just went from "phenomenally" to "incredibly" powerful.

    I don't recall much explanation of why those powers faded; the Brood's experiments just wore off I guess. Of course she keeps sort of going Binary again anyway.


  7. #7
    Ultimate Member Phoenixx9's Avatar
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    Thanks, everyone!

    I long wondered what happened to Carol.

  8. #8
    Cosmic Curmudgeon JudicatorPrime's Avatar
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    Actually, originally Ms. Marvel didn't have energy projection powers. She was basically a lightweight Wonder Woman with ESP. The energy powers came from her Binary persona. But she was nowhere near Binary level when she donned the Ms. M. costume again.
    “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”
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  9. #9
    Uncanny Member Digifiend's Avatar
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    They were probably just burned out from overuse. Nowadays she can go Binary but uses that power sparingly.
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  10. #10
    Ultimate Member Phoenixx9's Avatar
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    So are today's Captain Marvel powers the same Carol had as Warbird after her Binary depowering? If not, what happened to Carol to give her these new powers?

  11. #11
    Uncanny Member Digifiend's Avatar
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    Yeah, Carol's modern powers are the same ones she had as Warbird.
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  12. #12
    Cosmic Curmudgeon JudicatorPrime's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phoenixx9 View Post
    So are today's Captain Marvel powers the same Carol had as Warbird after her Binary depowering? If not, what happened to Carol to give her these new powers?
    My understanding is that she has all of Binary's powers, just not to the same top end level until she absorbs enough energy to reach true Binary level. Think of it like the Hulk, who when he first turns is pretty darn strong and invulnerable, but not nearly as strong and invulnerable as he is when someone really ticks him off.
    “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”
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  13. #13
    Uncanny Member Digifiend's Avatar
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    Yeah, she was never fully depowered - it's just that she needs to recharge. Like when Venusaur uses Solar Beam in Pokemon (it misses it's next turn because it's recharging).
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  14. #14
    Ultimate Member Phoenixx9's Avatar
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    Ah, got it. Thanks again everyone!

    I really like Carol but was missing out on these areas/answers.

  15. #15
    Astonishing Member mikeb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Digifiend View Post
    They were probably just burned out from overuse. Nowadays she can go Binary but uses that power sparingly.
    Can this be traced back to her saving the sun during Operation Galactic Storm? This seems to be the beginning of the end. Somehow she lost the link to the White hole that fueled her power.
    Last edited by mikeb; 04-16-2019 at 03:48 PM.

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