In Your Face Jam - Nov 5, 2014

[The]

Calling Billy Captain Marvel is correct because he had that name before Marvel Comics was called Marvel Comics. Also it's funny the article makes no mention of the wizard formerly known as Shazam.

[Ravin' Ray]

If Carol is going to revert to Ms. Marvel then something must be done with the current Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan. Although not a perfect analogy, reverting Carol to Ms. Marvel makes as much sense as Susan Richards reverting from Invisible Woman to Invisible Girl.

So, the current status quo is, Carol Danvers is Captain Marvel, and Billy Batson is Shazam.

[malreyn]

I love Carol and agree she should be considered THE Captain Marvel going forward. The one problem I have is that Captain is below her actual military rank...

[Crunch C.]

Billy Batson is DC's Captain Marvel. He is not Shazam, that is what he says to transform into the Earths mightiest Mortal.

Mar-vell is Marvels Captain Marvel. He had many adventures and he saved the Universe several times. Carol has not proven herself nearly as much as Mar-vell or even Genis at this point. She was a much better character as Ms. Marvel and she had her own legacy. She didn't need to piggy back on Mar-vell's legacy.
End of discussion.

[Ravin' Ray]

This is what Brett is taking pains to emphasize. We're not talking about the past anymore, we're talking about the present.

[Reviresco]

I think that continuously calling people in a professional piece "Trolls" simply because they have opinions differing from yours is far more likely to have an adverse effect on how you are perceived as a comic book fan, and more, a journalist. It does nothing to aid in making your case.

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Tantrums look stupid from all sides. Don't try to diffuse the one you don't like by throwing your own, okay?

I agree with this 200%. Between this article and the previous article attacking folks who would rather have a Black Widow movie as "Troll Face Haters," Brett White hasn't done himself any favors, and single handedly killed what little interest I had in a Carole Danvers movie.

[VPrime]

Danvers should be COLONEL Marvel. Captain is a severe demotion, in spite of the article's repeated, inappropriate use of "promotion" to describe the change.

[Holt]

I'm so confused as to why so many people were so sure the movie was going to be called Ms. Marvel. Has nobody caught on yet that Marvel has a pattern of suddenly putting an aggressive emphasis on a certain character, franchise, or story element before inevitably announcing a movie?

[gurkle]

I agree with those who wish Mr. White weren't lumping those who call Billy "Captain Marvel" in with Mar-Vell boosters under the heading of "Cap trolls." It is true that Carol is currently Captain Marvel in the Marvel Universe and Mar-Vell is just one of the guys who used to use that name. But wanting Billy Batson to have his actual code name instead of calling himself by his catchphrase does not detract from anything Carol does. It's like saying DC can't have an Enchantress because Amora is the only Enchantress. The companies have a number of people with the same code names.

And really, insisting that the New 52 calling him "Shazam" is the end of everything and a done deal? That's silly. Just because a corporate decision is made doesn't mean fans have to accept it. Being blandly accepting of bad corporate marketing decisions isn't exactly a virtue, and what White in a rather over-the-top way calls "ignorant, stubborn, needlessly contrarian and resistant to change" could just be called "resistant to dumb change."

Also, this line:

Yes, there's a history of women having their codenames taken away from them, but that doesn't mean that history should keep repeating itself. The Captain Marvel codename needs to stop with Carol Danvers because this trend needs to be broken.

This is basically saying it doesn't matter if you think the name is good for her or not, or if it makes her a stronger or weaker character, you should just learn to like it because it's good for women superheroes in general. Maybe it is, but you can see why someone who doesn't like the name for her - and there are lots of different reasons why someone might not like the name on this character - wouldn't accept that. Nobody would say we should celebrate a comic if it's good for women's image, even if the comic is no good. Why should it be any different with names?

I think if anyone was suited to take and keep the Captain Marvel name, it's Carol, who has the history to back her up and never had a consistent code name anyway. But come on. If someone was a fan of Ms. Marvel, can't they still prefer the name without being accused of misogyny? Let's not act like the big corporation is Good and Pure and the mostly-powerless fan is a threat unless he (or she, definitely she in some cases) doesn't accept everything the corporation decides about the characters they like.

I'm so confused as to why so many people were so sure the movie was going to be called Ms. Marvel. Has nobody caught on yet that Marvel has a pattern of suddenly putting an aggressive emphasis on a certain character, franchise, or story element before inevitably announcing a movie?

There were a couple of reports from reliable MCU leak sources that there were plans for a character called "Ms. Marvel." One reporter said she was actually called that in a script for a post-credits scene. It might have been a fake leak to throw people off the scent, or she simply might have been referred to as "Ms. Marvel" before she took on the Captain title in the MCU. But that's where the confusion came from.

[kumagawa]

I'm so confused as to why so many people were so sure the movie was going to be called Ms. Marvel. Has nobody caught on yet that Marvel has a pattern of suddenly putting an aggressive emphasis on a certain character, franchise, or story element before inevitably announcing a movie?

All I know is that I had to explain to my daughter that yes Ms Marvel is getting a film as when she first heard Captain Marvel she didn't know who it was as the only Carol Danvers she knows is from Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes were she is Ms Marvel (My daughter prefers Ms Marvel to Captain as well lol, I better keep her away from the leftist comic fans).

[gurkle]

All I know is that I had to explain to my daughter that yes Ms Marvel is getting a film as when she first heard Captain Marvel she didn't know who it was as the only Carol Danvers she knows is from Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes were she is Ms Marvel (My daughter prefers Ms Marvel to Captain as well lol, I better keep her away from the leftist comic fans).

That's a good point I forgot about - comics fans can be so insular they think everyone knows everyone from the comics, but a lot of people know Avengers characters from the cartoon, which was watched by many kids who have never read an Avengers comic and some who never will. For many people, probably more than currently read comics, John Stewart is the Green Lantern, Carol Danvers is Ms. Marvel, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are X-Men characters with no connection to the Avengers, etc.

Not that the comics have to play to that audience, it's just that when you hear people refer to Carol as "Ms. Marvel" it's often because they've seen Avengers: EMH, not because they're old comics die-hards.

[thecrimson]

Well I was agreeing with him up until he called the trolls casual mysoginists. I'm sure some of them are, but I don't know if I'd make the leap that if you refer to Carol as Ms. Marvel you're being mysoginistic; sometimes people really can't let go of the past. Not to mention, unless I missed it, you didn't touch on the Shazam/Captain Marvel group of people who feel like calling HIM Shazam is somehow disrespecting the character.

[toddx77]

So if someone doesn't want to admit that Carol is the only Captain Marvel they are misogynist? Really? That word gets thrown out so much by people with an agenda it pretty much has no meaning anymore. Just because someone holds a different opinion on who should be called Captain Marvel does not make them a women hater. So what if people only consider Billy or Mar-Vell to be Captain Marvel. Let people have their semi extreme opinions. I hate it when people complain about the new 52 and say it isn't the real DC universe,but I don't tell them they shouldn't have that opinion. What about all those people who refuse to accept Lobdells Titans as the first Teen Titans and still hold on to the notion that the Wolfman and Perez Teen Titans, while not the first, are still the real Teen Titans? Does that make them homophobic because Bunker wasn't pert of that team? I call the new Thor Thorina or female Thor. So am I a misogynist now?

That said, the thing I really dislike about New 52 Shazam is that he can't introduce himself without transforming. It will be interesting to see how they handle this in the movie; in Justice League: War, he says his name, and... nothing happens.

In the New 52 if he just says "Shazam" to introduce himself and what not the change does not happen. In order for the change to happen he has to shout "Shazam" and want to change.

Calling Billy Captain Marvel is correct because he had that name before Marvel Comics was called Marvel Comics. Also it's funny the article makes no mention of the wizard formerly known as Shazam.

That wouldn't be convenient lol.

[vartox]

I tend to just think of Carol Danvers as "Carol Danvers" and when I hear Captain Marvel my mind defaults to Billy Batson. I am female and I'm pretty sure I'm not a misogynist, I just like Billy more than Carol and I've read a lot more material featuring him as Captain Marvel.

[YaBoiChris]

http://www.dccomics.com/comics/the-m...thunderworld-1

"With a single word, Billy Batson transforms from boy reporter for Whiz Media into the world’s Mightiest Mortal – Captain Marvel! Along with the other members of the Marvel Family, Captain Marvel battles dastardly villains like Mr. Mind and the Monster Society of Evil!"

Carol Danvers is a great Captain Marvel and the fandom that's built around her is brilliant. The name should never be taken away from her. But Billy Batson Captain Marvel is alive and well in the DC Multiverse and his fans have a right to enjoy him as much as the Carol Corps enjoys their Cap.

So every time you insist that Carol Danvers is the ONLY Captain Marvel, it just comes across as overprotective, and inconsiderate to other fandoms, demonstrating how a little bit out of touch you might be with comics.