I actually disagree with this. I never got the feeling that her assertiveness was supposed to be considered bad. She got herself in trouble, but it's because she was doing her job, and she was sometimes able to provide Mar-Vell some assistance. I think she was meant to be seen as a positive character - she was a female in a traditionally male position, whose gender was never made an issue. She actually contrasted really, really well with Mar-Vell's love interest, Una. Una was a nurse - a traditionally female job - and was almost a stereotypical love interest. She was a major cause of the conflict between Mar-Vell and Yon-Rogg, leaving her as a conflict ticket rather than a full character. She was a very passive character, and spent a lot of time pining and crying for Mar-Vell. She had very little real agency. She was quiet and scared.
Carol, on the other hand, was a former Air Force pilot, and was serving as chief of security for a NASA facility - traditionally male jobs. She was interested in Mar-Vell, and actively pursued him. She got in danger a lot, but she always kept cool, never panicked, never ran away. She had quite a lot of agency. She was the complete opposite of the typical comic book love interest. And I think readers were actually supposed to like her. At the very least, there didn't seem to be any letters critical of her. Una actually got more criticism, for constantly crying about whether Mar-Vell loved Carol.
I can think of no better thing to use my first post on!
Well.. sort of, yeah. I mean... with her most recent round of memory loss, it basically didn't happen as far as she's concerned. (And KSD has pretty much said she isn't going to touch that. She said Claremont addressed the hell out of it 30 years ago. There's nothing else to say.)
I agree. It wasn't really a bad thing. She was, however, written as a deliberate model of women's lib feminism... and I think they were a bit TOO intense with it at times. So it sort of felt like they were really just beating you over the head with her aggressiveness/assertiveness. I blame a lot of that on the writing style of the 70s, though. Everyone's traits were a bit more exaggerated than they are now. So that aspect of her has mellowed out a bit... making it actually come across a lot more naturally.
I'm not above stealing posts, either; Ood Omega posted this one on the old forum last night:
Last edited by saucemaster; 04-30-2014 at 06:08 PM.
Clearly Volume 2 is just going to be all about trying to see how many different alien species she can punch in the face!
That problem came later, though. As a Mar-Vell supporting character, the feminist angle wasn't actually pushed that hard - it was largely taken for granted that she was equal to men. She was actually an incredibly progressive character.
It was actually Claremont that started to really push the feminist stuff hard, and then after her solo title ended, the guys writing Avengers shoved it in readers' faces to the point of it being obnoxious.
KSD's gone back to the more progressive approach Thomas took - she's a woman, and that's not forgotten, but neither is it a "hear me roar" deal.
I'm a Captain Marvel junkie.
Loving the new series, Carol is fast becoming my favorite person to hold the mantle.
I'd love to see some crazy space-time shenanigans that lets her Genny and Phyla fight side by side... down the road.
"It is wrong to assume that art needs the spectator in order to be. The film runs on without any eyes. The spectator cannot exist without it. It ensures his existence." -- James Douglas Morrison
I'm really getting into her. I much prefer her new costume, as hot as she was in a swimsuit, it wasn't really appropriate for a woman bearing the company name in this day and age.
Really love Captain Marvel. I think KSD is doing a really great job.
I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.
- George Washington
Many thanks for this thread, lilyinblue. Obviously, I dressed for the occasion.
I love everything about Carol's new direction, and KSD's Captain Marvel has been among my favorite books since I got into comics. Hope the Corps is well and healthy in the years to come.
Anyone else catch Carol's brief appearance in Avengers World #5?
Avengers World 5 page 21.jpg
"It is wrong to assume that art needs the spectator in order to be. The film runs on without any eyes. The spectator cannot exist without it. It ensures his existence." -- James Douglas Morrison
I am So Happy to See the Carol Corps Up and Running Right Away!
Her Fanbase is one of the BEST of CBR and indeed they have shown that on the NEW CBR!
"By Earth and Sky, By Craft and Hex -- By The Past and The Future – I Call HOPE Forth From The DARKNESS! I Speak The Words We Made Into MAGIC! Let THEIR Power Augment Our OWN! To Strike ONE BLOW From Our HEARTS and SOULS – From ALL THAT WE ARE! Let The CALL Go Forth -- AVENGERS! ASSEMBLE!" Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff ~~ From Avengers #689!
Come Join and Learn about Wanda Maximoff at: The Scarlet Witch Appreciation Thread 2023!