Why didn't Marvel push Monica Rambeau as Captain Marvel

[Agent Z]

Changing your name a lot is hardly the same as being Aquaman.

Low blow.

What I mean is you don't want Monica changing her name to define her too much.

I'll let the Aquaman jab slide.

[Agent Z]

Well I've complained about her. I was a big fan of Magik's back in her New Mutant days, but they've boosted her powers and abilities so much she's really too powerful for the team. Thor works because he has a whole load of foes from Norse mythology who are on or near his power-level.

But what about when he's on a team?

[Baby_Hater666]

What I mean is you don't want Monica changing her name to define her too much.

I'll let the Aquaman jab slide.

I don't think it defines her but I do see it as an opportunity to add a little more personality and quirk to the character. Euwing's interpretation has felt middle of the road and stiff.

I apologize for slighting Aquaman.

[Panic]

But what about when he's on a team?

Then he's a pain in the arse to write for. Back when I used to read Avengers he tended to take long leaves of absence and only turn up for the big foes. They also made him more stupid than he was in his own book, which helped reduce his effectiveness - and of course for these reasons he's rarely in the leadership position, because when the team's big gun is also the guy giving the orders then that person dominates the book.

[ed2962]

Then he's a pain in the arse to write for. Back when I used to read Avengers he tended to take long leaves of absence and only turn up for the big foes. They also made him more stupid than he was in his own book, which helped reduce his effectiveness - and of course for these reasons he's rarely in the leadership position, because when the team's big gun is also the guy giving the orders then that person dominates the book.

It depends on the writer...I'm think of back in the 70's Thor was actually co-chairman with Iron Man, but the Avengers comic was really dominated by Vision, Wanda, and other characters that didn't have their own book.

[ed2962]

For what it's worth, I never bought into the "so-n-so it too powerful to be on a team argument", even when I was a kid. At the same time Thor was leaving the Avengers, writers were still to do stories with Superman in the JLA and Hulk in the Defenders. Hell, every other issue Wonder Man was saying things like "My fists hit like Thor's hammer!" He didn't have to leave cuz he was too powerful...

[RLAAMJR.]

Good question. Maybe because Marvel wants to clearly tell us that Carol is Marvel's female face?

[gurkle]

Why they didn't push Monica in the '80s brings up another point: Marvel in the '80s hardly pushed any solo character, except Dazzler. It was a team-dominated era.

During the Jim Shooter era of Marvel, there was a clear perception that team books were more popular than solo books. So when they launched new ongoings, they were usually spinoffs of existing team books like West Coast Avengers and New Mutants. Solo characters were mostly given limited series only. Even Wolverine, the undisputed breakout star of X-Men, whose first limited series was a huge hit, never got his own ongoing until 1988.

So the '80s were just a bad time to be a new character whose name wasn't Dazzler. Everyone was tied to teams and there were few solo ongoings for new characters. I think this is one reason why Marvel has a shortage of female stars: the '80s was a great era for female characters at Marvel, with Claremont and Miller and Stern and others creating new, stronger, more powerful women (or strengthening past characters like the Wasp), but none of them got solo series to establish them as stars.

Carol gets pushed in part because she got her solo series, in an era (the '70s) that had a lot more solo comics. So like She-Hulk, everyone knows she's an established star, even when she isn't doing anything.

[Sardorim]

Phla-Vell.... Sigh.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

When I first started reading the Avengers, Monica Rambeau led the team as Captain Marvel and had a pretty high profile.

She also had a pretty awesome power set.

Still has.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Monica was really one of the true great Marvel characters of the 80's, and one of the best Avengers of all time. What destroyed her was Walt Simonson. Don't get me wrong...I love Walt Simonson, but every creator makes some questionable decisions and making one of the strongest black, females characters of all time incompetent and then powerless was not a great decision.

Marvel comics continues to this day with their incompetent decisions regarding Captain Marvel

[Darthfury78]

Marvel comics continues to this day with their incompetent decisions regarding Captain Marvel

Such as their obsession of making Carol into a Space Cop.

[XPac]

Marvel comics continues to this day with their incompetent decisions regarding Captain Marvel

You can argue they're doing a pretty solid job pushing Carol. She's got her own solo book (even though it's not quite setting the sales charts on fire), and she's got a movie coming down the pike in a few years.

I won't say she's necessarily suceeded in winning over the readership, but I think marvel is doing a descent job pushing her.

[Mike82]

Such as their obsession of making Carol into a Space Cop.

Well, she IS Captain Marvel, so it makes sense making her more of a cosmic character. I know what you're thinking. Carol should be on Earth so she can team up with Spider-Man. Sorry, its not going to happen.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Such as their obsession of making Carol into a Space Cop.

I have seen a cover drawn by Terry Dodson featuring Binary up front while left and right depicts her Space Cop sidekicks;

Captain Marvel
Blue Marvel
King T'Challa
AC