Why didn't Marvel push Monica Rambeau as Captain Marvel

[JudicatorPrime]

I remember those issues well. It took me a minute to get used to Monica being Captain Marvel as well, being such a huge Mar-Vell fan. Oddly enough, I still haven't gotten used to anyone other than Monica using the name, despite their direct links to Mar-Vell. You can accept things, move on, and yet not be entirely in harmony.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Different time. Compared to now, then Marvel didn't care about trying to appease a movement like the "social justice" types, nor was there an internet culture like today's (both in terms of number and viral thoughts), so giving her publicity due to her being a black female in and of itself wasn't a thing. What was very much a thing (and still is, but there's more editorial push in some ways now) was writers creating and pushing their own characters, and other writers just ignoring that when they step in. It was because of this that Monica didn't get the traction she would now where new characters are more evenly shared and editors being aware of what went on in the past and trying to wring as much money and publicity out of characters as they can. As well written as a character was, if the next writer (especially on a team like the Avengers where Monica blossomed and where the cast is in and out with every new writer) didn't want to use them and already had plans, they'd fall by the wayside and there wasn't an editorial/creative brain trust like today where she'd be suggested to be plugged into a different comic, as Marvel then had perhaps more editorial control over individual comics (where writers and editors had more of a real relationship), but not nearly as much over the collective Marvel field. You basically had to wait if another writer saw something in a character that you the reader did, unless fans wrote in en masse with letters (and it's easier to voice an opinion on the internet today, though you will also get more people who don't buy the comic or may not even read comics at all chiming in.

That was indeed very much a thing. There is that possibility yes.

[Wellsoul2]

Two things. Carol had a more high profile with her own Ms. Marvel book and she was part of the Mar-Vell Kree Captain Marvel cast.

[LordAllMIghty]

Actually, "back then" heroes weren't against killing, nor were they against killing undead evil creatures like Dracula. Dracula had been destroyed on a couple of occasions, merely to be resurrected. In fact, the story arc of that issue centered on Dr. Strange discovering and unleashing the Montesi Formula, slaying all vampires, including Dracula. Naturally, it didn't last. The vampires are all back now, thanks to their market popularity.

No...heroes still considered killing a big taboo, even then. Most heroes on the X-Men, Avengers and FF considered killing a major issue.

As for Monica's tactic, she didn't know that she would "knock out" MAC. It was her hypothesis. Monica isn't a medical doctor, or a brain surgeon. She doesn't know how her tactic would have ultimately affected MAC. She does know, however, that entering someone's brain and setting off a pulse of any kind entails the risk of killing them. Period. I'm sure Ewing wouldn't let it come to that, but let's not pretend that Monica knows how effective that tactic -- which she's yet to do successfully -- is. And how do we know Monica has no clue? Because she tried to enter MAC's eyes in a visible light form, instead of either blending in as ambient light, or going purely undetectable in a different EM form. Monica is often written that way: hamstrung by writers. And yet very powerful.

Monica has already done that trick.

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[JudicatorPrime]

Monica has already done that trick.-018 copy.jpg

I meant on someone less powerful than Thanos or Shuma Gorath-Lite.

[LordAllMIghty]

I meant on someone less powerful than Thanos or Shuma Gorath-Lite.

I'm pretty sure her attack on MAC wouldn't even be close to deadly.

[Colossus1980]

I haven't read any of the replies but Marvel did push Monica Rambeau from what I remember. But then Marvel does what it does to the majority of characters they start to push.......they stop pressing the gas and let the momentum die.

MR is just one of the countless heroes that has been pushed then sidelined. Not only her, but a lot of super teams as well. I guess there are not a lot of fans clamoring for MR. But then there are very few breakouts like Deadpool and Ms. Marvel(Khamla Khan).

[Tiamatty]

I haven't read any of the replies but Marvel did push Monica Rambeau from what I remember. But then Marvel does what it does to the majority of characters they start to push.......they stop pressing the gas and let the momentum die.

MR is just one of the countless heroes that has been pushed then sidelined. Not only her, but a lot of super teams as well. I guess there are not a lot of fans clamoring for MR. But then there are very few breakouts like Deadpool and Ms. Marvel(Khamla Khan).

More accurately, Roger Stern pushed Monica, but then when he was taken off Avengers - mostly because editorial wanted to make Monica look bad so Captain America could become the leader of the Avengers again - she was dropped into limbo. Part of that may actually have been other writers wanting to honour Stern by not writing his character. That was something of a thing at the time.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

The first color scheme for the redesign is fine.
NO Miracleman resembling color scheme please.


The Kris Anka designed helmet complements nicely the Jordan Gibson redesign for the Glistening Golden Captain Marvel!
Although to me it would be just about perfect were the white eye slits added, like in..


..Thomas Perkins rendition.
IMO the very first Captain Marvel woman leading Giant-Man and Machine Man into battle is to be used for Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe!

[simbob4000]

What didn't Marvel push her? Because nobody really cares. She's a Z-list Avenger, may as well give the D-list Avenger with a connection to the original Captain Marvel the Captain Marvel title when it comes time to put out a Captain Marvel comic for trademark reasons. Probably would have been more interesting if they went with Marvel Boy.

Who cares anyways, she was in Nextwave, and that's one of the best comics Marvel has put out since 2000...if not ever.

[Agent Z]

What didn't Marvel push her? Because nobody really cares. She's a Z-list Avenger, may as well give the D-list Avenger with a connection to the original Captain Marvel the Captain Marvel title when it comes time to put out a Captain Marvel comic for trademark reasons. Probably would have been more interesting if they went with Marvel Boy.

Who cares anyways, she was in Nextwave, and that's one of the best comics Marvel has put out since 2000...if not ever.

The people who like Monica?

[Username taken]

What didn't Marvel push her? Because nobody really cares. She's a Z-list Avenger, may as well give the D-list Avenger with a connection to the original Captain Marvel the Captain Marvel title when it comes time to put out a Captain Marvel comic for trademark reasons. Probably would have been more interesting if they went with Marvel Boy

This doesn't actually mean anything given the initial question was why wasn't she pushed in the first place.

Marvel tried by giving her the Captain Marvel moniker but simply abandoned it. If she was a higher profile character, there won't be any debate here at all.

[Username taken]

The people who like Monica?

Exactly.

Monica does have some fans.

[Carabas]

This doesn't actually mean anything given the initial question was why wasn't she pushed in the first place.

Because it was the 80's and they already had Storm as a powerfuf black female character, they didn't need two of those. And because her creator Jim Stern got into a fight with Gruenwald and subsequentially was fired from writing the only book she was in. So that was basically that.

[yet another]

Because it was the 80's and they already had Storm as a powerfuf black female character, they didn't need two of those. And because her creator Jim Stern got into a fight with Gruenwald and subsequentially was fired from writing the only book she was in. So that was basically that.

Guess you mean Roger Stern.