The film introduces is to Vers, a Kree warrior, with fragmented memories of her past. A key member of Hala's Starforce led by Yon-Rogg ( Jude Law), Vers escapes capture by the Skrulls and pursues them to Earth in 1995. Encountering SHIELD agents Coulson and Nick Fury, Vers rediscovers her pilot's career as Carol Danvers and is reunited with Maria "Photon " Rambeau and her daughter Monica.
We are then shown how an exploding Kree device created by her mentor Mar-Vell (Annette Benning) gave Carol super-powers but resulted in her grooming by Yon-Rogg. Assisted by Fury, Photon and her Flerken cat, Goose, Carol saves some appealing Skrull refugees and takes to the stars.
I thought the movie cleverly rationalised Carol's complex and demeaning backstory of amnesia, kidnapping, de-powering and alcoholism -from her Conway/ Buscema/Mooney debut through her Binary phase to her modern redesign by Jamie McKelvie. The montage where she picks herself up repeatedly, from child to pilot to superhero is inspiring without being sentimental and the retooling of her origin means she's no longer derivative of a male hero, unlike Supergirl, Batgirl or She-Hulk. It's also pleasing to see a film that features female friendships rather than rivalries and depicts male and female characters with genuine equality.
Although, as a Marvelite, I'm now a bit disappointed that the Skrulls couldn't have been in Avengers Assemble in the first place, it's encouraging that there's now potential for Spectrum/Monica Rambeau and perhaps even Genis-Vell, Phyla-Vell and the Cotati.
I've been following Carol Danvers since issue 2 of her Marvel comic in 1977, when I was in secondary school. I very nearly passed it by since it looked like a girl's comic. Here are the covers of some issues that were significant to me.
This issue featured a "Stormroom" very like the one in Logan's World...
Another thing that interests me about Carol Danvers is that she's a descendant of astronaut pioneers like Wally Funk, the subject of a book by my old friend Sue Nelson. It's a fascinating read.
It's very healthy to have women write for sci-fi and fantasy franchises. The most recent Big Finish audio I listened to was The Hunting Ground by Alexandra Benedict. It's a Scandi Noir for Sixie with sci-fi elements and whimsical touches. The Sixth Doctor turns up in contemporary Iceland just as an alien hunter stalks the lava floes with his pack of Space Wolves.
This is a corporate satire which reminds me of Trapped but the two-headed office assistant alien who is the hunter's prey is a comedy character that doesn't really work. The switches in tone are jarring; just because the Sixth Doctor's era mistakenly began that way in the 80s isn't a reason to continue it. Police officer Yrsa Kritjansdottir is another Companion Who Didn't, as opposed to Couldn't. I found her a bit whiny and irritating so I'm glad she isn't joining Sixie. And Colin Baker still says "plan-UTT" for planet and it's still annoying.
For future posts, I've started watching the boxset of Black Lighting but I'm still thinking about a post on the comics art of Mike Grell and one on the Inhumans and Royals.
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