Ms. Marvel becomes Captain Marvel

[flickchick85]

As far as the actual direction of the new series, it makes me worry a bit about why Carol's doing all this instead of, say, Abigail Brand and SWORD. Why not just combine them and make Carol the top Agent of SWORD under Brand as her Fury/Coulson? That would've been a cool take. But no, apparently we get no mention of SWORD and a bunch of Carol-branded spaceships because of reasons. But I'll still give it a try.

I thought this too, but I have an unsubstantiated suspicion that it's just about movie rights. Brand/SWORD debuted in Astonishing X-Men, which means they probably fall under the Fox rights and can't use them in the MCU. Since the Marvel Comics division has made concerted efforts to diminish the Fox-owned characters in favor of the ones their movie division has the rights to, I feel like setting Carol up in a new Abigail Brand-ish role might be a part of that.

That said, I loved DeConnick's writing and will miss her, but I'm optimistic about the new team. And aside from missing the Brand/SWORD involvement, the new direction sounds like it has potential to me. And I like the new costume well enough.

On the haircut, I don't like it, because to me it's a "pixie cut," and I associate that with pixie-type characters, which Carol Danvers is not at all. But clearly their intent was to go "butch" because she's in the military, and that makes equally little sense because in my experience growing up in a military family, more military women have long-ish hair than anything else. They just wear it in a bun when in uniform.

 

[Gee]

Leaked covers for Ms. Marvel #1 and Captain Marvel #1:

Spoiler

 

[Mike5575]

Military women don't all sport butch cuts. They can have long hair it just has to be done up to keep it out of the face and neck.

Oh, I agree with you. The problem is, Marvel is basing this decision of a perceived ignorance of female hairstyles in the military. They are changing the look, because of what they deem a "practical" look for a character with a military background. Never mind the fact that Carol's military background never played such a huge part in her life.

 

[flickchick85]

Haircut aside, I really love that art style on the Captain Marvel cover. I get a retro New Frontier vibe from it.

 

[darthfury78]

Oh, I agree with you. The problem is, Marvel is basing this decision of a perceived ignorance of female hairstyles in the military. They are changing the look, because of what they deem a "practical" look for a character with a military background. Never mind the fact that Carol's military background never played such a huge part in her life.

Especially when Carol left the military on Very Bad Terms with the US Air Force.

 

[Mike Murdock]

Military women don't all sport butch cuts. They can have long hair it just has to be done up to keep it out of the face and neck.

But they aren't prohibited from having short hair (I'm not sure why short hair is a "butch cut" in today's day and age). I know plenty of people who have pixie haircuts and no one flips out about it.

 

[BoredGuy]

I wish I was shocked to see people here mad because a female character has short hair. But I'm not.

it's not about that, many Marvel women have had short hair, and it's never really been an issue (Jan, BW for a time, AoA Jean Grey and Storm, Rogue way back when, Dazzler now)
it's about the character, and the fact Carol has never gone short before, so it changes her entire look and silhouette
if Thor's hair was cut I'd be equally as peeved

and, also, as many here have pointed out, the "it's practical cuz military!" argument that many around the internet have repeated ad nauseum is bunk

 

[Mad Ones]

"She's never had it before so she shouldn't now" is not a reason to hate something. Carol's hair was inconsistent and weird for a while now. This is a streamlined look, but doesn't change anything about her character. I just don't get being mad about it.

 

[BoredGuy]

well I think "mad" is also the wrong word
I just don't care for it

other's may be emotional and angry about it, but that's definitely a bit weird

but again, If Thor's locks were cut, I'd feel the same

 

[Mad Ones]

But Thor is based on the Thor from Mythology, so some of his iconography should evoke that. Not the case with Carol.

 

[Mike5575]

"She's never had it before so she shouldn't now" is not a reason to hate something. Carol's hair was inconsistent and weird for a while now. This is a streamlined look, but doesn't change anything about her character. I just don't get being mad about it.

Longer hair just looks better. Short hair is fine, but I can't stand that pixie cut. She looks like a little boy now. I don't understand why Marvel would want to take their premier female superhero and make her look less feminine. It just doesn't make any sense.

The inconsistency comes from KSD switching Carol back and forth between her normal hair to the utterly ridiculous faux-hawk/helmet thing. Had KSD kept her hair with one consistent hair style, there would be no issue.

I also reject the notion that military women have to have GI Jane haircuts. Most military women have longer hair and just do it up in a bun.

They could have gone with Carol's first look as Captain Marvel in The Avenging Spider-Man:

Its short, but at least she doesn't look like a man.

 

[Mad Ones]

I guess my issue with all of this is the repitition of the 1950s standard of feminity. Carol is a woman. She can have short or long hair and still be a woman.

 

[BoredGuy]

definitely, but she can also have short or long hair and still be a badass
so then it just comes down to aesthetic preference

 

[Mad Ones]

Which I of course have no problems with but this thread is filled with "I don't like this because women should have long hair and if they don't they look like boys/men" which underscores an anxiety toward men and women looking too similar to each other. Go be a Medussa fan if a woman having long hair is important.

Carol has short hair. I'm waiting for the day when a man can rock a sash haha.

 

[BoredGuy]

Well my own comment about genderswapping was just a joke, directed at Marvel's recent surge of perceived PC changes and the reactions to them

again, I don't think anybody has much of a problem with short hair, per se, because other females have rocked it in the comics, but added to the armored and curveless look of the new costume, it's another step away from how she appeared for the majority of her history. Now, not saying her old look was better, because it certainly wasn't, but you have to understand the desire to at least recognize the character

but, I would love to see a guy bust out a sash
Gambit could probably pull it off with aplomb

oh and briefly, about the Thor thing, Mythological Thor also had red hair and a bushy beard, so his iconography has nothing to do with it. Marvel Thor has long hair, always has, always should

 

[Mike Murdock]

I guess my issue with all of this is the repitition of the 1950s standard of feminity. Carol is a woman. She can have short or long hair and still be a woman.

Pretty much this. The comment that she looks like a little boy is surprising since all you have to do is look down slightly and figure that one out. She doesn't lose her femininity just because she cut her hair. She just got a haircut, that's all.

 

[Panthro]

Longer hair just looks better. Short hair is fine, but I can't stand that pixie cut. She looks like a little boy now. I don't understand why Marvel would want to take their premier female superhero and make her look less feminine. It just doesn't make any sense.

The inconsistency comes from KSD switching Carol back and forth between her normal hair to the utterly ridiculous faux-hawk/helmet thing. Had KSD kept her hair with one consistent hair style, there would be no issue.

I also reject the notion that military women have to have GI Jane haircuts. Most military women have longer hair and just do it up in a bun.

They could have gone with Carol's first look as Captain Marvel in The Avenging Spider-Man:

Its short, but at least she doesn't look like a man.

Agreed, that look would be a lot better for the movie than what that goofy test art shows.

 

[MbJ]

Whenever I hear someone argue short hair makes someone look like a man I have to wonder if they've gone outside and seen a human woman at all in the past 15 years.