What Is the Difference Between Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel?

Disney Plus is set to premiere their highly anticipated series Ms. Marvel. The title may confuse some as the film Captain Marvel came out in 2019. So who are these superpowered women? Both started as Marvel comic book characters. Comic books are like soap operas—filled with name changes, fake deaths, and power swaps. Over time, it can all get muddled. Don’t fret, I have graciously spent my life reading comics to explain things succinctly for new fans to digest easily.

To start, Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel are two unique characters with very different backstories. And both are slightly different in the Marvel Cinematic Universe than they are in their original comics. So here is a quick overview of these two strong heroines.

Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel, if you’re nasty.

Carol Danvers, created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan, first appeared in 1967’s Marvel Super-Heroes #13. Yet it was not until 1976 that her solo series, Ms. Marvel, began. In the comics, her powers came from an encounter with an alien named Captain Mar-Vell and a Psyche-Magnitron machine. Mar-Vell’s DNA imprinted on Carol’s, making her a Kree/human hybrid and granting her other-worldly abilities. And Carol got some of the best powers in comic book history. Her talents include flight (on Earth and in space), superhuman strength, healing abilities, energy absorption, photon blasting, and enhanced agility.

When Carol Danvers first became Ms. Marvel, her costume was a two-piece red and black outfit with a gold star symbol in the center. Later, her outfit changed to the iconic black bodysuit with a gold lightning bolt emblazoned across the front.

But all cannot remain perfect in the world of comics. Seriously, daytime dramas have nothing on Marvel. Carol Danvers had her powers stolen from her. Eventually, she regained her abilities and more, but took on the name Binary instead of her old title. After many harrowing space missions as Binary, Carol burned out all of her energy and depleted her special gifts. There were a few more name (and costume) changes before Carol finally took on the moniker Captain Marvel. Now she dons a full body suit, complete with the original costume’s bursting gold star.

Her most recent look and title became a key part of the MCU. However, Captain Marvel handled her origins a little differently. Instead of the strange machine, the Tesseract (aka the Space Stone) acted as the conduit that altered her DNA. Although Captain Marvel can sometimes feel like a commercial to join the armed forces, it is still a good movie. Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) embodies the cocky attitude of a fighter pilot with the rebellious, confident feel of a classic MCU hero. Even before getting supercharged, Carol, Doctor Strange, and Tony Stark could have been members of an “I’m awesome and I know it” club.

The Magnificent Ms. Marvel

As far as comic book characters go, Kamala Khan is a new kid on the block. She first appeared in 2013’s Captain Marvel #14, before getting her own title in 2014. Created by Sana Amanat, Stephen Wacker, G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona, and Jamie McKelvie, Kamala was the first Muslim character to headline a Marvel series.

Kamala Khan is a Pakistani-American teenager growing up in a world where the Avengers are always there to save the day. Like any normal teen, Kamala obsesses over all the superheroes. She even reads and writes superhero fanfiction. One of her favorites is none other than Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel kicks butt, doesn’t smile, and makes toxic males cry—it’s no wonder Kamala Khan looks up to her.

One night, Kamala was walking home alone when she encountered Terrigen Mist (a substance that brings out superpowers in people, creating Inhumans). Kamala fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of Captain Marvel. When she awoke, she looked exactly like her idol. The mist gave Kamala powers to shift into any other person, stretch her body, and grow to a large size (aka embiggen). To honor her hero Captain Marvel, Kamala became the new version of Ms. Marvel. Even her costume is an updated mix of Carol’s old lighting bolt bodysuit and the color scheme of the contemporary outfit, with a distinctly Kamala flair.

From the trailer of the new Disney Plus Ms. Marvel series, Kamala (Iman Vellani) may come into her powers without Terrigen Mist. Regardless of how she gets her powers, seeing Kamala in the series will be a treat. The fresh take on a classic mantle connects old heroes with the new.

All of this builds up to the 2023 film The Marvels, which will feature Kamala Khan, WandaVision‘s Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), and Carol Danvers teaming up. The only thing better than one superpowered Marvel woman is three.

(featured image: Disney/Marvel)