Civil War was originally intended to Change Captain Marvel Forever | Popgen Tech

to Marvel Civil War is one of the biggest crossover events in comic book history, but initial plans saw the original Captain Marvel make her triumphant return to a more prominent role, as well as crown a new hero in the role – six years before Carol Danvers actually took up the mantle.

Today, fans know Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel, but the first character to bear that name in Marvel Comics was originally Kree soldier Mar-Vell. Mar-Vell famously died of cancer in the graphic novel The Death of Captain Marvel – notable for being one of the major comic book deaths that was irreversible… at least until 2006, when Mar-Vell was apparently resurrected in a one-shot Civil War: The Return. Mar-Vell is subsequently recruited by Tony Stark to act as warden of a prison in the Negative Zone for unregistered superheroes. This Mar-Vell is later revealed to be the Skrull agent Khn’nr, a deep spy sent to scout Earth before the Secret Assault event. Something happens to Khn’nr along the way, however, leading the Skrull to believe that he really is is Mar-Vell. The character works on Earth as a hero until his death protecting it from the Skrulls.

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However, this wasn’t always the plan for Captain Marvel Civil War. According to a post shared on Marvel editor Tom Brevoort’s blog The Tom Brevoort Experience detailing the original plans for the 2006 mega-event, Mar-Vell was originally supposed to have a more prominent role, heralding a new iteration of the hero. The framework states:

To bolster his forces, Tony offers a deal to all captured Marvel Universe villains, electronically tagging them and sending them after the heroes. The main imprisoned character that Tony brings out is Marvel Boy, who is all messed up, and who we set up to be the new Captain Marvel. … The actual new Captain Marvel appears, to take on and take down Marvel Boy.

Captain Marvel’s Comeback Plan Goes Tricky

Although the initial plan outlined above did not come to fruition, many of the ideas would find their way into future Marvel storylines, albeit in a modified form. At some point it was definitely decided that Mar-Vell reappeared Civil War is not the real Captain Marvel, and is instead revealed to be a Skrull to help set up the Secret Assault. This Captain Marvel never goes up against Marvel Boy, aka the anarchic young Kree ensign Noh-Varr. Marvel Boy made return to the spotlight on Civil War: Young Avengers/Raways tie-in miniseries, but he only encounters the last Skrull Captain Marvel in the final battle of Secret Assaultwhere he was given nega-bands by Mar-Vell to help fight off the Skrull invasion.

Noh-Varr then took the name of Captain Marvel to Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers for the post-Secret Assault time, titled Dark Reignbefore leaving to chart her own path and being replaced by Carol Danvers, who seems destined to keep the name permanently, especially since she has it in the MCU, becoming the legacy’s most famous owner.

Civil War’s Captain Marvel Changes Succeed

It is not clear who original new Captain Marvel referenced in Brevoort’s behind-the-scenes documents if not Marvel Boy. In fact, a memo about the outcome of the event (again shared by Brevoort) professes ignorance but predicts that Carol Danvers will take the name – something that made came true, but not until years later, after Noh-Varr had turned away. Ultimately, it’s a good thing to be vague Civil War plan to introduce a mysterious new Captain Marvel did not come out – it may have been a long and winding road, but it led to the reinvention of Noh-Varr and Carol Danvers who finally took the name she was born to embody.

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Source: The Tom Brevoort Experience (1, 2)