As Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers has ascended atop the Marvel ladder, including a prominent place in the MCU, and her current role in the comics as the leader of the Avengers. Yet many fans would argue that the quality of Captain Marvel stories has hindered her potential to be a truly massive star, and face of the company, leading readers to question how the character could be approached differently.

Despite the criticisms that can be rightly levied at the character's Marvel Comics history, Captain Marvel has still cultivated an impressive fan base over the years. Still, her books, at times, leave much to be desired. Carol Danvers first donned the mantle of Captain Marvel in Kelly Sue DeConnick and Dexter Soy's 2012 series, and while DeConnick and Soy's series set a high bar, Captain Marvel's titles since have managed to produce mixed results.

It can be hard to pinpoint exactly why audiences struggle to connect with Captain Marvel's books, given how much they love the character. Analyzing each series and what they offer, or more crucially, what they don't offer, might bring readers to the answers they seek.

Captain Marvel's Less-Than-Impressive Rogues Gallery Has Been An Impediment To Her Acclaim

The Hero's Lower Tier Villains, Explained

One running theme in Captain Marvel's books, especially since becoming a top-tier hero, is her rogue's gallery, or lack thereof. There is a storytelling cliché, which suggests that in any story, the hero is only as good or interesting as their antagonist. In part, this is why the greatest comic book heroes are also synonymous with the medium's greatest villains. Characters like DC's Batman, or Marvel's Spider-Man, are to some degree defined by their long list of memorable foes. During her time as an A-tier Marvel hero, Carol Danvers has arguably never been given any A-tier opponents to fight against.

That is to say, there are too many instances in Captain Marvel comics where audiences can't connect with her villains; more often than not, that is because her antagonists often debut in the books they appear in, and then don't last beyond that arc. While there is more to Captain Marvel's mixed level of success than just her lack of quality enemies, this has definitely had its impact. There is another storytelling adage, "show, don't tell," and at times it seems as though fans are being told how powerful Carol is, without being shown it in a satisfying way.

Take Omen for example, the villain introduced in last year's Captain Marvel series from Alyssa Wong – which many fans who actually overpowered Captain Marvel. Yet the ultimate resolution to their conflict was, unfortunately, underwhelming, and there seems to be no active plan by Marvel to keep Omen around as a foil for Carol Danvers. Rather than build on the dynamic between the hero and villain, it is as though the publisher has opted to go in a different direction with Captain Marvel yet again.

Some Marvel Fans Have Started To Wonder If Captain Marvel Is A Difficult Character To Write

All-Powerful Protagonists Have Their Drawbacks

ittedly, it can, at times, be some way difficult for readers to take Captain Marvel's enemies seriously, considering her status as a cosmic Marvel powerhouse. To this end, some Marvel fans have started to wonder whether Carol Danvers is hard to write, because of how strong the character is supposed to be. This is not a problem that is unique to Carol – it has, naturally, been cited as a cause for concern for Superman scribes as well – but it shouldn't be discounted as part of the problem that has held her back.

Captain Marvel's power level as of now ranks among literal gods. Creating a story where she remains relatable isn't impossible, but it certainly presents a challenge for writers.

In a sense, Captain Marvel's blessing in becoming an all-powerful being might be a curse for writers struggling to put obstacles in her way. The key aspect to a hero's journey is overcoming adversity and being relatable to a viewing audience, but achieving both becomes all the more difficult when writing for a virtually invincible character. It's not hard to imagine some writers having that difficulty when canonically, Captain Marvel's power level as of now ranks among literal gods. Creating a story where she remains relatable isn't impossible, but it certainly presents a challenge for writers.

Captain Marvel's Past Stories Have Potentially Had A Negative Impact On Her Rise To Superstar Status

Civil War II Hurt Carol's Reputation

Returning to Alyssa Wong's Captain Marvel book, the author described her vision of Carol Danvers as that of someone who is both "an unstoppable force and an immovable object," as well as "brave, principled, and stubborn" all at once. The former descriptors speak to how powerful Carol is as a superhero, while the latter showcases the complexities of her persona, which some readers could relate to. An all-powerful being who maintains character flaws while still trying their best, in spite of flaws like stubbornness, is relatable because that's how the average human can be sometimes.

Superhumans are at their most captivating on the page when writers don't neglect to make them feel humane; some writers tend to take cues from Brian Michael Bendis' Civil War II, which is where a lot of Captain Marvel's controversies began. Her depiction in Civil War is often cited as "character assassination," depicting her as more of a cold extremist than she's ever been, two words that, ideally, shouldn't be used to describe Carol Danvers. Her characterization is a big reason Civil War II, but because it's her biggest spotlight, it has left a major imprint on her Marvel legacy.

There Is One Clear Way Marvel Can Fix Captain Marvel Comics Moving Forward

Take Cues From What Worked

The hatred for Civil War II is a big reason why people love Kelly Thompson's Captain Marvel so much. On top of being well-written, it brings the character back to her original roots, both story-wise and character-wise. Stories like Thompson's, the aforementioned Alyssa Wong run, and even the bar-setting Kelly Sue DeConnick storyline make for good templates to craft the perfect Captain Marvel story, along with focusing on the issues that are causing critics to disconnect from the works. If Marvel is at all concerned about fans' reception to the character's contemporary stories, this is how to address it.

Critics have accused her books of being boring, but that could change if new writers help Captain Marvel reach her true story potential.

As readers anticipate the company's next Captain Marvel series, there are a few essentials that, hopefully, the next writer can stick by. Rather than rush into producing new villains, pour from Carol's rogue's gallery. She has a rich history that readers should be rewarded for spending years following, do so by revisiting old villains, even the latest ones, like Omen. Maintain Carol's power-level, but also the empathy, ion, and determination that makes her likable. Critics have accused her books of being boring, but that could change if new writers help Captain Marvel reach her true story potential.