Why Captain Marvel Looks So Different In Phase 4

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Ms. Marvel episode 6.

Captain Marvel has changed costume once again. Superhero films and TV shows tend to see their heroes (and secondary characters) switch costumes at regular intervals. It makes good business sense for studios and networks; they get to sell more merchandise, including action figures of the latest outfit.

Still, Captain Marvel seems to change costumes with surprising regularity - and hairstyles as well. Ms. Marvel's post-credit scene features a cameo from Brie Larson's Carol Danvers, and from her hairstyle this seems to be set around the same time as Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings. The costume is a completely different one, however, a little more similar to the outfit she wore in the first Captain Marvel film.

The new costume is a fascinating one, dropping the military aesthetic and feeling much more informal. It looks more like a traditional superhero costume than armor, with a reduced amount of piping, gloves instead of gauntlets, and a belt that's stripped of its pouches. Even the boots are stylistically different, much more streamlined and less bulky. The costume really does feel as though it's a more logical adaptation of the one Carol Danvers started out in, rather than the one she wore in Avengers: Endgame.

Ms. Marvel Undid Endgame's Weird Captain Marvel Changes

Captain Marvel looks down at Peter Parker in Avengers Endgame

In truth, Avengers: Endgame never quite worked. The core problem lay in the fact Marvel shot these scenes shortly after Brie Larson had been cast in the role, but Captain Marvel's writer-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck were still working on the script. Clearly the concept artists and costume designers for Avengers: Endgame decided to focus more on Carol Danvers' USAF background, going for a military look they felt emphasized her power. Unfortunately this sat uncomfortably with the approach taken in Captain Marvel, where her original outfit was tied to the Kree Starforce and the changes in her costume over the course of the film served as a mirror of her character growth. It's good to see Marvel pivot to a costume that feels a little more character-appropriate now Captain Marvel is more well-defined.

Ironically, Captain Marvel's costume proved problematic in the comics as well - but for very different reasons. There, Carol Danvers originally went by the codename "Ms. Marvel," and she wore an outfit adapted from the one worn by Kree superhero Mar-Vell - and heavily sexualized, as well as also incorporating a random scarf. It prompted one reader to write in a letter (published in Ms. Marvel #8), in which they noted: "Question: where is a woman who wears long sleeves, gloves, high boots and a scarf (winter wear), and at the same time has a bare back, belly, and legs? The Arctic equator? That costume requires a few alterations." The design seems to have been imposed by editorial fiat, with artists gradually adjusting it - before abandoning it altogether, albeit going for a black swimsuit look instead. It wasn't until 2012 that Carol Danvers adopted a version of the recognizable modern costumes.

The evolution of Captain Marvel's MCU costume is bumpy, but it's less problematic and sexualized than the comics. Still, at least there's a logical reason she could be switching things up a lot; in the MCU, Carol Danvers wears Kree technology that allows her to change her look with literally the touch of a button. While Ms. Marvel may have introduced a new costume for Captain Marvel, there's no reason to assume she'll stick with this one for long either.

More: Ms Marvel Finale Post-Credits Scene Explained

Want more Ms. Marvel articles? Check out our essential content below...