When Captain Marvel is relaunched this fall, following the conclusion of Secret Wars, it's getting a new pair of writers. And this duo is a pair familiar to Marvel fans, though they've never written a comic before.
But let's back up for a sec. This news unfortunately means that writer Kelly Sue DeConnick, a longtime favorite of readers, is exiting the comic. Let's not forget that it was DeConnick that made Carol Danvers into Captain Marvel, upgrading her from her former status as Ms. Marvel, garnering a legion of new fans and inspiring a forthcoming feature film. But with DeConnick is moving on to other projects, who could fill the giant-sized shoes she's leaving behind? Who would fans accept as her successor — especially the female army of fans who call themselves the "Carol Corps"?
Marvel gets that this is a huge deal to fans. That's why the showrunners behind ABC's Agent Carter TV series are taking over Captain Marvel. Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas are Captain Marvel's new writers. It's a gig that marks their first foray into comics after careers in television writing for shows like Dollhouse, Terra Nova, Hawaii Five-O and Law & Order: SVU. They also created Reaper, which ran for two seasons on the CW.
Thanks to the new status quo of the "All-New All-Different Marvel" universe that follows Secret Wars, Butters and Fazekas were given the opportunity to shake things up a bit. According to Fast Company, that meant streamlining and better defining Carol's purpose.
"Marvel really wanted us to design what her mission is within the universe," Fazekas told Fast Company. "We know what S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mission is, we know what the Avengers' mission is, we know what Guardians of the Galaxy's mission is. So how does Captain Marvel fit into all that?"
In Butters and Fazekas' comic, Captain Marvel's place is that of a soldier who serves as Earth's first line of defense against external threats. In other words, in the remade Marvel universe, there is no S.W.O.R.D. Instead, Carol Danvers is sort of an extension of the Avengers, bridging the gap between them and the rest of the galaxy.
In addition to building on everything that DeConnick did with the character, Butters and Fazekas decided it was time to settle on an appearance that's consistent with Carol's mission. That means some tweaks to her uniform to give it a slightly more militarized appearance, but most noticeable will be her new haircut. The character's hair has been the subject of a great deal of debate, scorn and love over the years. The new, short-cropped 'do is all about functionality.
Despite DeConnick's exit, artist Kris Anka is staying put. He designed Captain Marvel's new look, as well as the space station that will now serve as her personal HQ. It's there that her first story arc kicks off, as she encounters a ghost ship on a course for Earth.
Sounds interesting. Now... If they can just get Katee Sackhoff to star in the movie, we'll be all set.
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