The Many Costumes of Captain Marvel

Fans can’t wait to see Captain Marvel’s new big-screen costume, but the wait also gives us a chance to show some love to the many other costumes she’s worn throughout the years.

Whether powerless or holding god-like power, Captain Marvel has always been formidable, but everyone has their favorite interpretation of the character. Carol Danvers has definitely experimented with some unique looks, but before we begin, here’s a little background on the character we know as Captain Marvel.

It’s easiest to start at the beginning, specifically Marvel Super-Heroes #13. The “Where Stalks the Sentry” issue was the first-ever appearance of Danvers, who was serving at the time as head of security for NASA. This would bring her into contact with Mar-Vell, who would ultimately change her life forever.

The character of Carol Danvers was created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan in 1968, where she would star alongside Captain Marvel in his ongoing title. Eventually, Marvel shifted gears and wanted a big-time female superhero, so Danvers, now going by Ms. Marvel, was given her own series, a book that launched thanks to the help of Gerry Conway, John Buscema, and Chris Claremont.

Danvers is a former Air Force pilot and NASA head of security, as well as a former Avenger, X-Man, and Alpha Flight member. Now she’s about to embark on her biggest journey yet as she is set to debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to Brie Larson, so what better time to take a look back at some of her memorable suits throughout the years?

Good idea, right? Yeah, we’re givers here. So sit back, relax, and check out the many costumes of Captain Marvel!

Original

Carol Danvers would end up with superhuman powers thanks to Mar-Vell’s attempt to shield her from the radiation of the Psyche-Magnitron, so it’s fitting that her first costume would be an homage to his.

The suit featured the same red, blue, and gold color scheme, though it showed way more skin. For comparison, Mar-Vell’s suit shows his face and that’s it. Her trademark sash wasn’t here yet, though she did have an odd scarf-cape thing.

This suit would get a small update later, getting rid of the midriff cutout and going with a full one piece instead. It also lost the carf… or it is scape… Caparf? Whatever.

Ms. Marvel

While it isn’t her current costume, many fans will always look at her Ms. Marvel suit as the definitive costume for the character.

Her original suit was badly damaged in a battle, and so Janet Van Dyne (The Wasp) helped her design a new suit which became synonymous with the character. A black one piece and long black boots and gloves are broken up by a yellow lightning bolt on her chest and a red sash, and she would frequently return to this suit over the course of her career.

The style of the lightning bolt would change here and there, as would the length of the sash, but most versions of this suit tend to be very similar.

Binary

Carol was arguably at her most powerful during her Binary days, and she had an over-the-top look to match her incredible set of powers.

Carol ended up being kidnapped by the Brood, who performed experiments on her due to her Kree genetics. She eventually was rescued, but their altering had actually had an unexpected effect, causing her to unlock an impressive amount of power. It also changed the color of her skin to red, and her hair was now essentially living flame with an aura of energy around it, and the same went for her gloves and boots.

She would adopt the name Binary during this time, and though she would lose the powers eventually, she would later gain them back once more.

Warbird

At one point Carol decided to ditch the superhero gear and go for something a bit more understated and practical, going by the codename Warbird.

She left the Avengers to join the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and instead of just wearing her Ms. Marvel costume, opted to don a more military-style uniform with a black-and-light grey color scheme. The suit was mostly black and the grey parts consisted of armor plating, though she did hold on to the domino mask.

This position would also segue into becoming a parole officer for the Thunderbolts, but she eventually did return to her Ms. Marvel suit courtesy of House of M.

Captain Marvel

The costume most recent fans are familiar with is this suit, introduced when Danvers finally decided to embrace the Captain Marvel mantle from Mar-Vell.

The suit has a much more militaristic and regal look to it than the previous costumes, featuring a mostly blue bodysuit with red shoulders, gloves, and boots, and her gold star integrated front and center. Her sash is also back but is shortened, held in place by a gold medallion-themed clasp.

She also has a helmet she can wear to accompany the look, which is definitely inspired by the Kree. This was also clearly the inspiration for her upcoming movie costume, which we’ll get to in a minute.

SHIELD Captain Marvel

This costume is much like her current suit, with one big difference.

This version of the suit gets a black, white, and grey color scheme. The star and lines off it are in white, while the boots, gloves, and shoulders are all a lighter gray. The rest of the suit is stark black, and overall it’s just gorgeous.

We wouldn’t want this used all the time mind you, but as a once and again type of thing, we love it.

Marvel Mangaverse

This costume was a play on Captain America’s suit, complete with star-emblazoned shield.

Carol goes by the name Warbird in the Mangaverse, and instead of her traditional colors decides to adopt the fallen Captain America’s colors for her new costume. A full bodysuit like Cap’s features a redesigned torso and long boots, but it is still unmistakeably inspired by Captain America.

Age of Apocalypse

This was probably the most over-the-top look Carol had, which is saying something. In this reality, Carol never gained any powers but was a valued member of the Human Resistance League.

Her expert marksmanship made her an ideal bodyguard, and that included a heavy dose of pouches all over her costume. The mask/hat combo shouldn’t work but actually does coupled with the blonde ponytail, but everything else screams the ’90s.

This version was turned into a cyborg after trying to kill Donald Pierce, but eventually, she was brought out of his control.

Mutant X

In this alternate universe version, Carol never regained her powers after Rogue took them, so she joined the Starjammers as their pilot and ballistics expert Binary.

Though she shared the same name, she was never experimented on by the Brood. As for her look here, it featured a red bodysuit, chunky red boots, blue arm and knee pads, and a yellow symbol. She would serve alongside Cyclops, who leads the Starjammers instead of his dad Corsair like in the main universe.

Earth-398

This alternate earth version happened thanks to the meddling of Morgan Le Fay, twisting the current universe into something entirely medieval.

Carol Danvers become Lady Marvel, a member of the Queen’s Avengers team and personal bodyguard. She wears a more regal hood and tiara combo along with her more ornate top, though it does have the familiar lightning bolt design on the front. Her skin tone took after her red Binary days, but her powers were mostly intact.

Earth X

In this mini-series, Carol was sent with a team into the Negative Zone to help in the fight against death itself, as they were able to project their astral forms into the realm of the dead.

Trippy right? The team was called The Realm Mar-Vel, and while they were able to recruit deceased superheroes to fight by their side, they ultimately died in the final battle against Mephisto. As you can see the character is wearing a cloak, as they all were, and Mephisto strangled them with it.

That’s cold Mephisto, so cold.

Captain Marvel Movie

While fans have yet to see the full red, blue, and gold version of the movie suit, they have seen the Kree version, and it’s pretty impressive so far.

The suit sports the Kree color scheme of green and grey and feels more like a military uniform than a superhero outfit. That’s on purpose most likely, and odds are it will get a small redesign and tweak before she sports the comic colors that fans are familiar with in the film.

The star and modern lines are all intact though, and we can’t wait to see it get the full Captain Marvel treatment.

Well, that’s the list, but make sure to let us know which costume is your favorite and why in the comments below!