Captain Marvel Getting Relaunched

Captain Marvel is getting a new ongoing series, and she's got quite a formidable creative team at the helm.

Her new series will kick off in January and will feature writer Kelly Thompson, artist Carmen Carnero, colorist Tamra Bonvillain, and editors Sarah Brunstad and Wil Moss. This comes after Margaret Stohl introduces a reworked origin in The Life of Captain Marvel and also two months before her big movie debut.

"I think the character is incredibly important, maybe now more than ever," Thompson told The New York Times.

In the new relaunch, Carol Danvers will be returning to Earth, specifically New York City, after extended time in space on the Alpha Flight space station. Thompson is trying to find a balance between suiting new fans who will see the movie and longtime fans of the character from the comics.

"You really want her to be accessible to new and younger audiences who are going to see the movie, fall in love and want to seek out other Captain Marvel stories," Thompson said. "But you really want to respect the fans who have loved the character for decades. I think there's a razor's edge there."

Part of that process is to bring back in Jessica Drew, aka Spider-Woman, who has been Carol's best friend in the comics, as well as introduce Tony Stark back into the mix, which has already started to happen in books like Avengers and The Life of Captain Marvel. There will also be a new romantic interest, as Thompson teased "There will definitely be some romance and it may be someone we all know and have seen before in Marvel Comics."

Carol's previous romantic interest was James Rhodes (War Machine), and The Life of Captain Marvel introduces an old friend in a similar role, so it remains to be seen how the new person is brought in.

Thompson also wants to keep the innate humanity that has become Carol's calling card. Like many Marvel heroes, she is flawed and struggles with normal things that ground the more cosmic happenings in her life. Thompson wants "Carol, unlike a lot of other heroes, is incredibly human and flawed, which makes her relatable," Thompson said. "She's incredible but she struggles."

Carol will be the focus of course, but the first arc is going to have some welcome surprises for fans.

"This first arc has some female guest stars in an unexpected way," Thompson said. The first issue also includes some "costume weirdness," she hinted: "It's a little bit of a risk, but I think people are going to respond to it."

Captain Marvel hits this January.