The Shocking Truth of Carol Danvers: Avengers #92, #93 – September, November 1971

Carol Danvers' turn has come to help save Mar-Vell. However, she just has a cameo in this issue (Avengers #92). Also, unlike in the previous times, in which she tried to help him in his own comic book, her plan here is a bit more logical and she is more composed.

Danvers didn't appear in Avengers #91 which is why I didn't review it, but as you could have guessed the Avengers defeated Ronan the Accuser. Yet new troubles arise.

Now I know it's not Danvers' related, but I can't ignore a literary reference when it so clearly stands before me, so please bear with me. Scarlett Witch tries to convince Vision and Quicksilver to take a walk with her, telling them that maybe if they mingled with people they wouldn't sound like, basically a dictionary. Her brother tells her that she doesn't need to "flaunt [her] carefully acquired colloquialism at [her] male betters… be off with you, girl!" MALE BETTERS! Her response is epic; she tells him "Maybe I'd better, before I zap you with my own answer to The Feminine Mystique… I ---" then she interrupted by Jarvis who runs into the room. The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan (1963) was one of the catalysts of the second wave feminism (from mid-60s until the early 80s). Her comment is especially interesting considering that the character of Scarlett Witch is in a way the answer to The Feminine Mystique; the stay at home wife that should feel a mysterious satisfaction from her role. Being a superhero is definitely anything but that. Carol Danvers is also a ground breaking woman in those terms, working at a men's job in a military base.

Now back to the issue itself, The Avengers find out that their battle against Ronan the Accuser from the previous issues has been made public. This leads to mass panic as people didn't know aliens existed, let alone that they were making aggressive moves against their planet on a massive scale. The government forms a special committee and wants to investigate Captain Marvel, who they found out is a Kree. Mar-Vell does consider giving himself up, as that will be the legal thing to do.

Then the issue reminds the readers that Mar-Vell was grieving, because he previously discovered that the Kree are being attacked by the Skrulls. The issue continues to state that "danger may come in many forms… some of them quite pleasing to the mind and eye…" and of course it's Carol Danvers that it's referring to. So basically she's described as a pleasant eye candy, which is annoying, while she's flying a helicopter, which is very impressive, but she's hardly dangerous. Or is she?

Unfortunately, Danvers' helicopter develops engine problems on the way to the Avengers mansion and she starts to crash. Of course. However, the interesting development is that while Mar-Vell tries to rescue her, he fails. It is Vision who ends up saving them both. Is it Mar-Vell who is turning into the new damsel in distress? (He was very useless in the previous issue, as Ronan had him bound).

The Avengers are suspicious of Danvers, but she insists that she isn't working for S.H.I.E.L.D and that she is here to help. She offers Mar-Vell a hideout place and the Avengers agree with her that that is the best solution, as the public already views him as guilty.

Mar-Vell and Danvers get on a jet and manage to get away from S.H.I.E.L.D airplanes. Then we find out that Nick Fury allowed them to escape as he thinks, based on past experiences, that it will be bad for America if Mar-Vell is captured.

Because of their association with Mar-Vell the Avengers receive a court summoning. This causes Rick Jones (and the readers as a result) to realize that the actions of superheroes are no longer black and white.

During the court session Rick receives a vision that Mar-Vell and Carol are in danger, so he runs away hoping to help them. The Avengers don't know where he went and go back to the mansion. When they arrived they see that people managed to enter the mansion and ruined it. Then Captain America, Thor and Iron Man show up at the mansion and tell the current Avengers that they were wrong and that they should have handed Mar-Vell for investigation, as the Avenger have always cooperate with the law. The issue ends with Captain America disassembling the Avengers as their name is now a disgrace.

Carol Danvers has a really small role in here, but it is still significant. She gets into trouble again, but this time it's not ridicules, aircraft problems do happen. And Mar-Vell did not save her, in fact he needed saving as well. More significantly, she came to save him. Which is not very legal. But unlike previous times and which she helplessly stood by Mar-Vell, now she is active and comes up with her own solution. This is still a positive change for the character.

Then in issue 93# we find out that Carol Danvers was in fact a Skrull. An alien race that are the enemy of the Kree. They also have shape shifting abilities. The plan to rescue Mar-Vell was nothing more than a trap. Meaning that all the positive changes in her character (except maybe for Avenger #90), were due the fact that it wasn't even her. We still don't know when she replaced, but we do know that some of her personality changes were in fact not even her. Thank goodness that Scarlett Witch balances out this horrible realization, as her character is awesome and brave.

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