Captain Marvel was a very powerful character in the original comic series and indeed did save the Universe, so this isn't a deviation from the original story.
I am always surprised at people's shock at Star Wars being used to push a political agenda when the original was an apologia for the VietCong.
Thanks so much for this valuable addition @openparadigm :-)
Agreed on Capt. Marvel being the universe's savior in the comics, but that doesn't change how I feel. And yes, Lucas'political ideas are surely visible in the originals; no escaping the Empire being modeled after nazi's ;-) But that doesn't change anything either. "It used to be that what we saw on television was a reflection of what we see in real life. Now it's like real life is a reflection of what we see on television." A good friend told me that a long time ago. Reflecting the politics and society of the day is what art does, nothing wrong with that. It's something different entirely when art is used to push an agenda, which is what I mean when I say politics has no place in entertainment.