There is no argument that Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, is a cool character. With the ability to fight, fly, and a near tunnel-vision mentality when it comes to justice, the character has made for some truly excellent comics in recent years. There are plenty of things that make Captain Marvel stand out in the Avengers crowd, but the one that creeps into her stories again and again is her astronomical physical strength.
Carol Danvers originally shed her Ms. Marvel persona following a fantastic re-introduction in Kelly Sue DeConnick’s 2012 series, Captain Marvel. Danvers had been rocking the Ms. Marvel identity (and her impractical costume) on and off since the 1970s, and the change felt like a breath of fresh air to many readers. Comics flew off the shelves, leading to her eventual inclusion into the MCU. Her 2019 solo film Captain Marvel (starring Brie Larson as the titular character), was filled with girl-power vibes and a certain amount of American military propaganda. The film was naturally a hit, introducing an even larger audience to Carol Danvers in a delightful, '90s nostalgia-filled roller coaster ride teeming with space aliens and fighter jets and punching old ladies.
In an infographic released by Marvel Comics, Avengers’ stats were measured against each other, compared and poured over like the back of a baseball card. It’s no secret that the Avengers each have their own skills they bring to the team. Some are all brawn, excelling in fighting, others are strong, smart, magical - but weighed against her cohorts, Carol Danvers comes out on top. Able to take immense abuse in a fight, she has insane strength - once punching out a literal dinosaur - while also being able to fly through space and shoot photon blasts from her hands. Additionally, Hank Pym theorized that comic readers hadn't even seen the full extent of her powers, leaving fans to wonder - if this is the tip of the iceberg, exactly how big is the actual iceberg?
Captain Marvel is at the top of her game as an Avenger. Between her training and the Kree blood that is the basis of her powers, she can definitely hold her own against the best of them and win a fight any day. Brie Larson even famously began an extreme workout routine to play the character, sharing videos of herself pushing a Jeep up a hillas a display of her newfound, Captain Marvel-inspired strength.
With the addition of Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, to the MCU canon, audiences will likely be treated to even more of Captain Marvel in the future. The character has continued to appear in comics and while her focus on the end-goal has clouded her judgement in the past, the character is deeply committed to using her powers to help better the world. Even Iron Man knows that if you want to wina fight, you bring Captain Marvel and then stand back and watch a strong woman do what she does best.
