Captain Marvel: 10 essential Captain Marvel comics to read before her MCU debut

9. Essential Ms. Marvel  Vol. 1

Carol Danvers may have finally been gifted with the mantle of Captain Marvel in 2012, but she has been tearing up the pages of Marvel Comics for a very long time before that. Originally introduced as a human character, Danvers was a U.S. Air Force pilot who ended up getting caught in an explosion of a Kree device. Though she was saved by the original Captain Marvel, she sustained serious injuries.

However, it was this moment that changed her life, as the accident gave her super-powers and, as a result, she essentially became a human/Kree hybrid. In the years that followed, she went on to use her powers for good, becoming the hero known as Ms. Marvel.

This bumper collection features an endless supply of Ms. Marvel’s earliest adventures, taking the reader back to the very beginning as Carol struggled with blackouts, unaware of the fact that she was emerging as the costumed hero during them. It then documents some of Ms. Marvel’s most memorable moments – making it the perfect starting point for someone who really wants to get to know Carol Danvers first and foremost.

While Carol has become somewhat of a household name ever since she took the Captain Marvel mantle (and will reach even greater heights of fame following the film’s release), it’s important that new fans understand how integral she was to Marvel Comics before she did so. Ms. Marvel is an equally important part of her history and shaped her into the hero that she is today and, were it not for the success of this persona, she may never have become Captain Marvel.