Danvers and Dr. Strange do the mind swap plot in Captain Marvel No. 6

Captain Marvel No. 6 Image by Marvel Comics

It’s the 5,678,789th Mind Swap Plot in Pop Fiction. How Surprising!

Amora isn’t waiting for an ambush or a prophecy. Just as the heroes unite outside of Rio, she stages her attack with a bombardment of her usual mystical green blasts. When Carol is the last to fall, Amora unleashes her real spell, which knocks both she and Dr. Strange flat. The pair face what the title of this arc calls a “strange trip” and, when they awake, things are not the same as they were before. The pair quickly realize their minds have been swapped!

That’s right, it’s the “mind swap plot.” As stated in the columns about Marvel Team-Up, it is a plot which has been a standard trope in pop fiction since the novel Vice Versa debuted in 1882. Ever since, nearly every franchise that has ever existed, especially those geared towards children or teenagers, have used this trope. It’s almost as routine as a train robbery or superheroes that fly. These sorts of reliable plots, which seem to exist in every writer’s tool kit, can either showcase their strengths or lead cynics to groan about a predictable plot.

Captain Marvel No. 6 Image by Marvel Comics

Writer Kelly Thompson does what is often done with this plot — use it to showcase the character’s weaknesses. In the case of both Danvers and Strange, they’re both “class A” overachievers who take much of their skills and powers for granted and aren’t used to being slowed down. This spell causes both of them to be stuck in an unfamiliar body and powers, and each is venting their frustration upon the other and failing to learn.