Matthew Jacobson

mjacobson@thespectrum.com

My first exposure to the character of Captain Marvel came in the form of a cartoon.

It was 1994, and my two favorite shows on TV were "Batman: The Animated Series" and "X-Men: The Animated Series." On one particular "X-Men" episode that year, titled "A Rogue's Tale," we met Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Ms.Marvel. While her character is given basically no context, and while Ms. Marvel never made a return to the cartoon, she still left a lasting impression on me as the woman who gave Rogue the power to fly.

Back then, I often fantasized about an "X-Men" movie, but I made peace with the fact that the closest thing I was going to get was the so-bad-it's-good made-for-TV flick "Generation X" (look it up; it's wonderfully awful). I never dreamed I'd live to see the day when every Marvel character imaginable would be brought to the big screen, including ones I'd never had any interest in.

One such character has sparked some interest in me and many others, though. It's Carol Danvers, otherwise known as Captain Marvel.

In the '90s, Ms. Marvel didn't share the popularity garnered by "X-Men" and "Spider-Man," both of which had hit cartoons on the air. And when she took on the title of "Captain" just a few short years ago, she donned a new suit and stepped into the role of feminist icon. She'll be the first solo female character to headline a Marvel Studios film (which, incidentally, has taken far too long to happen), and she's evolved beyond the stereotypical female superhero. She's slowly, but surely, becoming a force to be reckoned with, and with some more exposure, she just might surpass her Marvel peers in terms of popularity.

Luckily, my buddy and fellow comic-book enthusiast, Richard Briggs, reintroduced me to Captain Marvel by lending me the trade paperback collections of her story from the past couple of years.

Gone is the skimpy Ms. Marvel bathing suit I was familiar with from the '90s. The only remnant from her previous revealing costume is the red sash at her hips. The rest of her uniform is functional, doing away with the antiquated idea that female superheroes would ever choose to fight the forces of evil while wearing less than the models on the pages of the now defunct Victoria's Secret catalog.

Her story isn't driven by love, although there is a romantic subplot involved. She's a leader. She's a powerhouse.

So why does this amazing character who's thrown off the chains of chauvinistic tropes keep running into problems?

Remember how I mentioned Carol Danvers would be the first female superhero to star in her own Marvel Studios film? Well, technically that's still true, although last year her film premiere date was pushed back nearly three years to fit in another "Ant-Man" movie.

There are no complaints there, of course. "Ant-Man" was great, and the sequel will be the first Marvel Studios movie to have a female character's name in the title ("Ant-Man and the Wasp"). But pushing back that solo female flick has, thus far, kept that pesky glass ceiling in place.

Even small things make Captain Marvel's ascension from female supertrope to feminist icon all the more frustrating. For example, when I was searching the Gannett library for art of Captain Marvel, the two main images that popped up identified her as "Captain Marvel, female superhero." On the surface that doesn't seem like a huge issue, but do we characterize Captain America as a "male superhero?"

No. The answer is no.

It's almost as if, in an attempt to remind us all that she's still a woman and therefore not as important as the guys, we need to clarify: female superhero.

As I'm reading the paperbacks, which ultimately lead up to "Civil War II," I'm astounded at how perfect a character Carol Danvers is. She's very human, despite her superhuman abilities. Sure she can breathe in space and divert huge falling objects in order to save cities, but she also owns a cat and loves to make "Star Wars" references. She's flawed and funny in addition to being statuesque and formidable.

Of all the Marvel characters to headline their own movie, I believe Carol Danvers' storyline could prove the most compelling. And with some great actresses in talks for the part, including Oscar award-winner Brie Larson, "Captain Marvel" has the potential to be an instant success.

Marvel Studios has dragged its feet too long on bringing her to the big screen. I'll bide my time until 2019, but it's still a shame Carol's shot got delayed. In the meantime, we should all be showing Captain Marvel some love at the comic-book stores.

Let's pick up her books and get acquainted with the character because something tells me she could be our new favorite captain — perhaps even beating out that other guy.

Follow Matthew on Twitter and Instagram, @MatthewJGeek; "like" him at Facebook.com/MatthewJacobsonGeek; email him at MJacobson@TheSpectrum.com; call him at 435-674-6234.

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