March 2019 sees the release of Captain Marvel, the first female-led film within the MCU but what stories should you read in preparation for big event here are Strictly Geeks top 5 recommendations.

This Woman, This Warrior

Issues: Ms. Marvel #1

Writer: Chris Claremont & Jim Mooney

Artist: Gerry Conway, John Buscema,‎ Sal Buscema,‎ & John Romita

Carol Danvers’ first book featuring her as Ms. Marvel starts with her arrival in New York City to begin a new job editing a woman’s magazine for J. Jonah Jameson. Unfortunately, she has to deal with severe headaches and blackouts but Ms. Marvel takes on the Scorpion after he comes after her new boss.

This was the first true adventure that exposed readers to the powers of Carol Danvers’ Ms. Marvel. As the character developed, the stories from these early books helped to pave the way for Carol becoming earth’s mightiest hero.

When walks the Mandroid

Issues: Captain Marvel #18

Writer: Roy Thomas

Artist: Gil Kane, John Buscema, John Romita, Dan Adkins, & Sam Rosen

Carol Danvers has been kidnapped and taken to a Kree outpost leaving her to be rescued by Mar-Vell. During the battle with Yon-Rogg and the Mandroid, Carol is hit with a laser blast by Yon-Rogg that knocks her unconscious. She is rescued by Captain Marvel but has her genetic makeup altered by the Kree Psyche-Magnitron. The alterations allow her to gain the powers she would later use as Ms. Marvel.

This was the book that transformed Carol Danvers into Captain Marvel, which makes it stand out in her long library of comics. The battle between Yon-Rogg and the subsequent altering of her DNA by the Psyche-Magnitron would come into play numerous times throughout her superhero career.

The Brood Saga

Issues: Uncanny X-Men #155 to #167

Writer: Chris Claremont

Artist: Dave Cockrum

While this story takes place in the X-Men series of books, Carol Danvers finds herself captured along with the Mutants by the Brood who plan on using their bodies to incubate their offspring. When they learn of her Kree DNA, they experiment on her, which opens up her power set to include new abilities based on the power of a star.

Uncanny X-Men saw the first appearance of the Brood. These cosmic cockroaches became a significant enemy within the X-Men’s rogues gallery. They would also become an ongoing issue for Captain Marvel who had to deal with their kind across multiple storylines culminating in her one-day bringing extinction to the species.

Higher, Further, Faster, More

Issues: Captain Marvel #1 to #6

Writer: Kelly DeConnick

Artist: David Lopez

Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel is on the way to starting out her new life with a new love interest when she takes on a mission to return a young alien girl to her homeworld. She then finds herself in the middle of an uprising against the Galactic Alliance and uncovers a sinister plot., and the leader of the scheme is someone from her past who tries to blackmail her.

As her storyline progresses, Carol Danvers’ Captain Marvel finds herself outside of Earth and dealing with some serious cosmic threats. This story-arc starts the process of transitioning from being one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to a true cosmic powerhouse whose playground becomes the entire cosmos. Much of Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel books printed through the ’90s and beyond dive into the character’s evolution and a lot of that starts right here.

Ms. Marvel Vs. The Cru

Issues: Ms. Marvel #1 to #4 and #21-25

Writer: Brian Reed

Artist: Roberto Delatorre & Frank Cho

In the first issue of her 2006 rebooted solo title, Carol Danvers sets out to do more as a superhero. On her first patrol, she runs into a group of Brood refugees on the run from the Cru, a more powerful enemy Ms. Marvel must keep from destroying Earth in her pursuit of the Brood she blames for the destruction of her race.

This new series starring Ms. Marvel puts Carol Danvers into an awkward situation. After having dealt with the Brood during the “Brood Wars” event, she has a justifiably negative opinion of them. Finding refugees from that race, she is placed in a position of protecting them while simultaneously protecting the Earth.