The recent depowering of a major member of the Avengers continues a sad tradition regarding their power levels. Admittedly, it is not uncommon in superhero stories for heroes and villains to acquire new powers or lose them as part of an event. However, in the case of this Marvel hero, the change continues a disturbing trend regarding their erratic power levels.
The depowering occurred in Avengers: Armageddon #5, by Chip Zdarsky, Delion Diaz, and Frank Alpizar. This final chapter of the event was largely devoted to resolving the many conflicts born of a near World War on Earth-616. However, one of the most engaging subplots centered around Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel.
Danvers was the leader of the most recent incarnation of the Avengers. She led the team in trying to stop General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross from starting World War III. This placed her at Ground Zero, as the new Miracleman directly engaged a Red Hulk transformed into a living nuclear bomb. The good news is Captain Marvel was able to contain the resulting blast. This limited the potential causalities to thousands instead of millions. However, this impressive act came at a price.
After reporting feeling fatigued, Carol Danvers got a full physical and power assessment from Mister Fantastic. He concluded that her energy absorption powers had been overwhelmed and her superpowers correspondingly reduced. Indeed, by Reed Richards‘ estimate, she was operating at about 10% of her previous power level.
Worse yet, at least to Captain Marvel’s mind, she had lost the ability to fly. This was her favorite power as a USAF pilot. This revelation explains Carol Danvers’ presence in preview art for a new Avengers comic centered around a street-level team of heroes. It also continues an unfortunate trend regarding her portrayal and power levels.
Marvel has a history of retconning Captain Marvel’s power levels
Carol Danvers has one of the most varied backstories of any Marvel hero. Originally introduced as an associate of the Kree hero Mar-Vell, she gained a measure of his power after being caught in an explosion. This was later retconned, with Carol’s powers currently a result of her mother having been a Kree warrior. This makes Danvers a Kree-Human hybrid by birth rather than by mutation.
Originally, Carol’s powers were limited to enhanced physiology and a cosmic “seventh sense,” as well as flight from her costume. However, experiments by the alien Brood gave her energy absorption and projection powers, independent flight, and durability enough to survive in a vacuum. Her greatest feat may be her outputting enough energy to counter an anti-matter infection that threatened to devour Earth’s sun. However, the limits of Carol’s powers and what powers she had tended to vary. Moreover, she was frequently depowered or taken out of action, as when Rogue nearly killed her trying to drain her powers.
Consistency seemed to arrive around the time Carol claimed the Captain Marvel mantle in 2012. For nearly 15 years, she has been portrayed as one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe. This portrayal informed the MCU version of the character played by Brie Larson, who was shown to be a match for Thor.
It seems almost certain Captain Marvel will not be down for long. Beyond Carol’s history of recovering that which was lost, the popular image of her as a powerhouse in other media demands the comics match that. Even so, it is a bad look that Marvel returned to this cliche in 2026.
Originally posted on SuperHeroHype
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