“Part of something bigger”

This chapter analyzes the productions, representations, and receptions of Carol Danvers—first as Ms. Marvel, then as Captain Marvel—since her first appearance in 1968. It employs feminist theories, queer theory, critical race theory, disability theory, political science, and economics alongside insights from cultural studies and comics studies. More than with most other superheroes, fans and creators have negotiated gender as well as feminism through the figure of Carol Danvers. These struggles illuminate the broader changes across the past five decades in superhero comics authorship and fandom, the diversification (and lack thereof) of superhero characters, and the political economy of the superhero genre.