WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Captain Marvel #25 by Kelly Thompson, Lee Garbett, Belén Ortega, Antonio Fabela, and VC's Clayton Cowles, on sale now.
Less than a week ago, Marvel announced that Carol Danvers would be getting a mystical new power-up and costume in the Captain Marvel series. However, beyond the debut of the character's new suit, no further details were revealed because it would tie directly into the conclusion of the title's current story arc, "The New World," which has Carol trapped in the future.
The latest issue of Captain Marvel begins to explain what sparks this bold new direction for the cosmic superhero. In the issue, Carol gets new powers and a new costume -- but it's not the costume that was revealed by Marvel. This is something else entirely, triggered by Thor's future daughter, Brigid.
In "The New World," Carol Danvers was mysteriously transported to the year 2052. There, she found Earth in a dystopian state. Most of the world was destroyed and frozen, and there were only a few groups of survivors left. One of those groups is made up young new heroes, the sons and daughters of multiple Avengers lead by Emma Frost and Spider-Woman. The other group of survivors is located in New Atlantis, and they follow Ove, the son of Namor the Sub-Mariner and the Asgardian villain, Enchantress.
While Ove appeared friendly at first, he quickly revealed himself as a villain and, in Captain Marvel #24, he unleashed his demonic forces on Carol Danvers and her superhero friends. When the issue came to a close, they were all his prisoners, and Ove planned on performing a spell on Captain Marvel for the next part of his plan.
Now, in Captain Marvel #25, Ove reveals that he intends to use Carol's life force to travel back to her time, a new era he plans on invading. Thankfully, there is one young superhero who interrupts his plans: Brigid, the daughter of Thor. The character was introduced in Captain Marvel #23, and it was clear that the Asgardian took after her father: she is a powerful warrior with a penchant for hammers. However, she had yet to prove herself worthy of wielding the God of Thunder's signature weapon, Mjolnir.
Even through she is only flanked by Emma Frost, Brigid rushes into battle against Ove and his forces, all in an effort to save Captain Marvel from a grim fate. This heroic act is commendable and inspiring, and it does the trick: with this, Brigid proves herself worthy, and Mjolnir flies to her hand. As a result, she gets a new Asgardian armor, and the full powers of the God of Thunder.
Her first act is to then use the hammer to summon all of its power into Captain Marvel, giving her a magical boost that bestows upon her a power upgrade and a whole new look. Now, Captain Marvel's suit is black with glowing orange accents that are sizzling with power that can barely be contained. It shows that she is overflowing with power, and she's about to test her new abilities on Ove.
Brigid uses the powers of Thor to give Captain Marvel an important power boost. Given that Carol is now also fueled by Asgardian magic, this may explain why the cosmic Avenger will have magical abilities to refine in the series' next storyline. And with the energy bursting through her current costume, she would probably need a new outfit to handle all of her additional power.