Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, has taken down some of the Marvel Universe's heaviest hitters, but there is a force that still makes even her uneasy: magic. Unfortunately for her, it's the secret weapon of Ove, a despotic villain from an alternate future who's traveled back in time to wreak havoc in Captain Marvel's present day. In order to take on Ove, whose Asgardian and Atlantean heritage means he's powerful even without his knowledge of sorcery, Carol must confront her feelings about magic and the traumatic nature of her enemy's dystopian future to succeed.
Carol took the first steps towards overcoming her magic fears in the current three-part "Strange Magic" arc of Captain Marvel, which kicked off with issue #28 by writer Kelly Thompson and artist Jacopo Camagni. In #28, Carol attempted to become Doctor Strange's apprentice, adopted a new magic-inspired costume and reached out to Ove's future mother Enchantress.
In an interview with CBR, Thompson discussed these magical developments for Carol Danvers, the upcoming milestone of Captain Marvel #30 and teased where Carol Danvers is headed after the "Strange Magic" arc concludes in July. Also included with this interview are exclusive pages from Captain Marvel #29 with artwork by Jacopo Camagni and colors by Espen Grundetjern and from #30 with artwork by Jacopo Camagni, courtesy of Marvel Comics.
CBR: The current "Strange Magic" arc spins directly out of the recent "The New World" story which introduced the villainous Ove, but you also had Carol Danvers brush up against the world of magic in 2019's Captain Marvel #6-7. What makes taking a character like Carol, whose feet are in the worlds of sci-fi and superheroics, and putting her in the worlds of fantasy and the supernatural so appealing to you as a writer?
Kelly Thompson: Carol is SO powerful. You honestly have to throw a LOT of challenges at her for it to be even remotely realistic that she can't just solve superhero types of problems with ease. So I'm always looking for less typical challenges that she needs more creative solves for -- like body-swapping her with Doctor Strange, stranding her in her own future or throwing her into supernatural situations where she has to deal with one of her blind spots -- magic. Putting Carol in situations where she's not absolutely sure of herself is always entertaining… It brings out both the best and worst in her.
A large part of #6-7 was Carol's relationship with Doctor Strange, and in the last couple of issues, their relationship has become somewhat complicated and romantic. What can you tell us about Carol and Stephen's feelings for each other going into Captain Marvel #29?
Listen, I love writing Carol and Strange together because they're oil and water and, as a writer, that is FUN. But that doesn't mean it makes for a good romantic relationship. These were two colleagues reaching for each other in a moment of sadness, a moment of weakness. I don't think either of them regrets it -- it was something they needed at the time -- but that doesn't mean it lasts. I do hope to get the opportunity to play with that in the future though -- just the fact that they are naturally closer friends now, but also, knowing each other better doesn't always mean you get along better. Should be fun!
The Enchantress also appeared in Captain Marvel #6-7, in "The New World," and at the end of issue #28, we saw she has a part to play in this arc as well. So, I'm guessing she's a character you have some affection for. What do you find most intriguing about Amora?
I really like Amora. I've been trying to do a story with her all the way back to my A-Force days. I liked the story we did for her in issues #6 and #7, but the space was so tight I didn’t really have enough room to do her justice. Captain Marvel's "The New World" and now "Strange Magic" were definitely chances to rectify that a bit. I like her because you're never quite sure whether she's a hero or villain… She follows only herself and I sorta respect that.
Issue #28 featured some pretty cool visual elements like Carol's new magic-inspired costume and the work of Jacopo Camagni. Who designed Carol's new outfit? And what's it like working with Jacopo?
Carol's new costume was designed by the terrific Marco Checchetto. We actually started out trying to just give Carol a slight update to her regular look, but in the process realized we were missing an opportunity to give her a super fun "magic look" for this arc. I'm so glad we realized it before it was too late because people are loving it, me included.
Jacopo is terrific to work with. He's got a lovely way with body language and expression. His style on the book is slightly more cartoony than what we have sometimes had on the book, but it's been a really fun change of pace. I tried to give him some enjoyable but challenging stuff in issue #29 and he just ran with it in such a wonderful way.
What else can you tell us about the action in the remaining chapters of "Strange Magic?"
Well, we didn't really get to go underwater in the last arc, despite featuring a half-Atlantean as our antagonist and I wished we'd had room for that, so I rectified that here!
Speaking of Ove, we've felt his presence these last few issues and seen how a vision of him affects Carol, but the villain of "The New World," has not made a physical appearance. His connection to Namor and the kingdom of Atlantis begs some big questions about what he's been doing in the modern-day Marvel Universe. Can you talk about that at all?
Well, ultimately he's the one that brought about the dystopian future that Carol visited, so it's fair to say his plans (and skills) are big. But even Carol doesn't know how or why Ove can bring the world to its knees like that, which is part of what terrifies her. Ove is what drives this "Strange Magic" arc -- and he WILL be making a physical appearance -- but this arc is not about Ove so much as it is about Carol’s trauma. Her fear of that future. Her fear of her own weaknesses and failures.
"Strange Magic" comes to a close in July's Captain Marvel #30. How does it feel to reach this milestone issue? And I understand you're celebrating that anniversary with a bonus story by Carol's Captain Marvel co-creator, Jamie McKelvie?
It feels incredible. Comics are so tough these days that I never really dreamed we would get here. It's so tough as a writer because you desperately want to plan for long runs, but it happens so rarely that you are well trained to think in terms of arcs not years… And then when you do get a long run like this, you're so grateful, but it's also not how you envisioned it would go… So that becomes its own challenge, you know? What's next, what's new, where can we take this character now that we have this open road before us? It feels truly special to have Jamie doing a story in this landmark issue.
Any other hints and teases you can leave us with about your larger plans for Carol Danvers in 2021?
"Strange Magic" is an atypical comic book arc, or certainly an atypical Captain Marvel arc and I love it all the more for that. Digging into a character's trauma and fears was I think something interesting and maybe even necessary. But I'm now excited to pivot this next arc which is a swerve into some Captain Marvel history while building to something new. #35 especially brings something new to the table that I hope is gonna blow people's minds a little bit.
Captain Marvel #29 by writer Kelly Thompson and artists Jacopo Camagni, Espen Grundetjern and Clayton Cowles hits comic stands on June 23 from Marvel Comics.