The Marvel Cinematic Universe has always explored the potential of the most powerful characters in Marvel Comics, bringing them to life on the screen in an explosion of color. The most recent addition to that list is Carol Danvers. Introduced in 2019’s Captain Marvel, Carol proves to be essential during the heroes’ battle against Thanos. Though she doesn't have a lot of screentime in Avengers: Endgame, her contribution is significant to the Avengers' overall success.
Even so, Carol hasn’t always been popular with fans as she seems rather forced into the franchise to the detriment of longtime Avenger Black Widow. While this is certainly not ideal and a poor creative choice from the writers, Carol herself has a lot of strengths as a character. Her reception may not have been the best but there are a lot of perks that come with being Captain Marvel.
10 Her Powerful Cosmic Abilities Stem From The Tesseract
Captain Marvel is best known for the powerful cosmic abilities that can do devastating damage even to an entire fleet. Carol possesses the power to produce and manipulate cosmic energies, which she converts into her iconic photon blasts.
When channeling the full extent of her abilities, Carol takes on a form known as Binary, massively increasing the potency of her blasts, and also giving her enhanced strength and durability. Her abilities stem from being exposed to the Tesseract, and as a result, she is immune to most damage coming from energy attacks. She has even demonstrated the ability to absorb power from the Infinity Stones.
9 She’s Capable Of Cosmic Flight At The Speed Of Light
One of the most intriguing perks that come with Carol’s cosmic powers is her ability to fly. She first demonstrates it while combating Ronan’s forces and obliterating his fleet. But it is a power that later comes to define her, allowing her to travel through space at the speed of light.
When surrounded by energy, she doesn’t even need any additional equipment to facilitate breathing or protect her from the void of space. This skill comes in handy later, as throughout her travels in Endgame, she runs into the stranded Benatar and saves Tony Stark from dying.
8 She Becomes A Kree Hybrid Through A Blood Transfusion
The accident leading to Carol acquiring her powers involves Wendy Lawson's assassination by Kree forces. In reality, Wendy is a Kree herself, her true name being Mar-Vell. Her intention was to use the Tesseract technology to relocate the Skrulls away from the Kree.
She is killed by Kree officer Yon-Rogg, who then takes Carol, who was recently exposed to the Tesseract, captive. In the aftermath, Carol receives a blood transfusion from Yon-Rogg, becoming a Kree hybrid. This massively increases her strength, speed, and endurance, even when she isn’t using her cosmic powers.
7 She’s A Highly Skilled Pilot And Trained In Hand-To-Hand Combat
Even before she gained superpowers, Carol was a highly trained soldier. Despite the misogynistic attitude pervading the 90s, she joins the United States Air Force, pursuing her dream of becoming a pilot. She more than proves herself up to the task.
She is both a talented pilot and immensely skilled in hand-to-hand combat. These abilities are only honed further after she joins the Kree in her amnesiac state and trains under her mentor, and secret enemy, Yon-Rogg.
6 Her Translator Implant Allows Her To Understand All Languages
While with the Kree, Carol is outfitted with a Kree suit and specific Kree technology, including a translator implant. This chip is used quite commonly by alien races, allowing communication between species. The Kree favor universal translator implants, which adapt to any language they detect.
After she returns to Earth, Carol mentions this implant when approaching a security guard, at the time still believing she is Kree. The Guardians of the Galaxy use similar implants, although theirs are not universal.
5 She’s Determined Enough To Overcome The Supreme Intelligence
Over the course of Captain Marvel, Carol realizes the deception of the Kree, and the fact that her memories are deliberately sealed, just like her powers are. She eventually confronts not only Yon-Rogg, whom she defeats with ease, but the Supreme Intelligence itself.
The artificial intelligence is the ruler of the Kree, embodying the empire’s greatest minds. The Supreme Intelligence possesses the ability to manipulate minds and technology, and her strength even manages to overpower Carol’s. But throughout their fight, Carol proves that her determination is stronger than the AI’s attempts to bring her down. She destroys the photon inhibitor controlling her, embracing her full potential for the first time.
4 She Is Among The Few People The Flerken Goose Likes
During her stay on Earth, Wendy Lawson possessed a pet cat named Goose. Carol was among the few people Goose liked. Upon Carol’s return, she is reunited with the animal. While confronting the Kree, she learns that Goose isn’t a cat at all, but rather, a Flerken, an incredibly dangerous alien creature.
This can come in handy when Carol is pushed into a corner, as a Flerken has access to a pocket dimension hidden inside their body. Using her tentacles, Goose consumes several Kree soldiers, as well as the Tesseract itself.
3 She Doesn’t Seem To Age Throughout The Time Spent Away From Earth
After she breaks free of the Kree, Carol accompanies the Skrulls in their quest to find a new home away from persecution. She is summoned back to Earth by Nick Fury, who finally uses her pager during the Snap. Upon her arrival, she looks almost identical to the way she did when she left, suggesting that her aging may have slowed down, or even stopped altogether.
2 She’s So Strong She Can Overpower Thanos
Carol isn’t present for the Avengers’ Time Heist, but she arrives as the battle with the 2014 version of Thanos is at its most heated. She single-handedly destroys Thanos’s ship, then is entrusted with the task of returning the Gauntlet to the Quantum Tunnel. Thanos destroys the tunnel before she can succeed, claiming the Gauntlet.
Carol stops Thanos from using the Gauntlet again, proving to be superior in strength. When his attempt to headbutt her fails, Thanos resorts to punching her with the Power Stone. It is only then that Carol is knocked out, but she recovers shortly after, just in time to see Tony sacrifice himself to destroy Thanos once and for all.
1 She’s A Hero All Across The Universe
Throughout her time away from Earth, Carol isn’t idle. After helping the Skrulls, she dedicates herself to bringing peace to multiple planets. After the Avengers first confront Thanos, she returns to this quest, taking up the responsibility of mending at least some small part of the damage done by the Mad Titan.
She is aware that the things happening on Earth happen everywhere, and many worlds don’t have heroes like the Avengers to support them. Carol takes up that mantle and becomes a hero for the universe.