Best Captain Marvel Comics (Updated: September 2025)

Carol Danvers is the best-known Captain Marvel at this point, thanks to her MCU incarnation. For years, she was known as Ms. Marvel, and it wasn’t until 2012 that she took on her current mantle. Since then, the character has experienced a renaissance, resulting in many of the best Captain Marvel comics being published during this era. However, we also included Ms. Marvel’s first appearance, so readers can see just how far she’s come.

Best Captain Marvel comics as of 2025

Choosing the best Captain Marvel comics means looking for stories that showcase Carol’s unique traits. That would be her determination, leadership, and pilot background. Of course, we also want strong writing and art. The best issues also typically include arcs that explore her identity beyond just her powers. These stories capture what makes Carol Danvers unique while delivering solid entertainment.

The Life of Captain Marvel (2018)

The Life of Captain Marvel follows Carol Danvers as she experiences a personal crisis that forces her to confront her past. When sudden, crippling anxiety attacks sideline Carol in the middle of a fight, she finds herself reliving memories of a life she thought was far behind her. These panic attacks force her to take a temporary leave from her duties as an Avenger and Alpha Flight commander. She grew up as an ordinary science-loving kid from Boston’s suburbs, cheering for the Red Sox, when she encountered a Kree warrior, gaining extraordinary abilities. As Carol delves deeper into her family’s history, she uncovers long-buried secrets that will reshape everything she thought she knew about herself and her powers. Margaret Stohl penned the series, and Carlos Pacheco illustrated.

The 5-issue limited series is a character study exploring Carol’s anxiety and family trauma, and a retcon that provides a new foundation for her superhero identity. Stohl reworked aspects of Carol’s origin through her mother’s hidden past, and she is connected more directly to her Kree heritage. This choice streamlined some of the more convoluted elements of her previous origin stories. The series was actually a bit divisive among fans. Some appreciated the deeper character work and emotional storytelling. Others felt it unnecessarily retconned established continuity or didn’t capture what they loved about the character. However, it’s bright and emotional, and if you’re interested in Carol’s origin story, this one is for you.

Down (Captain Marvel #7-12)

When former Captain Marvel Monica Rambeau joins forces with Carol Danvers, they discover a threat that’s been lurking beneath the ocean. The two heroes must work together combining their unique abilities to face this underwater menace. Carol returns from the mission fundamentally altered. Her powers are mysteriously diminishing, threatening to permanently strip away her ability to soar through the skies. As she deals with this worsening condition, a reimagined version of a classic enemy resurfaces. Captain America steps in to help, providing Carol with a new form of transport. Despite these challenges, Earth’s Mightiest Hero must find new ways to protect the world while dealing with her changing circumstances. Down is written by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Christopher Sebela, and illustrated by Dexter Soy and Filipe Andrade.

The Down arc strips away much of Carol’s cosmic power and places her in a more vulnerable position. When she’s dealing with memory loss and reduced abilities, it forces the story to focus on who Carol is as a person rather than just her superhero capabilities. The story asks, what makes someone who they are when their powers and memories are compromised? With Carol in a weakened state, the supporting cast get more development and agency in the story. That being said, some readers found the arc slow-paced or frustrating due to Carol’s reduced role. However, if you’re looking for a stripped-down, relatable Carol, this arc is a great one to pick up.

In Pursuit of Flight (2012)

Carol Danvers has embraced a new identity and mission as Captain Marvel. Yet with all her incredible abilities, she discovers that her greatest enemy might be herself. While Carol works to shape her destiny, she finds herself unable to ignore unfinished business from her earlier days. The Banshee Squadron makes their dramatic entrance, but the mysterious Prowlers pose questions that Carol must answer. The outcome threatens to reshape not just her own story, but the very fabric of historical events themselves.

This series officially transitioned Carol Danvers from Ms. Marvel to Captain Marvel, establishing her as a premier hero. Kelly Sue DeConnick’s writing gives Carol a clear, confident voice that fans felt had been missing. DeConnick crafted Carol as a pilot-turned-superhero with a distinct personality. Carol is tough, determined, and unapologetically ambitious. The series is newcomer-friendly while respecting existing lore, making it easy for new readers to jump in. Plus, the illustration is dynamic and modern, giving Carol a powerful visual presence that matches her confidence. The redesigned costume became iconic and influential. This run significantly raised Carol’s profile and directly influenced her portrayal in the MCU films.

When Walks the Mandroid (Captain Marvel #18)

Rick Jones struggles with his connection to Mar-Vell while Captain Marvel fights Yon-Rogg and a Mandroid at an abandoned Kree base where they’re holding Carol Danvers prisoner. Yon-Rogg’s laser blast knocks Carol out near a broken Kree Psyche-Magnitron machine. Captain Marvel saves her, but the damaged device has already changed her DNA, giving her the powers she’ll eventually use as Ms. Marvel. Roy Thomas penned the story and John Buscema and Gil Kane penciled the art.

When Walks the Mandroid is actually a historically significant issue because it depicts Carol Danvers’ origin story and how she gained her Kree powers. This issue shows the pivotal moment when Carol Danvers is exposed to the Kree Psyche-Magnitron, which genetically alters her and gives her the powers she’ll later use as Ms. Marvel. It’s the birth of one of Marvel’s most important female heroes. Every Carol Danvers story that follows builds on what happens in this issue. This issue deserves recognition as one of the best Captain Marvel comics specifically because it establishes the origin of Carol’s powers and sets up decades of character development.

The New World (Captain Marvel #22-27)

Carol Danvers is trapped in a distant future where her usual allies are gone and she faces a powerful enemy who’s grown stronger over time. As secrets about the villain Ove and his fortress come to light, Captain Marvel and her new team are severely outmatched. The truth about how Carol ended up in this time period isn’t what anyone expected. Now she must fight a dangerous ruler to save this future world, but winning might mean she can never return home. This series was written by Kelly Thompson and penciled by Lee Garbett.

This is a brand new arc for Captain Marvel. Kelly Thompson had already established herself as an excellent Carol Danvers writer, understanding her voice and motivations. The New World is some of Thompson’s strongest work, combining solid character development with a sci-fi premise. The time-displacement plot forces Captain Marvel to adapt and grow in ways that pure power can’t solve. The New World is a solid entry point that shows what makes Carol Danvers exciting as both a character and a hero.

How we chose the best Captain Marvel comics

In choosing the best Captain Marvel comics, I looked for issues and arcs with important moments in Carol’s history. I also included comics that show off Carol’s core personality traits, like her determination, her leadership qualities, and her growth as a hero. The stories that explore her identity beyond just her powers tend to be my favorite. Plus, Kelly Sue DeConnick’s run directly influenced the MCU portrayal, so it had significant cultural impact. What do you think are the best Captain Marvel comics?