A New Captain Marvel Is Here as the Hero Is Being Reinvented After Carol Danvers’ Death

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Ultimates #8! Marvel Comics’ new Ultimate Universe is continuing to introduce variants of classic heroes and villains with the introduction of the all-new Captain Marvel. Like a number of other variants, the Ultimate Universe is totally reinventing Captain Marvel within its newly-established continuity in Earth-6160, and – even more strikingly – it’s doing so after the horrifying death of this universe’s Carol Danvers, confirming that she will not be reclaiming her Earth-616 title.

In Marvel Comics’ solicitation for The Ultimates #8 by Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri, readers are given the main and variant covers of the issue, along with the official synopsis. On both the main cover (by artist Dike Ruan) and the variant cover (by artist InHyuk Lee), the Ultimate Universe’s version of Captain Marvel takes center stage (though definitely more so on the variant cover).

THE ULTIMATE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY! America Chavez takes center stage in this issue as a group of galactic travelers from a far-flung, Maker-free future arrive in search of her!

This issue will feature the Ultimate Universe’s time-traveling Guardians of the Galaxy, who hail from a Maker-less future in search of one of their lost members: America Chavez. America joined the Ultimates in The Ultimates #2, but it seems she was always meant to join the Guardians of the Galaxy, and this team of space heroes seems hellbent on correcting that mistake in the timestream. That calls into question the nature of these new Guardians, as they may be ruthless villains who will take America whether she wants to go with them or not, making them enemies of the Ultimates.

Marvel’s New Ultimate Universe has Abandoned Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel

Ultimate Carol Danvers Died in The Ultimates #1

Next to nothing is known about the Ultimate Universe’s new Captain Marvel, aside from the fact that she is a member of the Ultimate Guardians of the Galaxy, is seemingly Kree (based on her blue skin), seems to have all the same powers as any other Captain Marvel, and could become a problem for the Ultimates if they don’t surrender America to her. Another thing that’s clear about Ultimate Captain Marvel is that she isn’t Carol Danvers.

Not only is her appearance totally different, but readers know this can’t be Carol, as she died in The Ultimates #1 after Stark and Doom sent her an ‘origin-machine’, and the power it flooded her with resulted in her fiery death. Therefore, whatever direction Marvel Comics decides to go with this new Captain Marvel, the one thing fans know for sure is that the publisher has abandoned Carol Danvers in the Ultimate Universe.

Carol Danvers’ Captain Marvel Finally has a ‘Legacy Character’

Carol Danvers Served as a Member of the Ultimates in Al Ewing’s The Ultimates Vol. 3

While fans of Carol Danvers’ Captain Marvel may be bummed by the fact that she won’t be the Captain Marvel of the new Ultimate Universe, it’s still cool that she’s finally gettting her own legacy character. Since taking up the mantle, Carol Danvers hasn’t had the chance to pass the title of Captain Marvel to anyone else – and that includes across the multiverse. So, her doing so in the new Ultimates title is significant, especially given that she served on an Ultimates team herself in The Ultimates Vol. 3 (albeit a widely different incarnation of the team).

Carol Danvers played an integral role in The Ultimates comics in The Ultimates Vol. 3, and now, her legacy character will get the chance to do the same as the Ultimate Universe’s new Captain Marvel. All that’s left is for readers to actually meet this new Captain Marvel in The Ultimates #8, where they will learn if Captain Marvel will be an ally of the Ultimates (like Carol Danvers), or a new, unforeseen threat.

The Ultimates #8 by Marvel Comics is available January 1, 2025.