Captain Marvel #16: Always Help Friends

I’m not ready to part with black-fingernail-painted Carol by any means, but the conclusion to “The Last Avenger” is here, and it’s a wild story to say the least. This has been a remarkably strong arc so far and the ending doesn’t disappoint. It’s got action and humor, but it’s also a fundamental breakdown of the basic forces that drive Carol to do what she does.

She cares.

This entire arc has been an in-depth look at the extremes that Carol will go to in order to protect those she cares about. Her friends are simply extended family, and she will do anything possible to fight the forces of evil in their stead. This arc put her in the unique position of isolation while keeping her motivations intact, and Vox Supreme apparently didn’t understand just how dangerous that was!

While seeing Captain Marvel pitted against the Avengers was fun, we knew the situation was leading to this confrontation with Vox Supreme. What I didn’t see coming was the visualization of her “Frankenstein’s monster” catastrophe after taking in the DNA of all the Avengers. This is certainly a spectacle, but more importantly, it illustrates the struggle she has been put through in taking on the burdens of so many Avengers. She carries their weight and ultimately uses that against Vox Supreme, it’s just riveting storytelling.

Garbett, Bonvillain and Cowles have all done such an excellent job pulling this story off, from the Dark Captain Marvel uniform to the epic ending. This will certainly be an arc long recommended for readers looking for quality Captain Marvel stories to dig into that don’t require a lot of back reading to catch up. Ever since the Star arc that found Carol being depleted of her powers it’s been one drastic turn of events after another. And it seems this creative team knows it too, ending this issue with not a cliffhanger but a gentle moment featuring Carol and her cat! Honestly, it’s time for a breather because this was one crazy ride.

Now that the arc is completed, be sure to go back and read the story in its entirety if you haven’t already. It’s been one of my favorite Captain Marvel stories in years and I’m so excited to see what this team pulls off next.