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» Wizard's Best Hero 2000
Reprinted from Wizard The Comics Magazine #112
Riggs and Murtaugh. Crockett and Tubbs. And then there's... Captain Marvel?
Confused? Don't be. The best buddy team in comics is really two guys in one - the novice hero
known as Genis and veteran ex-Hulk sidekick Rick Jones. Combine'em and you get Marvel Comics'
newest cosmic hero. With a click of their wrist bands, one part of the bantering duo takes action
while the other "pops" into another dimension while still able to communicate with the other.
Just like the lead characters in any self-respecting buddy flick, the Captain Marvel
duo's got its share of conflicts (Rick once thought Genis was putting the moves on his wife),
accidents (Genis once dropped Rick's aforementioned wife from a thousand feet in the air) and
juvenile attempts at humor (prankster Jones convinced his straight-laced partner that "Oh what a
goose I am" made for a rousing battle cry). The result, more times than not, makes for a comic
with a great sense of humor.
The tandem is stuck together, locked in an unwitting union brought about by the Destiny War
(as seen in last year's Avengers Forever mini-series). The tension between them is
undeniable - they are two men sharing one life, after all - and it makes their journey on the
path toward accepting their situation a helluva lot of fun to watch.
The fact that Captain Marvel's gone head to head with heavy-hitters like the Hulk, Wendigo,
Drax the Destroyer, Super-Skrull and the Silver Surfer doesn't hurt either, but it's the
characters difficulties, his flaws which allow readers to empathize with him.
Face it, neither half of the whole that makes up Captain Marvel is perfect. In fact, neither's
even close. Genis has awesome powers, yeah, but he's inexperienced in the ways of the world
and... well, a bit gullible at times. Rick, on the other hand, is a veteran of the superhero
life, but he's got a smart mouth and more personal problems (his wife sees dead people) than you
can shake an Infinity Gauntlet at.
It's those flaws - and the learning curve that accompanies them - which help make Cap the
phenomenal hero he is. He's not always certain about himself, and despite his great powers
(flight, superstrength, cosmic awareness) and great responsibilities (living up to the "Protector
of the Universe" held by Genis' late dad, the original Captain Marvel), his uncertainty allows us
all to understand what he's going through.
Hmm... great powers, great responsibilities - sounds like a pretty good basis for an awesome
hero, dontcha think?
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Trading Spaces is created and maintained by Louis
Digout. Captain Marvel, and the distinctive likeness(es) thereof are Trademarks of Marvel Characters, Inc. and are used without permission. All
original content copyright © 2002 Louis Digout.
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