Is Captain Marvel Gay in the MCU? What About Comics?

Carol Danvers has been Captain Marvel officially since 2013, but her story goes all the way back to the 1960s when she was first introduced in Marvel Comics. She carried a lot of mantles over the years, from Ms. Marvel and Binary to Warbird and finally Captain Marvel, and is currently one of the most popular comic book characters in the world. The Marvel Cinematic Universe introduced the character in 2019 in the standalone movie called ‘Captain Marvel’ where we see Carol’s origin story on how she became one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. This article will focus on Captain Marvel and her love interests and whether she is gay, bisexual or straight.

Captain Marvel in Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn’t date anyone, and it was never revealed what her romantic preferences are. She did have a best friend, Maria Rambeau, who was her closest ally, and some fans hinted that there might be more than just friendship between the two women. In Marvel Comics, Carol Danvers is strictly heterosexual, and she dated multiple men, including Michael Barnett, Mar-Vell, War Machine, Wonder Man, and briefly Spider-Man, with whom she went on a date once.

Carol Danvers had quite a few love interests in Marvel Comics, which isn’t surprising since she was always portrayed as a charismatic, strong woman who always strived for more, while MCU doesn’t suggest any of her romantic preferences. If you’re interested, stay with us until the end.

Is Captain Marvel gay in MCU?

First, let’s look into Captain Marvel and her romantic interests in Marvel Cinematic Universe. Carol had a really hard childhood, being raised by an alcoholic and abusive father who treated her unfairly due to her being a girl.

Young Carol dreamed of being a pilot and seeking inspiration from female historical figures like Amelia Earhart, making her parents even more abusive. Of course, her “one of the boys” behavior didn’t bring her any positive things in her life, but it made her tougher and even more determined to realize her dreams.

This led her to apply to United States Airforce and eventually the United States Air Force Academy to become a pilot. Being a woman in the military during the 1980s was a nightmare, but when she met another woman, her academy roommate Maria Rambeau, the two women hit it off and eventually became best friends.

Their journey through the Air Force military training was hard, especially being the only two women in their class, but both Danvers and Rambeau tried their best – they knew if they placed first two places in the academy, they would eventually enter the Air Force officially.

Their relationship only strengthened, but even the strong and determined Carol couldn’t always stifle her tears and question her decisions. When she thinks that Maria doesn’t need her as her friend, Carol confesses to her roommate and friend that she loves her, which Maria reciprocates.

Their strong bond continues, and when Maria gets pregnant and gives birth to a baby girl named Monica, Carol is there to become her godmother. Maria and Carol essentially raised Monica alone, and frankly, their relationship had the potential to become much more than a friendship. However, before Kree kidnaps Carol, she and Maria never get together, which stays that way after their reunion.

‘The Marvels’ movie is coming this November, and we might learn more about Carol Danvers and her preferences. To answer the question of this section, Carol Danvers isn’t hinted at being gay in ‘Captain Marvel’ movie.

Is Carol Danvers gay in Marvel Comics?

Looking through the Marvel Comics and Carol Danvers’ lore since the 1960s, we will see a lot of men. Carol first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1967, and her origin story suggests that she is actually half Kree, half human. Her father, Joe Danvers Sr., was a former U.S. Navy officer and construction worker when he met Mari-Ell, a captain in the Kree Army, who was sent to Earth to assimilate with humans and give birth to a hybrid child.

That happened with Carol’s birth, but her father became an alcoholic because of paranoia that Kree would attack them because of Mari-Ell’s decisions. She eventually enrolled in the U.S. Army, and her career as a superhero started there.

However, her love interests only involved men, and these are some of them.

The first Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell, was Carol’s crush in Marvel Comics.

This particular romance foreshadowed the future since Carol Danvers was briefly involved with Mar-Vell, the first Captain Marvel of Marvel Comics. However, that whole storyline in the ‘Captain Marvel’ comics from 1967 is strange since Carol is essentially a stalker – she is obsessed with Mar-Vell and his origin story after trying to uncover the Kree at Cape Canaveral.

Thankfully, that didn’t last long, but this adventure created the superhero Carol will become – a superheroine known as Ms. Marvel.

The psychiatrist, Michael Barnett, uncovers that Carol Danvers has a split personality, which is revealed to be Ms. Marvel.

After the adventures on Cape Canaveral and the subsequent kidnapping from Kree, Carol Danvers’ DNA changed, and she gained Kree superpowers, resulting in her split personality. She meets her psychiatrist, Michael Barnett, who treats Carol’s blackouts to uncover what is happening to her.

After Ms. Marvel resolves and synchs her two identities, Carol and Dr. Barnett start to date. However, that relationship ends when Mystique brutally beats the doctor and kills him.

William Wagner was a Kree agent who briefly dated Carol Danvers.

Years later, Ms. Marvel meets a charming restaurant owner named William Wagner. Carol is unaware that William is actually a Kree Agent, but her publicist Sarah Day quickly realizes the alien’s identity and blackmailed him into breaking up with Ms. Marvel.

However, his fate was sealed when a Skrull infiltrator shapeshifted into Carol Danvers and killed the alien in cold blood.

Wonder Man and Ms. Marvel dated during the ‘Mighty Avengers’ comic book storyline.

Simon Williams and Carol Danvers briefly entered the relationship during the ‘Mighty Avengers’ storyline, but they were pretty close even when she was active under the mantle of Warbird.

During this storyline, Carol becomes the leader of the Mighty Avengers. They date briefly and eventually break up.

Rhodey and Carol Danvers really loved each other in Marvel Comics.

Rhodey and Carol knew each other much before she became Captain Marvel, but they assumed their relationship just before the Civil War II event when Carol and Tony Stark were at odds because of their different ideals.

In that storyline, Rhodey is seemingly killed by Thanos, which puts a huge dent in Captain Marvel and Iron Man’s relationship, leading to another Civil War. War Machine was revealed to be alive, but the death of Tony Stark really put a dent in that relationship.

Honorable mention is Spider-Man, with whom Carol went on a date after he helped her deal with Osborn, but that date was interrupted by Osborn’s agents, and from that moment, we never saw these two together as more than friends.

There are many other men that Carol Danvers dated in Marvel Comics, and none of them are queer or sapphic – she is a heterosexual, and it seems that it will stay that way long-term.

What are your thoughts on Captain Marvel’s love interests? Let us know in the comments below.

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