REVIEW: ‘Captain Marvel: The End,’ Issue #1

Captain Marvel: The End #1 is published by Marvel Comics, written by Kelly Thompson, with art by Carmen Carnero, colors by David Curial, and letters by Travis Lanham. It’s 2051 and Captain Marvel has been away for decades believing that the Earth was uninhabited after a global disaster years earlier. But when she receives a call for the Avengers to assemble she rushes back to her homeworld hoping to find someone still alive.

With Thompson and Carnero reuniting to tell the “final” story of Captain Marvel, I knew exactly what to expect. An emotionally driven story about friendship, hope, and sacrifice. These were the hallmarks of their time together on the current ongoing series and Captain Marvel: The End #1 delivered exactly what I expected.

Thompson does an excellent job crafting this story. The Carol we are introduced to is one that is suffering from loss and regret. Even though she literally shines at this point she’s clearly lost some of her trademark glow. Time and the apparent destruction of humanity have weighed heavily on her. However, Thompson doesn’t go so far as to destroy who Carol is. It would’ve been easy to have her hiding in shame due to her failure; to reduce her to a cliche that we have seen in so many comic book storylines. I like that Captain Marvel, despite her failure to save humanity, continues to battle on. To have her do anything less, would be a disservice to her character.

Upon discovering there are survivors, and their fragile existence is imperiled by a monster our threat, Carol does what she does best. Utilizing both her powers and her mind to defeat the enemy and save the day. The weight that is instantly lifted from Carol’s shoulders is clear. To be able to make some amends for her past failure is a relief.

While the monster battle is well done, it’s the moments in between that really shine in Captain Marvel: The End #1. The choices of survivors is a wonderful mash-up of old and new faces. The children of heroes, and a few survivors from our time, come together to make an excellent group. There are the genuine warmth and camaraderie that Thompson has always superbly crafted into her stories present within these moments. While they aren’t the moments that sell stories, they are the moments that, in the end, are the best. Art imitates life once again.

Just as I said when Carnero left the current series of Captain Marvel, her pencils define Carol Danvers for me. She succeeds here in every way. The empowered design of Carol hits that balance between unique and still fitting for the character. The strength she draws from her friends is made so evident in the way Carnero handles Carol’s body langue as well. You just feel the change in her as the story develops. And her final images of Captain Marvel shine like the inspiring sun the character is. While I sincerely hope this isn’t the last time I see Carnero pencil this character if it ended up so it would be a perfect end. Captain Marvel: The End #1 is a heartfelt love letter to what the character is. It’s heroic, charming, and filled with familial warmth and love that can warm the soul, no matter how cold it might get.

Captain Marvel: The End #1 is available wherever comics are sold.