Captain Marvel and Doctor Strange One Night Stand:
Following Captain Marvel’s recent trip into the future, and struggling to deal with witnessing the end of the world, Carol broke up with her longtime boyfriend James Rhodes, A.K.A. War Machine. Since then, Carol hasn’t been feeling her best self. In Captain Marvel #27 by Kelly Thompson and David Lopez, to help, Spider-Woman assembled Monica Rambeau (Spectrum), and Jennifer Takeda (Hazmat), along with Carol’s new Kree half-sister Lauri-Ell the Accuser for a night on the town. Following a disastrous round of speed-dating, Carol winds up alone at the bar, where she is discovered by none other than Stephen Strange.
Carol started to crave for her old doings. This was bound to happen. A recovering alcoholic, Carol visits the bar for the atmosphere alone. Sensing that she is tempted to take a drink of whiskey, Dr. Strange magically transforms the liquor into seltzer water. The two bond over their inability to reconcile their superhero careers with their personal lives. When Carol asks Stephen why he’s visiting a normal, human bar rather than the one reserved for Marvel’s sorcerers, Strange tells her that “sometimes you don’t want to be with the people you know. You know?” Which is something Carol can completely identify with.
The two wind up back at the Sanctum Sanctorum for the night. The next morning, it’s left ambiguous as to whether the two of them regret their actions. While Carol’s inner monologue reads “This is a very, very bad idea,” the final panel shows them once again in the throes of passion. As one of Marvel’s most powerful heroes, Carol has often struggled in finding a lasting relationship that works for her schedule.
It makes sense that she would want to find comfort in the arms of someone who is familiar with the stress and responsibility of the job. As leaders in their field who both understand the weight of the power they wield, Carol and Stephen starting something new together make more sense than most fans may realize. It remains to be seen whether these two can make it work, as they both also share highly messy dating histories, but if they can commit to it, this may be the start of Marvel’s next major powerhouse couple. And if the romance takes off, there could even be potential to see a Captain Marvel/Doctor Strange expand outside the comic universe.
Marvel’s ongoing Captain Marvel series from Kelly Thompson has brought Carol Danvers to a post-apocalyptic future where most of Earth’s heroes have perished. After uniting with some of the children of heroes past, like Thor’s hammer-wielding daughter Brigid, Carol pays a visit to Ove, the ruler of New Atlantis. Ove is the son of Namor, Marvel’s Atlantean hero, but he takes more after his mother, Enchantress, an evil Asgardian sorceress and one of Thor’s most dangerous foes. With her powers of mind control, Enchantress has Luke Cage take down Captain Marvel so she and her allies can be imprisoned. Fortunately, they don’t stay that way for long.
