Meet Captain Marvel’s New Binary

Since her introduction in the ’60s, Carol Danvers has had a lot of different superhero identities. One of the most prominent was Binary, a title she used starting in UNCANNY X-MEN #164. Recently, though, a new Binary has arrived on the scene, and she’s connected to Danvers in a major way. With the latest arc of CAPTAIN MARVEL, “Trials,” exploring the character more, here’s what we know about Marvel’s new Binary so far.

Created by Kelly Thompson and Russell Dauterman, this new version of Binary first appeared in 2021’s CAPTAIN MARVEL #34 as part of the “Last of the Marvels” storyline. At the start of that story, Vox Supreme – a powerful Super-Inhuman made from remnants of the Kree’s Supreme Intelligence – began abducting Danvers’ allies and taking them to New Hala, where he forced them into black suits. These black suits allowed Vox Supreme to control those inside, just as he had when he forced Danvers to fight the Avengers earlier in the run. This time around, though, Vox Supreme attempted to conscript Danvers’ allies into his army as part of his mission to create a master race. 

During her fight with Vox Supreme, the villain imprisoned Captain Marvel in a container designed to resist her abilities and jettisoned her into space. To escape, Danvers focused her powers and created an energy being that closely resembled her Binary form. The Binary form broke Danvers out of her prison, and Captain Marvel reabsorbed her soon after.

Later, Captain Marvel renewed her assault on Vox Supreme’s operation on New Hala. However, Vox Supreme used a fake version of Mar-Vell, the original Captain Marvel, to trap Danvers in a black suit. Danvers responded by again creating Binary. This version, though, didn’t disappear and even went on to manifest Danvers’ old Binary costume. Binary then helped Danvers and her allies take on Vox Supreme and his army. 

Binary’s creation stems from the history of New Hala. In the 2010s, a revived Mar-Vell sacrificed himself to stop the Phoenix Force from destroying the Kree. That sacrifice left a profound impact on the planet. As Vox Supreme explained, Binary was Danvers’ energy mixed with the “Mar-Vell-and-Phoenix-rich planet surface.” That combination made Binary something more than just an energy duplicate.

After Binary and Captain Marvel defeated Vox Supreme, they returned to Earth, where they joined forces with Monica Rambeau, AKA Spectrum, to fight off an attack from the Snats, a group of half-snake, half-cat entities from a different dimension. Following their victory, Binary punched a man who commented that they should wear skirts. This resulted in Danvers and Rambeau taking Binary on a trip to help her learn how to live on Earth.

At a roadside diner, Binary met a group of children and a cat name Dumpling, with whom she immediately fell in love. However, Dumpling was killed in another confrontation with the Snats, which hurt Binary emotionally. Danvers and her then friends took Binary out to help cheer her up. At the end of the night, though, Danvers mysteriously disappeared.

In CAPTAIN MARVEL #38, Binary began doing heroic deeds in Danvers’ place while also trying to figure out who she is as a being separate from her progenitor, with some members of the public assuming she was just Danvers reverting to her old codename. At the end of the book, though, the energy being’s form shifted to look more like Captain Marvel for a moment, suggesting she has a few more tricks up her sleeve that we’ve yet to uncover.

To see what’s next for Binary, check out CAPTAIN MARVEL #38 (now on sale) and beyond.

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