Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) Reading Order Guide

Captain Marvel has become a big figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starring in her own movie and featured in others. Along the way, she has amassed a dedicated fanbase who want to learn more about her and her adventures on the screen and in comics.

Unfortunately, Marvel Comics has not made it easy to read Captain Marvel comics. It can be confusing if you’re unfamiliar with some of the publisher’s quirks. The problem is that through the company’s love of new number #1 issues, Captain Marvel has multiple trade paperbacks that are labelled as volume 1 or 2. This makes it extremely hard to understand which ones are meant to be read and in which order.

Luckily, this Captain Marvel Reading Order Guide is here to save the day! Read on to make sense of Captain Marvel’s confusing publishing history.

Which Captain Marvel is this reading order for?

Over the years, there has been a bunch of different heroes that have gone by the name of Captain Marvel over at Marvel Comics. DC Comics even has a hero that has gone under that name but is better known today as Shazam. 

This reading order focuses on Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel. This is because she currently holds the title and has since 2012. She is also the best-known version of the character due to her various movie appearances.

Where can I find Captain Marvel comics?

Captain Marvel comics and trade paperback collections can be found in a number of places.

You can find them in all good comic book shops, online retailers, eBay, and Amazon/Kindle. Captain Marvel comics can also be found on the Marvel Unlimited digital comics service too.

Related resource: Where To Buy Comic Books, Graphic Novels, And Manga

How do I use this reading order?

There are a few different ways you can use this reading order depending on what you want to read.

1. You can read everything involving Captain Marvel, start to finish
2. You could read a specific era of the character. The headings are a great place to differentiate each of these eras. You can start at any of these.
3. Use it to figure out the various volume 1 and 2s that Marvel have released over the years. That way you won’t read the wrong one by accident.

Updating…

Captain Marvel is still active and I anticipate that there will be plenty of more comics and trade paperbacks to add to this list.

Come back in a few months to find more Captain Marvel comics to read!

Captain Marvel reading order

It’s time to jump into the meat of this guide – the reading order. I’ve broken it up into different era – which you can to figure out jumping-on points – to make reading Captain Marvel comics and this guide easier.

Jump to different Captain Marvel eras:

• Origin: The Life of Captain Marvel
• Captain Marvel (2012 Series) and Avengers Assemble
• Captain Marvel (2014 Series) and Secret Wars
• After Secret Wars and the Civil War II era
• After Civil War II
• Captain Marvel (2019 Series)

Origin: The Life of Captain Marvel

The Life Of Captain Marvel is a five-part miniseries that retells and streamlines Carol Danver’s origin story. It’s not the earliest publication starring Captain Marvel, but it fits chronologically first as it is an origin story.

Check it out if you want to read about Carol Danver’s origin story or appreciate great art.

The Life Of Captain Marvel
Written by Margaret Stohl. Art by Carlos Pacheco and Marguerite Sauvage.
Collects: The Life of Captain Marvel #1-5

Captain Marvel (2012 Series) and Avengers Assemble

This section includes Carol Danver’s first solo series of Captain Marvel in addition to her appearances in Avengers Assembled, which are written by the same writer.

Avenging Spider-Man #9 (First appearance as Captain Marvel)
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick. Art by Terry Dodson.

Captain Marvel Volume 1: In Pursuit of Flight
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick. Art by Dexter Soy and Emma Rios.
Collects: Captain Marvel (2012 series) #1-6

Note: Read a review for Captain Marvel: In Pursuit of Flight.

Captain Marvel Volume 2: Down
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick. Art by Filipe Andrade and Dexter Soy.
Collects: Captain Marvel (2012 series) #7-12

Avengers Assemble: Science Bros
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Christos Gage. Art by Stefano Caselli, Tomm Coker, and Pete Woods.
Collects: Avengers Assemble #9-13, Annual #1

Avengers: The Enemy Within
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Christopher Sebela. Art by Filipe Andrade Matteo Buffagni, and Scott Hepburn.
Collects: Avengers: The Enemy Within #1, Captain Marvel (2012 series) #13-14, Captain Marvel (2012 series) #17, Avengers Assemble #16-17

Note: Captain Marvel (2012 series) #15-16 are tie-ins into a Marvel Event called Infinity.

Marvel have also released a 300+ page collection of some of the stories that focus on Carol Danver’s origin and her step up to being Captain Marvel. It collects parts of the 2012 series and The Life of Captain Marvel miniseries.

Captain Marvel: The Saga of Carol Danvers
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Christopher Sebela, and Margaret Stohl. Art by Dexter Soy, Emma Rios, Pilipe Andrade, Carlos Pacheco, Marguerite Sauvage, and others.
Collects: Captain Marvel (2012 series) #1-8 and #17 and The Life of Captain Marvel #1-5

Buy Captain Marvel (2012 series) on:

Captain Marvel (2014 Series) and Secret Wars

Marvel love a new number #1, and that’s exactly what happened to Captain Marvel in 2014. As a result, the trade paperback collections numbering was also reset. This section includes the series that started in 2014 all the way up to the Secret Wars mega-event.

Captain Marvel Volume 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick. Art by David Lopez.
Collects: Captain Marvel (2014 series) #1-6

Captain Marvel Volume 2: Stay Fly
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick. Art by David Lopez and Marcio Takara.
Collects: Captain Marvel (2014 series) #7-11

Captain Marvel Volume 3: Alis Volat Propriis
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick. Art by David Lopez and Marcio Takara.
Collects: Captain Marvel (2014 series) #12-15

Note: Captain Marvel (2014 series) #14 is part of the Black Vortex crossover.

Note: The next two series tie-into Marvel’s Secret Wars event.

Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps
Written by Kelly Thompson and Kelly Sue DeConnick. Art by David Lopez.
Collects: Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps #1-4

A-Force Vol. 0 : Warzones!
Written by Marguerite Bennett and G. Willow Wilson. Art by Jorge Molina.
Collects: A-Force (2015 series) #1-5

Note: A-Force is an all-female superhero team lead by Captain Marvel. While this incarnation is based on an alternate world, Marvel did bring the concept into the regular Marvel Universe. Continue reading to find out more.

Buy Captain Marvel (2014 series) on:

After Secret Wars and the Civil War II era

After Secret Wars, Captain Marvel received a new number #1 issue yet again! With this new series there was also a fresh direction, with the introduction of a rebranded Alpha Flight and a new creative team.

This leads into Civil War II, which Captain Marvel played a big part in.

Captain Marvel Volume 1: Rise of Alpha Flight
Written by Tara Butters and Michele Fazekis. Art by Kris Anka.
Collects: Captain Marvel (2016 series) #1-5

A-Force Volume 1: Hypertime
Written by Marguerite Bennett, Kelly Thompson, G. Willow Wilson, and Roy Thomas. Art by Jorge Molina, Victor Ibanez, and John Busema.
Collects: A-Force (2016 series) #1-4, Avengers (1963 series) #83, A-Force (2015 series) #1 and material from Avengers (2015) #0.

Note: The next three listing are part of the Civil War II crossover event. Captain Marvel was a big part of this series and due to this some of the series she stars in tie into it. Check out this reading order guide to see how these listings fit into the overall story.

Civil War II
Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art by David Marquez.
Collects: Civil War II #1-8.

Captain Marvel Volume 2: Civil War II
Written by Christos N. Gage and Ruth Fletcher Gage. Art by Kris Anka and Marco Failla.
Collects: Captain Marvel (2016) #6-10

A-Force Volume 2: Rage Against The Dying Of The Light
Written by Kelly Thompson. Art by Ben Caldwell and Paulo Siqueria.
Collects: A-Force (2016 series) #5-10

Buy Captain Marvel (2016 series) on:

After Civil War II

And yet a gain a new number #1 issue for Captain Marvel in the post-Civil War II landscape. Although, this didn’t last long thanks to Marvel Legacy, with a new renumbering which combined all the previous Carol Danvers issue numbers together. Find out more about this process in our Marvel Comics Legacy Number guide.

The Mighty Captain Marvel Volume 1: Alien Nation
Written by Margaret Stohl. Art by Ramon Rosanas.
Collects: The Mighty Captain Marvel #0-4

The Mighty Captain Marvel Volume 2: Band of Sisters
Written by Margaret Stohl. Art by Michele Bandini.
Collects: The Mighty Captain Marvel #5-9

Note: The Mighty Captain Marvel #5-8 ties into the Secret Empire event.

Generations: Captain Marvel & Captain Mar-Vell #1
Written by Margaret Stohl. Art by Michele Bandini.

The Mighty Captain Marvel Volume 3: Dark Origins
Written by Margaret Stohl. Art by Michele Bandini.
Collects: Captain Marvel #125-129

Note: Check out a preview of Captain Marvel #125.

Marvel has also released Margaret Stohl’s Captain Marvel run in one big trade paperback collection.

Captain Marvel by Margaret Stohl
Collects: The Mighty Captain Marvel #0-9, Captain Marvel #125-129, Generations: Captain Marvel and Captain Marv-Vell, and The Life of Captain Marvel #1-5

Infinity Countdown
Written and art by various.

Note: Captain Marvel is one of the main characters in this cosmic crossover. You can find out more about it in this handy reading order.

Buy The Mighty Captain Marvel on:

Captain Marvel (2019 Series)

To coincide with the Captain Marvel movie, Marvel relaunched the series with a new #1 and creative team.

Captain Marvel Volume 1: Re-Entry
Written by Kelly Thompson. Art by Carmen Carnero and Annapaola Martello.
Collects: Captain Marvel (2019 series) #1-5

Captain Marvel Volume 2: Falling Star
Written by Kelly Thompson. Art by Carmen Carnero and Annapaola Martello.
Collects: Captain Marvel (2019 series) #6-11

Marvel have also collected the first year of Kelly Thompson’s Captain Marvel run in a chunky collection. This is perfect for those who prefer to read larger chunks of comics in a single session.

Captain Marvel by Kelly Thompson Volume 1
Written by Kelly Thompson. Art by Carmen Carnero and Annapaola Martello.
Collects: Captain Marvel (2019 series) #1-11 and Captain Marvel: The End

Star: Birth Of A Dragon
Written by Kelly Thompson. Art by Javier Pina and Filipe Andrade.
Collects: Star (2020 series) #1-5

Note: Star: Birth of the Dragon is a miniseries which features Star, who was introduced in the first arc Captain Marvel (2019 series). Check it out if you’re a fan of the character and want to know what happens to her next.

Captain Marvel Volume 3: The Last Avenger
Written by Kelly Thompson. Art by Lee Garbett and Francesco Manna.
Collects: Captain Marvel (2019 series) #12-16

Captain Marvel Volume 4: Accused
Written by Kelly Thompson. Art by Francesco Manna and Cory Smith.
Collects: Captain Marvel (2019 series) #17-21

Note: Captain Marvel Volume 4: Accused ties into the Avengers/Fantastic Four: Empyre event. To find out more, check out the Empyre reading order.

Captain Marvel Volume 5: The New World
Written by Kelly Thompson. Art by Lee Garbett and Belen Ortega.
Collects: Captain Marvel (2019 series) #22-26

The comics in Kelly Thompson’s Captain Marvel run are also available all together in an omnibus format.

Captain Marvel by Kelly Thompson Omnibus Volume 1
Collects: Captain Marvel (2019 series) #1-26 and Captain Marvel: The End

Captain Marvel Volume 6: Strange Magic
Written by Kelly Thompson. Art by David Lopez and Jacopo Camagni.
Collects: Captain Marvel (2019 series) #27-30

Captain Marvel Volume 7: The Last Of The Marvels
Written by Kelly Thompson. Art by Takeshi Miyazawa and Sergio Fernandez Davila.
Collects: Captain Marvel (2019 series) #31-36

Captain Marvel Volume 8: The Trials
Written by Kelly Thompson and Torunn Gronbekk. Art by Julius Otha, Juan Frigeri, Alvero Lopez, and Carolos Gomez.
Collects: Captain Marvel (2019 series) #37-41 and Annual #1

Captain Marvel Volume 9: Revenge of the Brood Part 1
Written by Kelly Thompson. Art by Andrea Di Vito and Sergio Davila.
Collects: Captain Marvel (2019 series) #42-46

Captain Marvel Volume 10: Revenge of the Brood Part 2
Written by Kelly Thompson. Art by Andrea Di Vito, Javier Pina and others.
Collects: Captain Marvel (2019 series) #47-50

Captain Marvel (2019 series) and Kelly Thompson’s run ends with issue #50.

Buy Captain Marvel (2019 series) on:

Captain Marvel: Dark Tempest
Written by Ann Nocenti. Art by Paolo Villanelli.
Collects: Captain Marvel: Dark Tempest #1-5

Captain Marvel: Assault on Eden #1
Written by Anthony Oliveira and Maria Frohlich. Art by Maria Frohlich and Eleonora Carlini.

Captain Marvel (2023 series)

Captain Marvel was relaunched in October 2023 with the team of writer Alyssa Wong and artist Jan Bazaldua. It’s an excellent new jumping-on point for new and lapsed readers, which has a new status quo and redesign for Carol Danvers.

Captain Marvel Volume 1: The Omen
Collects: Captain Marvel (2023 series) #1-4

Captain Marvel (2023 series) #5 onwards

Captain Marvel (2023 series) is an ongoing series, which will have more issues and collected editions introduced in the future. These will be added to this reading order when they’re announced.

Other Captain Marvel comics

Finally, her are a collection of other Captain Marvel comics. These are mostly all-ages comics that Marvel outsourced to other publishers and perfect for younger readers.

Captain Marvel: Game On
Written by Sam Maggs. Art by Sweeney Boo and Mario Del Pennino.
Collects: Marvel Action: Captain Marvel (2019 series) #1-6 and Marvel Action: Captain Marvel (2021 series) #1-5

Have your say!

Has the upcoming Captain Marvel movie got you interested in reading the comics? Have you found this reading order helpful? Let me know in the comments below or via Facebook or Twitter.