Superheros collect nicknames like trading cards, and Captain Marvel is no different. She’s been called Carol, Vers, Binary, and in the comics, she was even Ms Marvel (don’t tell Kamala Khan).
In the newest MCU movie, though, Carol Danvers gets her darkest nickname yet, ‘The Destroyer.’ That’s not exactly the pseudonym you’d expect from someone who helped undo the damage the ultimate Marvel villain, Thanos, did to the universe, but the Kree think it’s well-earned. So why did the Kree give her this dark pseudonym, and is it justified? Let’s examine.
Why do the Kree call Carol Danvers The Destroyer?
The Kree call Carol ‘The Destroyer’ as they blame her for the collapse of their solar empire. It’s revealed during The Marvels that Carol kept her promise to Yon-Rogg and returned to Hala to take revenge on the Supreme Intelligence and Kree for abducting her and stealing her memories.
While her intentions weren’t entirely malicious, Carol believed that by destroying the Supreme Intelligence, the Kree would put aside their warlike culture and embrace peace. This turned out to be wishful thinking from Carol, and the Kree began a civil war that brought their society to the brink of collapse. Even worse, the Kree had exploited all the natural resources on Hala, and it seemed as though this ancient civilization was headed toward destruction.
Does Carol deserve to be called The Destroyer?
It depends on how you look at it. In some regards, Carol acted extremely impulsively, destabilizing a major galactic power without considering the fallout. Now, I have no doubt that Carol believed what she was doing was right, but let’s be honest; it’s not like it made the galaxy a safer place.
We had dangerous Kree like Ronan the Accuser running about wreaking havoc; the Skrulls were still galactic refugees, and now, on top of all that, Hala and the innocent Kree population were condemned to a slow death. Yeah. This doesn’t look great on Carol’s resume.
On the other hand, it’s undeniable that under the Supreme Intelligence’s rule, the Kree Empire was inherently fascist (to use an Earth-bound descriptor) and believed in their genetic superiority over the rest of the galaxy. While they were content to wipe out the Skrulls when we saw them in the ’90s, I’ve no doubt when the Kree was done with that job, they would have turned their attention on another innocent race, all in the name of conquest.
I suppose, in many ways, this gets into the thorny issues surrounding interventionism. It’s fine when a superhero stops a burglar or prevents a robbery. Still, it’s a bit different when they essentially implement a regime change based on their morality, and where you land on the issue will depend on whether you believe in utilitarian or deontological ethics.
A utilitarian will say what Carol did was wrong as in the end, it caused more harm. Hence, she deserves the nickname. Someone who subscribes to the deontological school of thought, though, would see that Carol was trying to reduce harm when she destroyed the Supreme Intelligence. Therefore, her actions were moral regardless of the outcome.
What do you think? I think it’s cool that Marvel has done something so complex with one of their flagship characters, and I could come down on this either way on any given day. If you twisted my arm right now, I’d say no. Carol’s heart was in the right place when she went to Hala. She just didn’t have the benefit of hindsight, so there’s at least one power she doesn’t have.
If you want more Marvel fun, read our The Marvels review and see our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies including Deadpool 3. That one looks set to make watching the Marvel movies in order much more difficult.