Postfeminist revision and otherworlds in Captain Marvel & the Carol Corps

This article interrogates the limited comics series Captain Marvel & the Carol Corps (2015), part of Marvel’s Secret Wars multiverse event, as a case study in postfeminist representation within superhero comics. The analysis integrates feminist critiques of postfeminist culture with scholarship that examines the superhero comics genre’s specific formal properties and alternate universe settings. The comic exploits generic motifs such as temporal displacement and retro-nostalgic aesthetics to ultimately foster the articulation of superheroic military femininity. The core argument of this article concerns the central tension of the comic: while it appears to criticize patriarchal structures of authoritarian dominance, it also promotes a vision of women’s empowerment that is decidedly depoliticized and, ultimately, militaristic. By analysing the interplay between revisionist narrative strategies, intertextuality and the specific visual and thematic codes of the series, this article demonstrates how the superhero genre’s engagement with alternate realities provides a unique venue for negotiating and performing contemporary feminist discourses.