Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #9
Doppelganger
Carol Danvers had returned home to find an unexpected guest, Rogue of the X-Men.[1] For some reason, Rogue believes that Carol had attacked her, which Carol flatly denies. Stranger still, Rogue mentions how when Carol attacker her she was wearing her old Warbird costume.[2] More surprisingly, Rogue has fire powers, but says her new abilities are a long story.[3] That’s when Carol asks her former foe how she got into her apartment. Rogue then shows that she has Carol’s keys, which is impossible because she has her keys on her. That’s when Rogue begins to figure out what’s going on and goes to check the bedroom. There, both women are shocked to see a second Carol Danvers sleeping in Carol’s bed.[4]
That’s when the other Carol wakes up and seeing her double and Rogue thinks they are attacking her together. She uses her powers to change her bed-clothes into her Warbird costume and attacks. This is much to Ms. Marvel’s chagrin because she just had her apartment repaired after the last superhuman battle that took place there.[5] The battle spills onto the streets, where Rogue and the two Carol’s end up trashing a nearby restaurant. The owner is upset because his insurance rates are already really high. Ms. Marvel, finding herself attracted to the owner, makes arrangements to discuss the damages under the new provisions of the Super Human Registration Act.[6] When they finally knock Warbird out, Carol suggests they take her to the Beast (Hank McCoy) since the Avengers aren’t presently a thing at the moment.[7] Before they go, Rogue notices that this other Carol acts as though the time that Rogue stole Carol’s powers and memories is still fresh and reiterates how sorry for all the pain and anguish that she caused Carol all those years ago.
They take Warbird to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters where the Beast does a full examination of the other Carol Danvers. He determines that Warbird comes from another reality adjacent to their own. While they wait for her to wake up, Hank decides to scan their Carol’s body so he can update the X-Men’s records on her abilities. He finds something strange in his DNA scan, but can’t figure out what it is. He tells Carol that he’ll look into it further when he has the time.[8]
When the other Carol wakes up, she is primed to start fighting again until Ms. Marvel explains her variant’s situation. Still, Warbird can’t understand how her other self can work with Rogue after what she did to them. Carol explains that happened a long time ago and she got over it and asks Warbird to explain how she ended up on their world.
Warbird tells a story all too familiar to Ms. Marvel, how she used to live in San Francisco until she was attacked by Rogue. Rogue, who used her mutant powers to absorb all of Carol’s memories and powers. While Warbird’s memories were restored by Charles Xavier (leader of the X-Men), she could never get over what was done to her and after years of trying to get over the trauma she became an alcoholic instead.[9] The last thing Warbird remembers before waking up in this other reality was the Avengers going to Spaulding, Georgia to contain a crashed UFO carrying members of the Brood. Carol ignored the summons because she was busy drinking the night away. As she was walking home from the bar, there was a massive explosion from Spaulding that enveloped the entire planet.
Hearing all of this, Hank concludes that this other Carol’s powers absorbed the energies of the explosion and was sent spiraling from universe to universe until she ended up here, in one where Carol prevented this disaster from happening. When asked how they get her back, the Beast concludes that they can’t because the explosion would have wiped Warbird’s Earth from existence. Ms. Marvel on the other hand is disgusted with her other self and her self-pity. Harsh words are set and a brawl ensues. However, when the two women use their powers against one another, they cancel each other out and both women fall to the ground. When Beast rushes out to take Carol’s pulse he fears the worst!
Recurring Characters
Ms. Marvel, Rogue, Warbird, Beast, William Wagner (unidentified), Sentinel Squad ONE
Continuity Notes
Carol’s inner monologue states here that when she and Rogue first met, she tried to kill her. At the time, Rogue was a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. See Avengers Annual #10 and Marvel Super Heroes (vol. 2) #11.
The costume in question is the one that Carol took up wearing in Avengers (vol. 3) #65 until Giant-Size Ms.Marvel #1, when she went back to her trademark Ms. Marvel outfit that she first began wearing back in Ms. Marvel #20. This other Carol also goes by Carol’s previous codename of Warbird, which she started using in Avengers (vol. 3) #4 and dumped in the aforementioned Giant-Size Ms. Marvel.
Rogue had absorbed the powers of Sunfire in Rogue (vol. 3) #11. She will retain these powers until X-Men (vol. 2) #207.
As we’ll discover later in this issue, this Carol is from a parallel universe. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #2, it has been designated Reality-7192.
Carol’s apartment was wrecked when she was ambushed in her home by Warren Traveler in Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #4-5.
This story happens shortly after the SHRA was passed into law in Civil War #3. It requires superhumans to register with the government to make them more accountable. This law will remain on the books until Siege #4. The owner of the restaurant is unidentified here, in Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #11, we’ll learn that he goes by William Wagner.
Following the events of Civil War #1-7, the Avengers found themselves divided between those who support the SHRA and those who don’t. While Luke Cage’s New Avengers are still together, as seen in New Avengers #27, they are outlaws. This story happens before Iron Man forms his own pro-registration team in Mighty Avengers #1.
This is a hint that Carol’s been genetically linked to Cru, an alien warrior she fought in Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #1-3. This won’t be revealed until issue #21 of this series.
This mirrors Carol Danvers-616 who took up drinking to cope with the loss of her cosmic Binary powers in Avengers (vol. 3) #4. Her increasingly erratic behavior led her to quit the Avengers in Avengers (vol. 3) #6 rather than seek help. She was later convinced by Tony Stark to start attending Alcoholics Anonymous in Iron Man (vol. 3) #25 and has since recovered from her drinking problem.
