Captain Marvel: Paradox

Marooned on a distant world, different—and darker—than her own, Captain Marvel finds herself hunted by a vicious space pirate called “Starkiller.” And after a run-in with this realm’s version of Natasha Romanoff, Carol Danvers discovered the rogue agent to be an evil Peter Quill!

On December 27, writer Margaret Stohl and artist Michele Bandini present “Dark Origin Part 3” in CAPTAIN MARVEL #127! We met up with Margaret to hear more about the Captain’s strange and dangerous journey.

Marvel.com: Catch us up on what’s been going on in the “Dark Origin” arc so far!

Margaret Stohl: While looking for her Kree friend, Bean, Carol has stumbled into a Dark Galaxy where up is down and good is evil—sort of like “Opposite Day” in the Marvel Universe. In this galaxy, she’s a crime boss known as the Corporal, her Alphas are criminals known as the Zetas, and her sworn nemesis is the Starkiller—a dark(er) version of Peter Quill.

Marvel.com: What went differently in this new reality to make everyone so evil?

Margaret Stohl: We don’t yet know what’s at the root of this galaxy—but we do know there’s a powerful gem in play here…and there will be more developing on that front in issues to come!

Marvel.com: What’s up with this version of Star-Lord and what does he want from Carol?

Margaret Stohl: Ah, Starkiller. He really can’t stand to have a rival space pirate in this galaxy. Along with his crew—Rockette (a mouthy girl raccoon), Root (her stalwart carrot sidekick), a pink Gamora, and a skinny Drax—he wants to make trouble for Carol and the Zetas.

Marvel.com: What allies has Carol met and what other enemies will she be facing?

Margaret Stohl: Carol’s teamed up with The Widower, a Dark Galaxy Natasha Romanoff. They’re a tough duo to beat. But aside from Starkiller, there’s another huge problem lurking in the galaxy and you won’t believe who it is…

Marvel.com: What made you choose the Reality Stone for your story?

Margaret Stohl: One of my favorite Marvel geniuses, Gerry Duggan, has engineered an epic story for the stones and I couldn’t wait to be a part of it! Because I knew Carol would be going to this crazy alternate reality, I thought the Reality Stone would be a perfect fit.

Marvel.com: What proved to be the most challenging element of writing this story?

Margaret Stohl:  I think this was one of those blue sky stories where literally anything could happen, so the issue ended up being more about making sure we had as much fun as possible as opposed to worrying about anything we weren’t doing.

Marvel.com: What’s been your favorite moment to write so far for this arc?

Margaret Stohl: Writing Peter Quill. Everything that comes out of his mouth just cracks me up. Peter and Tony Stark are my boy doppelgänger soulmates—bad jokes and all! But bad jokes especially.

Pick up Margaret Stohl and artist Michele Bandini’s CAPTAIN MARVEL #127 on December 27!