We're going off book! That's right- today we're reading Avengers Annual #10, featuring the 1st appearance of Rogue & overdue redemption of Carol Danvers! Carol features prominently in our Run & I could think of no person better to introduce our esteemed captain than @AnneComics!
So until the end of this thread, I'm turning the reins on the account over to the x-cellent Anne to talk about Carol Danvers and the role Claremont plays in rewriting her story for the better! Take it away, @AnneComics:
Ok all! Anne here! 😁

And I’m as ready as I can be, because this one’s hard! It's hard to talk about because this issue covers one of the darkest times in Carol Danvers’ life. It sucks because it didn’t *need* to happen...but I’m really damn glad it did...
Ok, so basically to give us some context... you need to understand that this Carol story is a direct response to Avengers #200. For those of you who don’t know, Avengers #200 is widely considered to be one of the worst comics ever put to print. It’s hard to even describe...
The tl;dr for this:

I have to include a ///CONTENT WARNING/// here going forward for: Sexual Assault/Rape, and even that feels like it’s not enough, because this story- somehow thought up and put to page by actual humans(!!)- reads like the worst fan fiction you’ve ever seen!
Basically, Carol is impregnated by this man from another dimension named Marcus, and she is impregnated by Marcus...with Marcus! She gives birth to her own lover, with the pregnancy lasting only a few days, and then she runs off to go live with him all happily ever after—
—and the Avengers LET HER! They act like the strangest thing that ever happened in the universe was perfectly fine, normal, and wonderful!

It’s a story that is so repulsive that has to be seen to be believed, but never, in good conscience, could I recommend you read it.
Claremont immediately felt that something was off- which is understandable.

Carol was his baby; he was working on Ms. Marvel at the time, and to find out what had happened to her... was surely a bit shocking and surprising. You can read a bit about his reaction below:
That sentiment is what very clearly feeds this story's plot!

Carol’s arc is borne of Claremont doing something really respectable, because when you have a story in comics that is just bad, you can ignore it or you can address it. One option is definitely easier than the other...
Claremont decided to steer into the turn and instead of acting like it never happened, justifies it as best he could while addressing the consequences.

This story served to say, “No, that wasn’t ok... now let’s talk about why.”

And, as best as it can, it works!
I think we’ve covered enough of the background now, so let’s move on to the annual!

When the issue picks up, we see the aftermath of a fight that we actually won’t get to SEE on panel for another TWENTY-THREE years!

The aftermath of the infamous Rogue vs Carol battle...
While this fight was scheduled to be the final battle in Carol’s stand-alone series, the book was cancelled a few issues early and we didn’t get a chance to see it play out until Marvel Super-Heroes #11 gave us the unprinted story.
During the battle, Rogue (conor: an important x-lady we haven't met yet!) used her powers, accidentally absorbing most of Carol’s powers and memories, leaving her a husk of the hero she used to be.

Needless to say... Carol had been having a rough year... 😅
After being rescued by Spider-Woman, Jessica calls Professor X in to see if the professor can help restore Carol’s memories.

In time he is actually able to, and this assist led to Carol living with the X-Men for a while and, eventually, all of her new Binary adventures!
After being rescued by Spider-Woman, Jessica calls Professor X in to see if the professor can help restore Carol’s memories.In time he is actually able to, and this assist led to Carol living with the X-Men for a while and, eventually, all of her new Binary adventures!
After being rescued by Spider-Woman, Jessica calls Professor X in to see if the professor can help restore Carol’s memories.In time he is actually able to, and this assist led to Carol living with the X-Men for a while and, eventually, all of her new Binary adventures!
After being rescued by Spider-Woman, Jessica calls Professor X in to see if the professor can help restore Carol’s memories.In time he is actually able to, and this assist led to Carol living with the X-Men for a while and, eventually, all of her new Binary adventures!
For most of the issue, Carol sits on the sidelines recovering, only factoring back in once the Avengers had done their Avenging. They come to the X-Mansion to greet their old friend... only, it’s not the reunion they hoped for...
This is where the meat of the issue lies, in my opinion, because this is Claremont channeling every ounce of righteous frustration with Avengers #200 into one of the most emotional and poignant Carol dialogues I’ve ever read.

It is a moment of raw, unfiltered pain.
This is where the meat of the issue lies, in my opinion, because this is Claremont channeling every ounce of righteous frustration with Avengers #200 into one of the most emotional and poignant Carol dialogues I’ve ever read. It is a moment of raw, unfiltered pain.
This is where the meat of the issue lies, in my opinion, because this is Claremont channeling every ounce of righteous frustration with Avengers #200 into one of the most emotional and poignant Carol dialogues I’ve ever read. It is a moment of raw, unfiltered pain.
This is where the meat of the issue lies, in my opinion, because this is Claremont channeling every ounce of righteous frustration with Avengers #200 into one of the most emotional and poignant Carol dialogues I’ve ever read. It is a moment of raw, unfiltered pain.
This is where the meat of the issue lies, in my opinion, because this is Claremont channeling every ounce of righteous frustration with Avengers #200 into one of the most emotional and poignant Carol dialogues I’ve ever read. It is a moment of raw, unfiltered pain.
This is the moment where Claremont, doing a bit of necessary retconning, specifies that, no, Carol did not go with this man of her own accord. In fact, it was much more sinister than that. He controlled her to make her his, and the Avengers let it happen.
This is the moment where Claremont, doing a bit of necessary retconning, specifies that, no, Carol did not go with this man of her own accord. In fact, it was much more sinister than that. He controlled her to make her his, and the Avengers let it happen.
This is the moment where Claremont, doing a bit of necessary retconning, specifies that, no, Carol did not go with this man of her own accord. In fact, it was much more sinister than that. He controlled her to make her his, and the Avengers let it happen.
It’s hard. As satisfying as it is to see Carol reading the Avengers to filth, this is a moment that shouldn’t have happened, because Avengers #200 shouldn’t have happened!

This was as good a “save” as I think could have been managed, I think, and it’s bittersweet.
It’s hard. As satisfying as it is to see Carol reading the Avengers to filth, this is a moment that shouldn’t have happened, because Avengers #200 shouldn’t have happened! This was as good a “save” as I think could have been managed, I think, and it’s bittersweet.
It’s hard. As satisfying as it is to see Carol reading the Avengers to filth, this is a moment that shouldn’t have happened, because Avengers #200 shouldn’t have happened! This was as good a “save” as I think could have been managed, I think, and it’s bittersweet.
We can't see it now, but everything that happened will affect Carol’s character forever! We see its effects long after, especially in her later struggles with alcoholism.

Because Claremont made a decision to address the story head on, he created Carol's greatest enemy: herself.
I think a cornerstone of the character, why I’ve gravitated so much to her is that, through the years, the only person who has ever stopped her from achieving all she could...was herself.

It took her so long to overcome the trauma & doubt that this story ingrained into her DNA.
The way I (and Claremont seems to) see it, you can look at it and be bitter that people could have taken this character and treated her in such a deplorable way, or, you can understand it, accept it, and move forward with the positive things that it gave us.
I think that seeing Carol learning to overcome this pain has easily, with hindsight, become the most satisfying thing about her. She was set to be a star, but this story grounded her for YEARS. But she climbed back up and she didn’t give up.

And that will always inspire me ❤️.
I think ultimately Claremont made the right decision. It was hard, and it hurt for a while, but ultimately it all ended up ok.

And that’s what matters.
I could go on all day but I know that Conor already has his hands full adding this BEAST of a thread onto his own, so I gotta wrap this up. 😅

If any of you have any questions or want to talk more, please feel free to hmu @AnneComics!

Thanks for having me, Conor!
Okay gang, Conor here- let's give it up for @AnneComics bringing some much needed background to this incredible issue by Claremont.

Check back later today for my thoughts on the issue and how it relates back to the rest of the Claremont Run's themes!
You can follow @ConorReadsXMen.
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