The majority of Captain Marvel #50 takes place during a party for Carol, thrown by Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman, to help her cope with the loss of Binary. A who’s who of Marvel characters from Carol’s past attend, including a fun scene with Monica Rambeau/Photon and a very much alive Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel in a nice nod to the upcoming The Marvels movie. After avoiding the crowds to grieve on her own, Jessica surprises Carol with a trip, courtesy of Doctor Strange, to explore her emotions. There is a touching scene between Carol and her vision of Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, where we see two women discussing what it means to hold immense power. Ultimately, Carol realizes that her powers are a gift and she gets to decide what her legacy becomes.

Seeds of what that legacy may be are planted earlier in the issue during a conversation between Carol and Tony Stark centered on what the “old guard” Avengers will leave behind for the next generation of superheroes.

It’s a moment of self-reflection combined with empathetic forward-thinking that highlights how much Carol has grown from when Thompson first inherited the character. Her interactions with Kamala and Jennifer Takeda/Hazmat serve to remind us that Carol won’t just fight for anyone, she’ll be there to mentor them as well.

Four years ago, Kelly Thompson was tasked with rehabilitating Captain Marvel after the events of Civil War II, while simultaneously protecting her against a directed smear campaign by online bigots & misogynists angry at the female-centric Captain Marvel movie. Not a small task. Fifty issues later, we’re at a point where Thompson’s Captain Marvel is now THE defining Captain Marvel series for the character due not only to it being the longest ongoing run for a solo Captain Marvel story, or making it cool to root for Captain Marvel again, but also for the work Thompson did exploring the woman who dons the costume, Carol Danvers.