Captain Marvel is a superhero identity used by several characters in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original Captain Marvel was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan, first appearing in Marvel Super-Heroes #12 in December 1967, with his own series launching in 1968. This character was a male alien Kree soldier named Mar-Vell, sent to Earth as a spy who eventually becomes its protector. The mantle has since been held by several other characters, most notably Carol Danvers, who first appeared as an Air Force officer and colleague of Mar-Vell in 1968's Marvel Super-Heroes #13. Carol Danvers gained superhuman powers after being caught in the explosion of a Kree device, becoming the superhero Ms. Marvel in 1977. Decades later, in 2012, writer Kelly Sue DeConnick re-branded the character as Captain Marvel, giving her a new costume and a higher profile within the Marvel Universe. The character has become a symbol of female empowerment in superhero comics, leading the Avengers and representing Marvel's commitment to diverse heroes.