Ms. Marvel #11-13 (1977-1978)

She knows who she is, but now Ms. Marvel has this problem of two personalities sharing a body, a clear parallel to Rick Jones and Mar-Vell’s inability to both be in our dimension at the same time.

It’s very similar to Hulk in many ways, but it’s also linked to Captain Mar-Vell’s bodysharing with Rick Jones.  Interesting.  Apparently, Carol Danvers can watch Ms. Marvel, and vice-versa, when the other is “in action” on Earth.  By the end of this story, it’s revealed that she is truly schizophrenic and there are not two different people occupying the same physical form, and Carol is resolved to accept her super-powered half.  There are some holes with this theory, such as when Carol becomes Ms. Marvel her hair is a lot shorter, but we can overlook them as narrative devices that reflect Carol’s inability to see herself as a unified whole rather than as actual hair-length changes that are visible to the people she encounters.

And in her secret identity, she acts like a Kree.

Other than that, not much reason to read (or not read) these issues.  It’s a fairly standard story, Ms. Marvel battles Hecate and the Elementals, who are trying to obtain a mythical jewel that will increase their power.

And in #11, Marvel’s only female editor, the great Jo Duffy, writes in to endorse the book.

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