COMICS: Which Female MARVEL Superhero Is Set To Contract Cancer?

COMICS: Which Female MARVEL Superhero Is Set To Contract Cancer?

Following their campaign to raise awareness of cancer through a series of variant covers, it is now rumoured that a female superheroine will contract the disease in a storyline which will hit next year. Find out the four potential candidates after the jump.

By JoshWilding - Dec 18, 2012 04:12 AM EST
Filed Under: Marvel Comics
Source: Bleeding Cool


Bleeding Cool have learned that a prominent Marvel superheroine will contract cancer next year in a storyline which will bring attention to the awful disease. This follows Marvel's campaign to raise awareness after a series of pink variant covers and advertisements with 'Komen For The Cure'. According to the site, Captain Marvel, Red She Hulk, Invisible Woman and Rogue are currently said to be the four main potential candidates. As they point out, Carol Danvers certainly seems to be the most likely suggestion as her predecessor Captain Mar-Vell died of the disease. However, over in Fantastic Four, it has been revealed that Reed Richards is suffering from some sort of cancer which is causing the unstable molecules in his body to break down, so Sue Storm-Richards may also be a possibility. Regardless, this is a great way for Marvel to raise awareness and it will hopefully be handled with great care. What do you guys think of this news?

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osideous
osideous - 12/18/2012, 5:06 AM
i just find it weird we are still raising awareness for cancer. everyone is pretty aware of it. hopefully sales from this event will go to "Komen For The Cure".
superotherside
superotherside - 12/18/2012, 5:26 AM
I'm pretty sure everyone is aware of it, at the same time as long as the don't kill anyone important I'm fine with it.
shamo
shamo - 12/18/2012, 5:28 AM
give it to sue or rogue, their they least interesting afterall.
marvel72
marvel72 - 12/18/2012, 5:30 AM
wouldn't red she hulk have a healing factor that would prevent her from catching cancer.
xcrementus
xcrementus - 12/18/2012, 5:44 AM
Captain Marvel's been done, Rogue's busy avenger-ing, Red She-Hulk's died of a cancer/radiation illness already...

Sue is totally the best candidate. The potential for drama there is gigantic.
Also, look for Reed to find the cure for cancer, in order to save her. cancer-free Marvel Universe!!
Shadowelfz
Shadowelfz - 12/18/2012, 5:50 AM
I hope they mean theyre giving all the profits to cancer studies and patients, not raising awareness about a disease everyone knows about. And wasn't October cancer awareness month?

Another Marvel Gimmick indeed. Enough with all the BS Marvel and go back to writing the best damn comics in the world.
xcrementus
xcrementus - 12/18/2012, 5:58 AM
seriously though, if anybodys gonna find a cure for cancer, its Reed!! He'll save the day, his woman, and millions of people. now THATS a story.
thalidomide
thalidomide - 12/18/2012, 6:00 AM
@xcrementus

Couldn't agree more.
SpideyQuad
SpideyQuad - 12/18/2012, 6:09 AM
Say what you will about Marvel and their record on heroes dying.

They have Kept Capt. Marvel pretty much dead over the past 30 years.

One of the intriguing things I find is with Rogue. Could she get cancer from using her mutant powers on someone else that already has cancer in their system? Could she cure herself, say by touching Logan?
comicstocode
comicstocode - 12/18/2012, 6:13 AM
more fantasy less reality. let's hope Marvel doesn't pocket a cent.
LordDaredevil
LordDaredevil - 12/18/2012, 6:22 AM
@Intruder Man I fell out of my seat.
marvel72
marvel72 - 12/18/2012, 6:28 AM
it won't be rogue all she got to do is touch wolverine,then bingo cured.
Egan
Egan - 12/18/2012, 6:41 AM
Sue will get it? She's married to god dam Reed Richards!

Sue - "Reed I have Cancer".
Reed - "LOL Cured".
sciencefriction
sciencefriction - 12/18/2012, 6:50 AM
Yet more Marvel b/s. Marvel is in dire need of some business changes.
NorrinRaddical
NorrinRaddical - 12/18/2012, 7:01 AM
not meaning to take things too seriously, I always found it an interesting angle that in comics, they rarely touch upon the mild paradox that Reed can travel to the Underverse and/or scare Galactus the devourer of worlds, but he can't cure cancer. Apparently no one can. That's life.

That old [flawed] mini-series "Justice" touched a little upon how heroes never REALLY made differences like that in the world, but I think it really touched upon that in comics, with all its escapism, no one can, because in life, maybe no one can. Hopeful to see if the MEDIUM of comics could make a difference in the world instead.
DaveT
DaveT - 12/18/2012, 7:08 AM
Hey...here's some awareness for ya. Heart disease kills way more women than cancer, but ironically people are unaware of that.
mr2324jgf
mr2324jgf - 12/18/2012, 7:09 AM
giving a hero cancer is and has been one of the most retarded things ever in the history of comic books. Marvel had cancer but had nega bands to keep his cancer at bay and then the phoenix put it into stasis... that shit doesn't exist, no one draws a cancer patient back to life after they pass away in the real world, so stop [frick]ing do it in comic books and looking like a bunch of assholes. Shit idea... move on.
xcrementus
xcrementus - 12/18/2012, 7:10 AM
@DaveT, yeh but to avoid that, you can't eat junk food, can't drink, and exercise everyday...WHATS THE POINT OF EVEN LIVING! haha
xcrementus
xcrementus - 12/18/2012, 7:13 AM
@mr2324jgf: yeah but they made a point to say his temporary return was unnatural in Secret Avengers. He didn't wanna be there, he was in heaven, and he ended up going back to dead of his own accord.
Besides these little flirtations with returns, Mar-Vell is dead. They need him to stay dead, to keep Danvers as their premiere female superhero, or else she's not special anymore.
leethario
leethario - 12/18/2012, 7:14 AM
My Grandmother died of breast cancer, i find this mildy insensitive to say the least.
xcrementus
xcrementus - 12/18/2012, 7:15 AM
And a character having breast cancer doesn't mean she'll die from it. There are treatments, she can pull through. No ultimate cure is necessary, no death is necessary. what's important is the story about the journey of recovery.
mr2324jgf
mr2324jgf - 12/18/2012, 7:15 AM
@xcrementus, that's the point... after cancer, there is no "temporary return". Doing shit like that is an injustice to those who have lost people in their lives to this tragic disease, in any form. I don't read comic books to be reminded of my relatives who are dead from it... ya dig?
xcrementus
xcrementus - 12/18/2012, 7:20 AM
But are you saying that cancer shouldn't exist in the Marvel Universe period? that nobody can suffer from it, hear about it, or die or recover from it?

The appeal of the MU is that its supposedly to roughly represent the world outside your window. With Mar-Vell, and Firestar, it was done tastefully. Why should this be any different?

The same could be said for gun violence, it shouldn't be in comic books cus it sucks in real life. Or alcoholism, or drug abuse.

If cancer has a part in our lives (and i think pretty much everybody has felt its shadow at some point) I don't see a reason for it not to be reflected in a story once a decade.
mr2324jgf
mr2324jgf - 12/18/2012, 7:25 AM
They won't kill her, she won't die from it and she'll barely, just barely struggle thanks to some fictional arm bands or something stupid. I'm saying it doesn't truly reflect the struggles a cancer patient goes through in life outside of your window. Marvel doesn't have the balls to kill her or show what it's really like, the gruesome truth... so don't do it. I understand that not all cancer patients die, but a large majority suffer tremendously and their quality of life is never quite the same... if they did a true representation and gave the proceeds to a good cause then so-be-it I suppose... I'd rather they do something else, just my .02
comicstocode
comicstocode - 12/18/2012, 7:27 AM
So are we gonna see a female hero with one or no boobs? That would be interesting. But profiting from peoples misery to only raise awareness is low. I don't care for reflections of the world outside. I read comics to escape, not to be reminded of how horrible life can be. I also don't read comics to brush up on my philosophies or to understand fully the scientific world and it's mechanisms.
Spideyguy94
Spideyguy94 - 12/18/2012, 7:39 AM
I find this publicity stunt by marvel is in extremely poor taste to say the least.

@xcrementus Stop defending everything marvel do. I've been enjoying a lot of they're books recently but stuff like this Is disgusting. Playing up this list of characters to get fans guessing which one will have cancer to get people to buy all 4 books is an insult to people who suffer every day with this terrible disease. If they want to deal with an extremely touchy subject like this in a respectful way then just put the issue out and let people find out within the comic. But no it's all to serve the corporate marketing machine.
Newbus
Newbus - 12/18/2012, 7:46 AM
Surely Wolverine would be the cure for cancer?
UltimaRex
UltimaRex - 12/18/2012, 7:48 AM
@leethario. And they are doing this for her. I don't know if that's better or not...

In terms of story, Captain Marvel and Kancer was the only time "superheroes with cancer" was handled well as far as I remember. Marvel everyone knows but Kancer was created from cancer cells taken from Superman (too much Kryptonite). This is better than Superman dying because we all know he'd come back but it did have consequences as Superman would have to fight Kancer forever... If he weren't reconned out of existence...
mr2324jgf
mr2324jgf - 12/18/2012, 8:00 AM
Name calling, use of poor sentence structure and no real rebutle to anything that has been mentioned... @intruder, your debate skills are superb :P
xcrementus
xcrementus - 12/18/2012, 8:10 AM
@Spideyguy94: Have you read an official statement from Marvel about the subject? Does it play up four potential characters?
No you haven't, cus one doesn't exist. its from "a source".
Marvel deals with leaks like this all the time, when they're ready to actually announce something themselves, they will.

Never mind me defending, it seems like you're attacking, without actual facts.
rebellion
rebellion - 12/18/2012, 8:14 AM
as a two time cancer survivor, i'm always glad to see something like this.
xcrementus
xcrementus - 12/18/2012, 8:36 AM
@rebellion, congrats! Ya got guts, and a lot of class.
Darkie
Darkie - 12/18/2012, 8:38 AM
This shit pisses me off. 4 females in line to get cancer. pretty damned sexist. the world today thinks only women get cancer. Breast cancer is the only type there is right? Everyone wants to 'Save the Ta-Ta's. Well funny, my parents MALE neighbor got prostate cancer. My sister in law got ovarian Cancer. I know someone who had a form of brain cancer. My grandmother died of throat and mouth cancer.

Here is a shocker, MEN can get breast cancer too. but do you hear about that? no, we just hear about the sexist 'Race for the Cure' So yeah... I am tired of hearing all year about breast cancer when you hardly hear about other cancers... and for the record, yes, I love boobs and am straight, and married with kids... but I am teaching them to appreciate a cure for ALL cancers, not just women's ailments
jimpinto24
jimpinto24 - 12/18/2012, 8:44 AM
Marvel are doing a great thing here by raising awareness to cancer. My only problem is that I hope the writers do not kill off the four main female charceters of in the comics.
Pauul
Pauul - 12/18/2012, 9:41 AM
Can't see it being Sue since the Fantastic Four already have issues with their powers turning into a disease... and if Marvel is going to be raising awareness for cancer they aren't going to do it by using a sci-fi version of cancer.

Betty Ross' status as Red She-Hulk would probably complicate matters, given the transformative and regenerative nature of her powers.

And Rogue could always absorb Wolverine's healing factor to combat any disease.

I'd say Carol Danvers is the best bet and it'd have extra resonance for the character given how Captain Mar-Vell died.
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