Captain Marvel Punching An Old Woman is One-Upped By The Comics

Warning: contains spoilers for Spider-Woman #19!

When Captain Marvel famously punched an old woman in the blockbuster hit Captain Marvel, the moment was certainly shocking for fans of the super-powered hero and the Marvel Cinematic Universe at large. A variation of the scene has just been depicted in the comics that blows this moment, however darkly humorous, out of the proverbial water. In Spider-Woman #19, the surprise-punch moment is recreated with Spider-Woman herself stepping for Carol Danvers.

In Captain Marvel, Vers (her Kree name, before rediscovering her past as a human on Earth) pursues a Skrull agent across town. The Skrull boards a train and immediately disappears from view; Captain Marvel now must treat every person on the train as a suspect. Finding an elderly woman, Vers ruthlessly punches her in the face. While she later turns out to actually be a Skrull, the moment is replicated with Spider-Woman and another Skrull, the princess Veranke.

When the Kingpin Wilson Fisk took power and effectively outlawed superheroes in New York, he also released various criminals and supervillains to better accost the heroes who ran afoul of the law. One of those criminals was Veranke, who battles Spider-Woman across New York City for the entire issue. As a shapeshifter, Veranke transforms into various superheroes to trick Spider-Woman into letting her guard down: Iron Man, Captain Marvel and Spider-Man all make appearances (though Spider-Man is actually the real Peter Parker).

In a classic shapeshifter move, Veranke quickly shapeshifts again and uses the face of Jessica Drew’s own son. Spider-Woman, without missing a beat or hesitating once, punches Veranke instantly, saying “I’ll admit my son’s face is harder to punch than Clint’s. Also, Clint’s face is very punchable” (referring to Hawkeye). Skrulls (and plenty of other fictional shapeshifters) often use this tactic as a cruel method of disarming their attacker, but Jessica Drew – who’s had plenty of dealings with shapeshifters in the past – sees right through the trick. It doesn’t help Veranke’s case that she decided to morph right in front of Spider-Woman’s face.

The tactic is also often used by Mystique of the X-Men. Though not a Skrull, she can disguise herself as allies frequently (although this can backfire; in X-Men: The Last Stand, shapeshifting into a child and even the President of the United States does nothing to help her cause). After so many run-ins with Skrulls, both Captain Marvel and Spider-Woman are wise to their tactics.