Marvel’s STAR Gets a New Look in Her Comic Finale

It’s been a busy couple of months for the Marvel character Star, and her future is no more certain at the end of her miniseries. Despite the purposely shaky status quo, however, her character is certainly moving towards a sinister new direction – and possibly rocking a powerful new look.

Ripley Ryan aka Star first appeared on the pages of Captain Marvel as a reporter-turned-supervillain who tried to replace Captain Marvel by stealing her powers. When her plan endangered the lives of every New Yorker, Captain Marvel was forced to take drastic action and end her life to stop the threat – but Star returned. Now Star is the current holder of the Reality Stone. Trained by Scarlet Witch and pursued by the Black Order, Star is forced to make a truce with Captain Marvel as she comes to terms with her startling new abilities.

Unfortunately, it isn’t too long before Riley and Carol end up cornered by the Black Order once more, only to be saved by the Scarlet Witch. While the two heroes discuss a way to defeat the Black Order, Star uses her powers to send a holographic project to the Black Order and make a deal. The Black Order agrees to her terms – which include recovering their lost member Corvus Glaive – but cut Ripley’s connection off unexpectantly. This sudden shock reveals long-buried trauma within Ripley, who was bullied and abused all her life. Her once-traditional superhero costume is suddenly engulfed in flame, with her eyes shining with power. “Star,” the Scarlet Witch says. “It’s Wanda. Can you . . . can you power down some?” Star replies, “And why on Earth would I want to do that?”

Needless to say, it doesn’t go well for Captain Marvel and Scarlet Witch, who are both teleported away by the powered-up Star. The Black Order arrives, and Star returns the trapped Corvus to them. The Black Order holds up their end of the bargain to stay out of her way. Later, Captain Marvel and Scarlet Witch just barely survive their encounter with Star, who literally blasted them to Mars. Scarlet Witch fears they have lost Star for good, while Captain Marvel, who always been skeptical of Star’s intentions, believes she is definitely lost. Still, Scarlet Witch holds out hope Star can find a different path. The last scenes show Star shifting through several different looks before settling on a black costume with short red hair, as an explosion sounds behind her. Definitely, Star states she can do “whatever I want.”

Star’s new look compliments her apparent new direction well. Star’s original costume was that of a traditional superhero, complete with tights and a cape. It also hid the darker parts of her personality. While her newest costume is still somewhat traditional – a black bodysuit with thin yellow highlights – the most striking addition is her red-tinted eyes, further complimented by her uneven red hair. Star’s new look highlights her impulsive attitude. Throughout the entire story, Ripley explodes from rash choice to choice, with past trauma goading her actions at every point. It’s ironic Ripley ends the story saying she can do whatever she wants, as she ends the story with even less self-control than she started with. Even her pact with the Black Order, though successful, was rushed and fool-hardy.

It will be interesting to see how Star appears in the future, as writer Kelly Thompson promises. Thompson also hints the rest of the Stones will be coming into play somehow as well. The recap and credits at the start of every issue show a full list of the Infinity Stones with only two accounted for – Star’s Reality Stone and Amulet’s Time Stone. With Infinity Destinies on the horizon, Star’s story is only just getting started.

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