Why do Captain Marvel and Supergirl have the same last name? There are striking similarities between many Marvel and DC superheroes. In some cases, it's because the publishers have taken inspiration from one another; in others, it's because writers have moved between the two companies, and they've wanted to carry on telling similar stories.

It's not hard to spot the similarities between Captain Marvel and Supergirl. Both are female versions of male characters; Supergirl was created as the female equivalent of Superman, while Carol Danvers originally suited up as Ms. Marvel in honor of the Kree superhero who first bore the name Captain Marvel. Both are beautiful blonde superheroines, and in fact, their powersets are comparable as well; although Carol Danvers is now best known as an energy manipulator, she was a physical powerhouse - just like Supergirl. Most curious of all, though, both women have the same surname. Captain Marvel's real name is Carol Danvers, while Supergirl's is Kara Danvers. Is this really a coincidence?

Captain Marvel and Supergirl's Shared 'Danvers' Name Was Luck

Surprisingly, it does indeed appear to be a coincidence. Supergirl was introduced in 1959 as the Kryptonian Kara Zor-El. Supergirl's original secret identity was that of an orphan named "Linda Lee." Two years later, in 1961, she was adopted by the Danvers family and took their surname as her own. Six years later, Roy Thomas created Carol Danvers for Marvel Comics - but she bore no similarity to Supergirl at this point, and she wasn't actually a superhero at all. Rather, Carol Danvers was an officer of the United States Air Force and head of security at a restricted military base, the primary love interest for the male Captain Marvel. Roy Thomas always insisted he wasn't inspired by Supergirl when he named her.

Carol Danvers wasn't transformed into Ms. Marvel until 1977 when Gerry Conway retconned her as gaining super-powers after the explosion of an alien device called the Psyche-Magnetron. At the time, Marvel writers were being pushed to create female equivalents of popular male heroes in large part to avoid risking losing the trademark; the first Spider-Woman was created in 1977 as well, and She-Hulk made her first appearance in 1980. By this time, Supergirl's popularity had declined, so there's no real possibility she influenced the decisions made by Marvel's writers and editors at all.

A Name is All Supergirl & Captain Marvel Actually Have in Common

Meanwhile, the powerset initially given to the new "Ms. Marvel" was fairly standard - invulnerability, super-strength, and flight - but Marvel mixed things up with energy blasts and a (now forgotten) psychic sixth sense.

As similar as these two superheroines might be, it really does appear Supergirl and Captain Marvel's last names being the same is nothing more than a coincidence.