Over the past few months, Genis-Vell has stumbled back into the spotlight to take on a threat wielding the power of Death herself. Unfortunately, the interstellar hero’s powers have been waning uncontrollably since his miraculous return, though not for no reason. Just as Genis has been brought back to the land of the living, so too has his former human companion Rick Jones, and their reunion is everything that the Marvel Universe has been in desperate need of.
After uncovering Ren-Varr’s plot to resurrect all fallen Kree through the power of Death, the titular hero of Genis-Vell: Captain Marvel #5 (by Peter David, Juanan Ramírez, Federico Blee, and VC’s Ariana Maher) has found himself also facing off against an unexpectedly supercharged Shatterax. Although he has Life incarnate on his side, even she can’t turn the tide of battle in his favor. Luckily, there is still one person who can. Rick Jones arrives with a pair of all-important Nega-Bands and Genis-Vell is able to take back control of his powers, and the fight at hand.
Rick Jones is Back in Action with Captain Marvel
While Rick Jones isn’t a household name for most Marvel fans today, he spent decades as the most important person in the entire world. In his first appearance in 1962’s Incredible Hulk #1 (by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby), he was the one responsible for Bruce Banner’s transformation into the titular behemoth. Because of this, Rick was imbued with a deeply held sense of duty to both help Bruce where he could and protect the rest of the world from his alter-ego. As such, it was Rick who was also responsible for the Avengers coming together as a team for the very first time, although that was hardly the pinnacle of his career.
When the original Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell, was bonded to Rick Jones, the two turned to the Nega-Bands to trade places between the primary Marvel Universe and the Negative Zone. This was nearly identical to the bond Rick would form with Genis years later, with the two trading places through the Microverse instead. At the time, this was largely detrimental to both, yet that couldn’t be further from the case now. Much like Genis’ powers were inconsistent at best following his return, Rick has found himself fading in and out of existence since taking his life back into his own hands. Even if the Nega-Bands are binding them together today, they are also the answer to both Rick and Genis’ biggest problems.
Rick Jones and Captain Marvel are Connected by the Nega-Bands
Obviously, the Nega-Bands aren’t any sort of permanent solution to the issues Rick and Genis have been dealing with. Still, there is no doubt as to what a boon they are in an immediate sense. Apart from giving Genis the edge he needs to defeat Ren-Varr, it also gives them both an opportunity to genuinely live their lives once again. They might be inextricably intertwined for the time being, but even that is better than spending every second on edge.
With any luck, Rick and Genis will be able to spend the time they have been given making up for all the time that they both lost. Considering how much things have changed for both of them, their recently renewed connection could be just what they need to start feeling like their old selves again. Or, at the very least, to continue on into this bright new era without any worry about what’s to come.
