Warning! Spoilers for Silver Surfer Rebirth #1 by Marvel Comics
The longtime Avenger Mar-Vell just returned from the dead in Silver Surfer Rebirth #1, only to be tragically killed almost right away. In the new miniseries, Silver Surfer is surprised after encountering the long-dead hero, only to watch him die at the hands of Thanos. However, the Mad Titan promises that Mar-Vell's death was of no consequence as they both have much bigger problems to worry about going forward.
The original Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell, was a Kree superhero who was one of Marvel's most notable cosmic heroes after debuting in Marvel Super-Heroes #12 by Stan Lee and Gene Colan back in 1967. The hero has been part of many superteams, including the Avengers, where he took the name of Captain Marvel and used the Nega-Bands to increase his powers. However, Mar-Vell famously died of terminal lung cancer in The Death of Captain Marvel and has surprisingly stayed dead for the most part. The hero recently appeared in Captain Marvel's ongoing series, but as a dark version of the hero created by Vox Supreme.
In Silver Surfer Rebirth #1 by Ron Marz, Ron Lim, Don Ho, and Israel Silva, readers see Genis-Vell, son of Mar-Vell, rescue a Kree Destroyer ship from being sucked in a deadly black hole. After getting an assist from Silver Surfer, Genis-Vell shares he's trying to live up to his father's legacy. But, during their conversation, Genis-Vell turns into Mar-Vell, much to the shock of Silver Surfer. However, Norrin Radd barely has time to react to the Avenger's return as they encounter a Skrull invasion. Unfortunately, their meeting gets cut short when a powerful energy blast hits Mar-Vell, killing him instantly.
In the wake of the chaos, Thanos reveals himself as Mar-Vell's killer. He emerges and tells Silver Surfer the resurrected hero was "merely a shadow among the shadows. It seems Mar-Vell was likely a product of someone recklessly using the Reality Gem. Future issues of Silver Surfer Rebirth tease an unlikely team-up between the Mad Titan and the former Herald of Galactus.
Bringing the former Avenger back to life only to have him immediately die at the hands of Thanos makes for quite a shocking ending. However, Thanos seems to be trying to stop whoever has the Reality Gem from using it to their own desires, including resurrecting Mar-Vell. Now, Silver Surfer and Thanos will somehow have to find a way to put their differences behind them and team up to stop the Infinity Stone-wielding force. Silver Surfer Rebirth #1 is in comic book stores now.