In continuity - when Eon gifted Mar-Vell with cosmic awareness, his hair was turned blonde as part of the metamorphosis.

Real world - from what I understand, TPTW thought silver hair made Mar-Vell look too old so it was changed.

Either way, the hair color change was in Captain Marvel #29.  He got the red and blue outfit in either #16 or 17.  Of course thanks to bimonthly publishing and his book getting cancelled twice, we're looking at a time of about 5-6 years from the time he got the new suit to the hair color switch.

Great book i think it was underated.......but dear god why did they bring him back

he was given a great finish.....but once again someone has got to piss on someones work

MAR-VELL TIMELINE

MARVEL SUPER-HEROES #12 - Mar-Vell Comes to Earth on reconnaissance mission for the Kree, first appearance of Captain Mar-Vell, Colonel Yon-Rogg and Medic Una.

CAPTAIN MARVEL #17 [October, 1969] - Mar-Vell receives Nega Bands and adopts new costume, is bonded with Rick Jones.

AVENGERS #89 [June, 1971] - Beginning of the Kree-Skrull War.

CAPTAIN MARVEL #12 [April, 1969] - Death of Mar-Vell's beloved, Una

CAPTAIN MARVEL #18 [November, 1969] - Death of Mar-Vell's arch foe, Yon-Rogg

CAPTAIN MARVEL #25 [March, 1973] - First encounter with Thanos.

CAPTAIN MARVEL #29 [November, 1973] - Eon grants Mar-Vell cosmic awareness, changing his hair from silver to blonde.

CAPTAIN MARVEL #34 [September, 1974] - Mar-Vell exposed to nerve gas during battle with Nitro.

CAPTAIN MARVEL #50 [May, 1977] - Using the 'Nega Bands' of the Super-Adaptoid, Rick Jones and Mar-Vell escape their tie to the Negative Zone.

MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE ANNUAL #2 [1977] - Death of Thanos.

CAPTAIN MARVEL #59 [November, 1978] - Elysius introduced.

DEATH OF CAPTAIN MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL [1982] - Mar-Vell dies of 'Blackend' (the Kree equivalent of cancer).

CIVIL WAR: THE RETURN [2007] - Mar-Vell 'resurected.'

I've always liked Mar-Vell, but the way they brought him back was extremely weak.

Even if you don't have a problem with them deciding to forgo the classic death story that Jim Starlin gave him you have to be disappointed with the way they choreographed his return.

Hopefully his return will lead to a sweet @$$ Essential Capt. Marvel book. I'm in the minority, but the green and white CM was always one of my favorite costumes. Coolest cowl since Batman and has a great classic sci-fi/superhero blend of elements going for it. The Life and Death of Capt. Marvel is the book to get BTW.

An Essential Captain Marvel could include MARVEL SUPER-HEROES #12-13, CAPTAIN MARVEL #1-21, AVENGERS #72, SUB-MARINER #30, AVENGERS #89-92, which would includ some nice Gene Colan, Don Heck, Frank Springer, John Buscema. Tom Sutton, Dick Ayers, Gil Kane and Sal Buscema art, with stories by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich, Archie Goodwin and Arnold Drake.

I'd love to see it too.

Captain Marvel's been resurrected?  Would someone give me the details please?  Can Uncle Ben be far behind?

It is strange there's no Essential Captain Marvel yet, isn't it, given some of the other books which have received Essential treatment.

*******************************************

I probably should have marked it as spoilers, but Mar-Vell was resurrected last month in Civil War: The Return.  How?  he was basically plucked out of the time line (prior to his death) from the Negative Zone by some anomaly.  Then the pro-registration heroes basically make him the warden of their super-hero prison in the Negative Zone.  And the story is even worse than it sounds.

As for Essential Captain Marvel, I'm not that suprised it hasn't come out - he's been dead for so long, and his Masterwork edition was pretty late in coming along too.  [And we still haven't seen Essentials for Sgt. Fury, the Sub-Mariner or SHIELD either and they're all worthy]  It'll probably be fast-tracked now though.