#eric danvers

From Captain Marvel: Dark Past #003

Art by Lucas Werneck, Eder Messias and Rod Fernandes

[Review for issue #2 here.]

“Keep them busy. Or dead.” – Desecrator

Cover art for Captain Marvel: Dark Past #003

THIS IS YOUR GAME

Name: Eric Danvers Age: Twenty One Class Year: Junior Position: Vixen Hometown: Charleston, South Carolina

THIS IS YOUR MOMENT

Everything in life is a surprise, no matter how good or bad that surprise may be—it didn’t take much for Eric to learn that. As the son of a wealthy businessman his whole life was supposed to have been scoped out for him from beginning to end. He was supposed to spend his life living it up, with endless amounts of cash to fall back on no matter what. After all, that’s what was to be expected when your father owned what was thought to be an exceedingly successful business.

Going to college was never even something which played on Eric’s mind as he spent his childhood learning himself, working out what he was and what he wasn’t, the things he loved and the things he resented. He developed a strong love for gymnastics and dance—it wasn’t the most conventional, but his parents supported him no matter what. There was no need to worry about anything as his future was set in stone for him. Regardless of his smarts or wit, he’d grow up, spending his childhood and adolescence doing whatever he liked, and then inherit his father’s business and continue it on.

He played his cards carefully. He wanted to be respected fairly and looked up to by his peers, and so he never even took the time to consider drugs or alcohol. He didn’t dare sleep around, either, both for lack of interest and fear of an unwanted outcome. Good things happen to good people, is what everyone had told him—so why wouldn’t he have believed it? And, for a long time, he did. Always striving to be as good as he could be so that he would surely be destined to have that equally as charming karma come back to reward him. Even as he grew through his teenage years and up to adulthood, he genuinely believed that all actions would be rewarded as they were presented.

That is, until his mother took off, without a trace—without warning, with as much money as she could take from their account, with one of his father’s business partners. It was a turn no one could’ve preempted, a hidden affair disguised by the countless layers of false affection for her husband and son. He couldn’t help but wonder what he’d done to warrant such a vile prize for his actions. And the domino of events that it set off afterwards only made matters far worse.

The dent she’d made in the bank account wasn’t too bad—not at first, anyway. His father was too naive to believe what had happened, and he constantly waited for her to come back home and laugh it all off, claim it was all just a joke. But as time went on, that became less likely—especially as they watched the numbers in their bank account count down from destinations across the globe. As that realisation set in, Eric’s father was left unable to work, hardly able to even function, left feeling so irreparably betrayed by both his wife and business partner. The business itself was declining fast whilst it wasn’t being run properly, and money was dissipating far more quickly than it was being earned. All the while, his father tried his best to keep Eric out of the fray, to keep him completely oblivious to the deterioration of any potential future he might have. But within a few short years, their savings had almost completely depleted, the fortune that was supposed to have his name on it had been spent on expensive luxuries which they were no longer able to afford. They had been too frivolous with what was left of the money from being so unused to having to be mindful of their spending.

College slowly became a very real prospect, and Eric was fortunate enough to have had private tutors through the vast majority of his life meaning that he was beyond capable of getting in. Paying off the debt would be something he’d work out later, but for now, he’d be able to focus on getting himself somewhere in life where he can live comfortably again—no matter how hard that would be. Palmetto State was an obvious choice due to its locality. It was the closest to home and as far as he was concerned, a university was a university. They’d all give him the same qualifications he’d need.

SEIZE IT WITH EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT

The novelty of being somewhere new and different wore off quickly, however, and even with the short distance between home and Palmetto, he soon grew homesick. Between his lessons, there wasn’t much else to do; he didn’t click particularly well with anyone and often found himself bored and alone. As Spring came around and the first year rolled to a near-end, the appearance of flyers advertising the Vixen’s cheer-squad try outs came into sight. He hadn’t thought much of it at first, not until he connected the dots of dancing and cheering—sure, he’d rather work alone, but it was better than nothing.

Tryouts went smoothly, but integrating into the squad was a lot harder than he’d expected. But fortunately, they were much more willing to try with him than he was with them and, eventually, something went right. While he didn’t hit it off perfectly with them, it was a step in the right direction—an opportunity to be a part of something more than himself, one he was willing to take.