DR. MICHAEL BARNETT

Real Name: Dr. Michael "Mike" Barnett

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Psychiatrist, naval reservist

Group Membership:

Affiliations: Sam Adams, Tom Boardman, Marie Danvers, Defenders (Clea, Hellcat/Patsy Walker, Hulk/Bruce Banner, Nighthawk/Kyle Richmond, Valkyrie/Brunnhilde), Mr. Fisbein, Arabella Jones, Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), Sal

Enemies: A.I.M. (Agent B-4, Arthur Shaman, others), Mystique (Raven Darkhölme)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: His practice somewhere in New York City, New York

First Appearance: (Mentioned) Ms. Marvel I#1 (January, 1977); (seen) Ms. Marvel I#2 (February, 1977)

Powers/Abilities: Michael Barnett went through years of education to become a psychiatrist and in addition went through some military training. He was in good physical shape and was courageous in situations where he needed to save lives.

He was very self-aware of the power inequality between him and Carol Danvers and craved a more traditional relationship with her that saw him provide for Carol while she quit her career as an adventurer.

Height: Unrevealed (6'2"; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed (190 lbs.; by approximation)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown

History:
(Ms. Marvel I#1 - BTS) - Michael Barnett paid a visit to Carol Danvers at her Park Avenue penthouse, but she wasn't home. He left a message with doorman Mr. Hewlit for her about a dinner at Sardi's.

(Ms. Marvel I#2) - Freaked out by her recent blackouts, Carol Danvers rushed to her good friend and psychiatrist Dr. Michael Barnett's practice. He was in a session with his patient Mr. Fisbein, who had a hard time dealing with his boss calling him a schlemeil (a Yiddish term for an inept/incompetent person) in front of his wife and daughter, but he sent him home to continue their session the next day because of how desperate Carol sounded. Mr. Fisbein didn't want to leave at first, but left after Barnett told him that he actually remembered everything Fisbein had ever told him.

   Shortly after Mike, under the suspicion that Carol was suffering from self-induced amnesia, used hypnosis to reach her sub-conscious. While she was under hypnosis she told him about the battle between Mar-Vell and Yon-Rogg when she was hit by the radioactive energies of the Psyche-Magnitron and the aftermath that saw her leave her security career and start over as a writer. She ended by telling him that she transformed into Ms. Marvel during her blackouts. Mike now believed that she was suffering from a severe delusion and woke her up, claiming to her that the hypnosis didn't work. Carol blacked out in front of Mike, who believed that it was caused by the disappointment of the hypnosis not working, but while holding Carol in his arms, she actually transformed into Ms. Marvel and jumped out the window. Mike had a hard time believing what he just witnessed, but now he knew that Carol Danvers was actually Ms. Marvel.

(Ms. Marvel I#3) - Mike called Carol at her job at Women's magazine. He asked his favorite patient if she was still having headaches and wanted to discuss her last session with him that night, but Carol denied his request because of all the work that had piled up at the office. She promised to call him back as soon as she got the change and then hung up on him.

(Ms. Marvel I#4 - BTS) - Mike called Carol several times at her office while she was away on a trip to Cape Canaveral for an article.

(Ms. Marvel I#4) - Mike called Carol again at her office and was lucky this time around because she had just returned from her trip. He revealed to her that he knew about Carol being Ms. Marvel (it wasn't a mystery to her anymore either at this point after regaining/merging the memories of both of her personas). He wanted to talk with her about it and Carol seemed a bit shocked that her secret identity was already not that secret anymore.

(Ms. Marvel I#5 - BTS) - A couple of police officers took Carol to Mike's office after she came to following a fainting spell in public.

(Ms. Marvel I#5) - Carol told Mike about a premonition she had during her latest blackout about a supertruck, its dangerous load that could kill 20 million people and a fight with the Avengers' Vision at a bridge. They had both hoped that Carol's blackouts and headaches would disappear after she had learned that she was Ms. Marvel, but she was still suffering from both. Mike was trying to help her and had come to the conclusion that Ms. Marvel's seventh sense was causing Carol Danvers so much trouble and that she would have to give up being Ms. Marvel to get cured because both personalities were competing with each other. Carol didn't just want to give up Ms. Marvel, but Mike pointed out that it was quite possible that Ms. Marvel could just decide to stop being Carol Danvers at some point. Carol didn't want to listen to what Mike was saying any longer and left for work.

(Ms. Marvel I#6 - BTS) - Carol told Lynn to call Dr. Barnett and tell him that Carol was coming to see him at his office.

(Ms. Marvel I#7 - BTS) - Carol realized that Mike was right about Carol and Ms. Marvel being are two completely different personas when A.I.M.'s Mind-Ripper was unable to brainwash her because they didn't take into account that they had to brainwash two personas.

(Ms. Marvel I#8) - While going on a beach walk on a Saturday afternoon on Long Island's Montauk Point, Carol told Mike about her fight at a bar with two hoodlums with Ms. Marvel in control. He assumed that Ms. Marvel had gained control because her seventh-sense trance had been interrupted by one of the hoodlums and the shock allowed Ms. Marvel's Kree personality to surge into Carol's and take over temporarily. Carol apologized for making their beach walk another psychiatrist session, but Mike didn't mind. She promised to make him a steak dinner back at his beach house, but took off while Mike looked away for a moment to pick up some driftwood because Carol told him that she was looking for some for her apartment. He was surprised by her sudden disappearance and was unaware that she was climbing up the cliffside to have a look at the radar station she had seen in her most recent premonition.

   Mike later helplessly watched Ms. Marvel fight Grotesk (Gor-Tok) in the shallow waters.

(Ms. Marvel I#8 - BTS) - Mike went up to the radar station to get the guards to safety while Ms. Marvel and Grotesk were fighting in the water.

(Ms. Marvel I#8) - Mike approached Carol after an implosion sent the radar station and Grotesk to another dimension. Mike saw how Carol's fingers gouged deep tracks into the solid ground like she was trying to hold on while something was trying to pull her away. He took care of her when she regained consciousness and updated her about how everything within a hundred yards was gone except for Carol and the Cavourite Crystal. Mike didn't understand why Carol was sad after Ms. Marvel's victory, but Carol explained that she was thinking about Grotesk, who was an honorable man in his own way, and just wanted to go home.

(Ms. Marvel I#13) - Mike joined Carol visiting her family. She introduced him to her mother as a good friend and psychiatrist. Mike talked with Marie about the family's home, which Carol had told him a lot about. Mike was unaware that Carol had recently learned during a battle with Hecate that she and Ms. Marvel were actually not two different personas.

   Mike and Carol attended an Indian Summer Ball on the USS Constitution at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Boston. Mike, a naval reservist himself, was introduced by Carol to Tom Boardman, the mission commander of Apollo 18. While Carol and Tom caught up with each other, Mike's attention was drawn to the arriving nuclear aircraft carrier USS Halsey. When a massive explosion rocked the USS Halsey, Mike was asked by Tom to take Carol ashore, but she instead kissed Mike on the cheek and then took off to take care of the threat as Ms. Marvel.

   Mike ran toward Ms. Marvel to check if she was okay after the attackers of the USS Halsey, Sapper and Golden-Blade, took off.

(Defenders I#57 (fb) - BTS) - During a session Carol told Mike about nightmares that had shown her being slain by the Hulk.

   Some time later Carol had a premonition that showed her that Mike was in danger and she went to the Defenders to ask them for help because the premonition showed them to be involved as well and was trying to kill them all.

(Defenders I#57) - Mike was having a drink at a bar and didn't like it that he was once again reminded of his celebrity patient when news footage of Ms. Marvel was shown on the TV. He cheered for Ms. Marvel and was troubled by his feelings for Carol. He was approached by Arthur Shaman, who used his hypnotic eyes to kidnap Barnett. Shaman took Barnett to an A.I.M. base on the far side of Central Park where Mike resisted before getting punched in the face by Shaman. A.I.M. agents placed a portable psyche-conditioner on Mike's head to force him to reveal Carol Danvers' secrets to them because they wanted to know how Carol could've discovered their secret New York headquarters. They learned about Carol's nightmares, which gave them an idea how to deal with her by capturing and using the Hulk against her.

   The plan succeeded and Hulk, captured by Warbot, and Mike were taken to another A.I.M. hideout in the wilds of Long Island's Suffolk County. Ultimately Ms. Marvel freed Mike from A.I.M. with the help of the Defenders Hellcat and Nighthawk.

   Ms. Marvel, Nighthawk and Hellcat took Mike to the Sanctum Sanctorum where Clea used her mystic powers to clear up Mike's mind again. Mike was surprised to suddenly be surrounded by a team of heroes and Ms. Marvel, but didn't question it any further.

(Ms. Marvel I#15) - Mike was surprised when Carol turned up as Ms. Marvel at Sal's Pizza for lunch to catch up with Mike. While entering Sal's Pizza Mike told Carol that as usual he had more work than fun in his life, including not having a steady girlfriend. Sal gave them both a Sal Special pizza fresh from the oven and claimed to other costumers that Ms. Marvel was a regular at his place. Mike apologized to Ms. Marvel about Sal's slight exaggeration because Sal just did it for some extra prestige with his costumers. Ms. Marvel admitted to Mike that she did like Sal's pizza though. Mike began to talk with her about the Kree elements of Ms. Marvel and wondered out loud whose personality the Psyche-Magnitron might have used as template when it created her. Mike's questioning angered Ms. Marvel and she left after thanking him for lunch.

(Ms. Marvel I#22) - Mike arrived late at a surprise party held by Woman magazine's staff for Carol at her Greenwich apartment after she got fired from her editorial job by J. Jonah Jameson. He hoped that they were still friends and went looking for her. He had thought about her a lot since last seeing her and hoped that she could become more than just another patient because he loved her and wanted to marry her even though it would hard to take care of her due to her job as a part-time Avenger. He ran into Arabella Jones upstairs, who gave him a kiss, but he was only interested to learn where Carol was. Arabella told him that she was at the fireplace. Already slightly drunk, Mike approached Carol and spilled some of his drink over her. She introduced rugged, guitar-playing Sam Adams to the drunken fool and shrink Mike Barnett. Carol took Mike outside because she felt that he needed some fresh air. They were watched by the disguised Raven Darkhölme, who sought revenge on Ms. Marvel, and decided to go after Mike Barnett first. Mike tried to confess his love to Carol, but she violently wriggled out of his embrace when she was hit by another premonition. He offered his help, but she just took off as Ms. Marvel without looking back or saying goodbye. Mike was not ready to give up yet and swore to make her his wife after her career as Ms. Marvel was finally over.

(Marvel Super-Heroes III#11/3 (fb)) - Mystique entered Mike's practice while posing as Carol Danvers. Mike was happy to see here and was surprised when she greeted him with a kiss like they were lovers, which immediately gave it away that this woman was not Carol Danvers. Mystique tossed Mike across the room and beat him to death while still looking like Carol so that the last thing he saw was the woman he loved. She shapeshifted back to her regular form and then rummaged throw his files until she found the file of Carol Danvers, which included transcripts of all of their sessions and Mike's notes. She made a call and then left looking like Carol Danvers again.

(Marvel Super-Heroes III#10/3 (fb) - BTS) - Carol tried to call Mike a few times at his practice, but was unable to reach him.

(Marvel Super-Heroes III#10/3) - Carol tried to call her boyfriend Mike again even though she was dreading it because he had recently hinted at marrying her, which she was not ready for. Mike phone kept ringing, but he couldn't answer because he was laying dead on the ground behind his desk with blood running from his mouth. Unaware of his death, Carol still wondered how Mike would react if she rejected his marriage proposal. She wasn't sure why he had not turned on his answering machine if he was out of his practice. She still felt a bit sad that her relationship with Mike had become so complicated and would've rather just stayed friends with him.

(Marvel Super-Heroes III#11/3 - BTS) - Michael Barnett was found dead. Iron Man and Ms. Marvel came to the crime scene to investigate his murder. Iron Man used Reed Richards' Heat-Image Tracer to witness a three-dimensional holographic replay of Mike's murder at the hands of Mystique.

   A few days later Carol attended Michael Barnett's funeral. She consoled his parents, but couldn't tell them that she was the reason he died.

Comments: Created by Gerry Conway, John Buscema & Joe Sinnott.

The stories in Marvel Super-Heroes III#10-11 were originally meant to be published as Ms. Marvel I#24-25.

This profile was completed on 08/20/2026, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th anniversary event.

The way Claremont wrote him made Mike sound like a very misogynistic, insecure and self-centered man. For Carol he seemed to be nothing more than an on-again off-again fling, which is also terrible. She dated a different guy every other issue while keeping Mike, the secure and hopelessly in love guy, warm as well. So basically both sides in this situationship were extremely toxic.






Profile by Markus Raymond.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Michael Barnett has no known connections to:

images:
Ms. Marvel I#15, p1 (main)
Ms. Marvel I#2, p14, pan6 (head shot)
Ms. Marvel I#2, p10, pan1 (in session surprised by Carol)
Ms. Marvel I#8, p8, pan2 (full body beefcake)
Ms. Marvel I#13, p11, pan2 (kissed on the cheek by Carol)
Marvel Super-Heroes III#11/3, p3, pan2 (beaten to death by Mystique)
Marvel Super-Heroes III#10/3, p8, pan4 (dead)

Appearances:
Ms. Marvel I#1-2 (January-February, 1977) - Gerry Conway (writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks)
Ms. Marvel I#3 (March, 1977) - Chris Claremont (writer), Gerry Conway (plot), John Buscema (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Ms. Marvel I#4-8 (April-August, 1977) - Chris Claremont (writer), Jim Mooney (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Ms. Marvel I#13 (January, 1978) - Chris Claremont (writer), Jim Mooney (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Defenders I#57 (March, 1978) - Chris Claremont (writer), Gerry Conway (plot), George Tuska (pencils), Dave Cockrum & Dave Cockrum (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Ms. Marvel I#15 (March, 1978) - Chris Claremont (writer), Jim Mooney (pencils), Tony DeZuniga (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Ms. Marvel I#22 (February, 1979) - Chris Claremont (writer), Mike Vosburg (pencils), Mike Zeck (inks), Roger Stern (editor)
Marvel Super-Heroes III#10/3 (July, 1992) - Chris Claremont (writer), Mike Vosburg (artist), Rob Tokar (editor)
Marvel Super-Heroes III#11/3 (September, 1992) - Chris Claremont & Simon Furman (writers), Mike Vosburg (pencils), Mike Gustovich (inks), Rob Tokar (editor)

First Posted: 09/02/2026
Last updated: 08/20/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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