Okay, here's why Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, Teddy Altman/Dorrek VII, Noh-Varr, Genis and Phyla-Vell, and even Quasar are all completely invalid choices to take up the mantle currently...
First of all, the mantle of Captain Marvel is a huuuuuuuuuuge one to fill. In case you didn't know, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, and even Sentry (when he was still alive) all looked up to Mar-Vell. If anything, after his death, they looked up to him even more. He's a legend. He's the hero every hero in the Marvel universe aspires to be as great as. If it was crunch time and Mar-Vell was around, everyone immediately looked to him for leadership, including Captain America. If Steve Freakin' Rogers is willing to trust your judgement enough to play second fiddle in the back seat, then you're on a whole new level. Sentry even feared that Mar-Vell was the only one who could keep the Void in check if it ever fully got out (granted, Norn-empowered Thor godblasting it seemed to do the trick too, but I digress). Hell, the guy's nemesis was Thanos! THANOS! You know, the Mad Titan? Avatar of Death? Killed half the universe with his fancy jewelry glove by snapping his fingers? Yeah, him... If your primary villian of choice is Thanos, then you're either Mar-Vell, Drax the Destroyer, or a future stain on the wall.
So let's break it down person by person. Carol is far too hot-headed to be the kind of leader and paragon of justice, morality, and all-around goodness to fill his shoes.I mean she loses her calm the moment Rogue walks into the room. Self-control is definately lacking there. Noh-Varr, Genis and Phyla all have this problem too. They're all rash and quick-tempered. Their recklessness and arrogance has cost them all great loss from time to time. No one who lacks control to that degree has what it takes to be the next Captain Marvel in my opinion. That goes double for Genis and Phyla, who have both totally flipped their lids and become anti-heroes at best and borderline bad guys at worst. Noh-Varr has a checkered past too, but hopefully it's behind him. Unfortunately, that means a few years of character developing pennance as Protector before I'm willing to accept him as Captain Marvel.
As for Teddy, he's still far too young and inexperienced. One day, I can see him growing into it, but not yet. He's still got a lot of growing and learning to do. Seeing future-Teddy filling his father's shoes was definitely awesome, but not something that should happen right now (even if he was just freed up to do so at the end of Children's Crusade). I would like to see people like Captain America, Spider-Man, and the other big league heroes impart to Teddy bits of what his father meant to them and the things he stood for. It would cast a great shadow for Teddy to grow up in and aspire to surpass. It's a journey of growth, maturity, hard work, and training I'd like to see stretched out over the years and not rushed into sometime within the span of the next big crossover event.
And then there's Monica... Oh dearest Photon, how else shall I put this? Light words fall short, yet harsh truth causes me pain. Through no fault of your own and the misguided pens of many a writer, you have in fact been reduced to the point where you're only used in a slightly more serious context than Squirrel Girl. Sure you led the Avengers at one point! We believe you, honest! Why are you still looking at me like I doubt you? No, really... I was around for the whole tenure! I remember those days completely! No, no, no... Don't cry! You're not past your prime! Who told you that? I never said it! Wh...What's that? Would I be willing to call you Captain Marvel again? Umm... Well, uh... You see... Here's the thing, I was a kid when Mar-Vell died and that hit me kind of hard. No one could ever completely fill his shoes in my mind, so calling you Captain Marvel was always kind of hard for me... No, not at all! I think you're a great person, a capable leader, and a respectable heroic powerhouse, but the world needs someone to be Photon and you just do that so well... You know I love you, right? Yeah? No? Well, okay then... I guess you can sulk away back into obscurity and wallow around in self pity while dreaming about your glory days and whining about how no one takes you seriously anymore for a few more years if you want...
Who's left? Oh yeah! Quasar! Yeah... Wendell Vaugh. If anyone listed comes close, it's him. But the simple fact is if he dropped from the sky to Earth during an cosmic-level emergancy situation and started shouting orders to the other heroes rallied around, they'd want to bring him back to the Avenger's Mansion, Stark Tower, or the Baxter Building to give them all a three hour dissortation on why they should listen to him instead of Tony or Reed. He's got about as much authoritative pull as Nova, who Tony thought he could boss around last time they chatted. Whoever steps into the shoes of Captain Marvel needs to command the kind of authority to cut off Captain America mid-order, undermine it, and Steve not have a problem with it. Wendell is awesome, but he's not there yet. For now, he's Quasar and I feel like he fills that role just fine.
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