Monica Rambeau has finally made her MCU debut, leaving fans shivering with anticipation over what her powers will look like in The Marvels. Monica has held many titles and accomplished much throughout Marvel Comics. She was the original Captain Marvel long before she adopted the name Photon. While some saw this as a demotion of her character, it didn’t stop Monica from blazing a trail as one of the most powerful Marvel superheroes. So, many were thrilled to learn she was finally making her first appearance in the MCU back in 2019. Monica has been an Avenger.
She’s worked with everyone from Black Panther and Blade to The Wasp and The Fantastic Four. She even worked with Carol Danvers after the other woman became the new Captain Marvel. Monica has been integral to a wide variety of world-ending catastrophes ending in favor of the good guys, like saving the multiverse as Spectrum after joining the Mighty Avengers. The latest iteration of Monica isn’t as experienced as her comic counterpart, but The Marvels will change that soon enough. The movie picks up with Monica having gained her powers with no idea of what to do with them. Hopefully, her new team will be more than happy to show her the ropes – after she makes up with one of its members, of course.
Who is Monica Rambeau?
When Akira Akbar first brought Monica to life in Captain Marvel, many fans were understandably confused. Monica had been portrayed as an adult for the entirety of her Marvel comic run as Photon, Spectrum, and Captain Marvel. They expected her to be the same in live-action instead of an 11-year-old child. Yet, this gave MCU fans who weren’t familiar with the original version of the Marvel character a chance to get to know her. Monica is the daughter of Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) and the unofficial niece of Carol Danvers (Brie Larson).
She grew up watching the two women establish themselves in the U.S. Air Force before a mysterious accident led to the disappearance of Carol. Monica (Teyonah Parris) made her adult appearance in WandaVision where she was seen struggling with the aftermath of the Snap and the loss of her mother to cancer. She threw herself into trying to save Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) because she understood the grief causing the other woman to act out with her magic. While wasn’t able to stop Wanda from becoming the Scarlet Witch, she finally started developing her own powers in the process ahead of her starring in The Marvels.
How did Monica Rambeau get her powers?
To say Monica got her powers because of Wanda is both reductive and accurate. How so? Well, because Monica’s Marvel story started way before she began looking into the Westview Anomaly alongside Jimmy Woo (Randall Park). She was a precocious child raised by strong, independent women who encouraged her to believe in herself and speak her mind. After Maria founded S.W.O.R.D., Monica went on to build her career as an agent investigating matters of otherworldly importance. She was already sort of involved in the world of superheroes, even if her rocky relationship with her Auntie Carol caused her to wish otherwise. A difficult relationship that many hope to learn more about in The Marvels.
At the same time, Monica’s repeated attempts to reach out to Wanda forever changed her life. She showed up to investigate an energy field on the outskirts of New Jersey connected to the Westview Anomaly – coined as the Hex by Dr. Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings). After making the rookie mistake of touching it, she was transported to a 1960s sitcom version of the world as she knew it. Luckily for her, the Hex wasn’t too accurate in its portrayal of that time period. She found herself immediately drawn to Wanda who then physically threw back into the real world for asking too many questions about her previous life. That’s when Monica realized that exposure to Wanda’s magic in the energy field was impacting her on a molecular level. Thus, started her path to becoming Photon.
What are Monica Rambeau's powers?
The first time Monica entered the Hex, she had no idea what was happening or that it would lead her to The Marvels as a superhero in her own right. The second time, she had no choice. The third time, Monica entered on purpose in a desperate attempt to save Wanda from her own choices. The powerful moment allowed Marvel fans a glimpse into Monica becoming Photon. She tried to re-enter the Hex using an armored S.W.O.R.D. Space Rover. When that didn’t work, Monica determinedly shed her safety gear and just went for it. The subsequent journey through the energy field was an intense trip down memory lane that concluded with her gaining her energy-based powers as Photon. The awesome moment elevated her character to superhero status.
Monica gained superhuman reflexes and the ability to phase through physical matter. Her coolest power, however, is how she interacts with energy. Monica pushes through the mystical wall surrounding the Hex and realizes she can see the energy coming off the power lines, though she doesn’t know her eyes change colors in the process. When she makes her way to the cellar of Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), she can see the mystical energy it gives off. Later, she comes terrifyingly close to death while protecting Wanda’s twins from being shot by acting-S.W.O.R.D. Director Tyler Hayward (Josh Stamberg). Only instead of it killing her, she absorbs the energy of the bullets and renders them useless. The best part is that it’s only the beginning of her path toward fully developing her powers as Photon, something fans hope comes to fruition in The Marvels.
The trailer for The Marvels shows Monica mysteriously switching places with Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) and Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel. As usual, Marvel Studios have been pretty secretive about the actual plot of the movie. All fans know is that Monica’s powers as Photon are connected with the others, and it’s causing cosmic chaos.
Early viewers are no doubt falling in love with the chemistry between Monica, Kamala, and Carol. More importantly, Monica might finally make her debut as Photon. Regardless, fans can’t wait to see her reach her final superhero form. Monica was there to watch Carol become Captain Marvel. It’s only fair that Carol returns the favor as Monica steps more fully into her Photon powers in The Marvels.