How ‘The Marvels’ Will Build Upon Relationships Established In ‘Captain Marvel’ And ‘WandaVision’
Monica Rambeau was introduced back in 2019’sCaptain Marvelas a young child, but due to a few snaps and a handy time-skip, she’ll be returning in the Marvel film’s upcoming sequel as a young woman played byTeyonah Parris. And though theThe Marvelsis looking to be a pretty crowded ensemble piece featuring not only the return ofBrie Larsonas Carol Danvers but young Muslim superhero Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), the sequel still plans to expand on the character dynamics introduced inCaptain MarvelandWandaVision, particularly pertaining to Monica Rambeau.
Parris made her debut as the S.W.O.R.D. agent and future superhero inWandaVision, where we saw her gain her powers as well as deal with the trauma of losing her mother Maria. But there were still a few unanswered threads with Monica afterWandaVisionwrapped up its story: what will Monica do with her newfound superpowers? Why did she bristle at Carol Danvers' name when she idolized her as a child? Those threads will be picked up inThe Marvels, in which Parris is set to reprise her role as Monica Rambeau and expand on the character dynamics teased in bothCaptain MarvelandWandaVision.
In an interview withVariety, Parris revealed howThe Marvelswill expand on what we saw of the relationship between Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau:
“Little Monica had a relationship with Carol Danvers, and we’ll get to see what happens with that relationship, and how or if, it brings them to the present.”
Parris added, “With Monica, we’ve established who she is inWandaVision, and inThe Marvels, we have an opportunity to further understand who this woman is.”
Monica was the daughter of Carol Danvers' best friend, Air Force pilot Maria Rambeau (played byLashana LynchinCaptain Marvel), who had just recovered from cancer when wefirst meet Monica inWandaVision. But Monica disappears from her mother’s hospital bedside during the Blip (damn you, Thanos), and returns five years later to discover that her mother’s cancer had returned, killing her while Monica was gone. Soon after, Monica dives into investigating the Westview anomaly, but it’s clear over the course ofWandaVisionthat she still has not processed her mother’s death, and may have an unspoken grudge against Carol Danvers because of it.
Monica Rambeau and Her Complicated History With Captain Marvel
In Marvel Comics, Monica Rambeau is the superhero who became the first female Captain Marvel, debuting in 1982 and going on to lead the Avengers. As she passed the mantle on, Monica adopted a slew of other superhero aliases, including Spectrum and Photon — the latter of which is the pilot callsign of Monica’s mother Maria inCaptain Marvel.
InCaptain Marvel, child Monica Rambeau quickly came to adore Carol Danvers after the former Air Force pilot reunited with her friend Maria and recovered her memories. But following the events ofCaptain Marvel, which was a prequel that took place during the ’90s, Carol Danvers leaves for outer space and doesn’t return, which might have stung Monica over the years, as she was raised by a single mother who later grew sickly.
All the way back during /Film’sCaptain Marvelset visit, producerJonathan Schwartzhinted that “there’s more story to tell with Monica,” saying, “I hope there’s more story to tell with Monica, certainly the movie leaves it open for that stuff. I think one of the things that was really fun about the stories that came together and the Monica relationship and the Maria relationship with Carol was being able to tell this story of female friendship, and intergenerational female friendships.”
Considering the way Monica bristled whenever Captain Marvel was mentioned inWandaVision, it may take a while for that relationship to become a friendship again.
