For many, The Marvels will be an introduction to Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau. The character made her debut in Captain Marvel as a child, but returned as an adult in Disney Plus show WandaVision.
There, she was a member of S.W.O.R.D. investigating the Westview incident, and repeatedly crossing Wanda Maximoff’s “Hex” barrier rewrote her cells on a molecular level and gave her superhuman abilities. Soon after she was recruited by Nick Fury for S.A.B.E.R., which is where we’ll be picking her story back up in The Marvels.
It’s worth pointing out that even before Monica received superpowers she was a force to be reckoned with: her S.W.O.R.D. training made her an expert hand-to-hand fighter, she’s a crack shot with a pistol, and is a resourceful and cunning agent able to manipulate people into giving her key information.
But, let’s face it, you’re here for the superpowers. So, what has Monica Rambeau got up her sleeve?
Power up!
Rambeau has the power to perceive and manipulate most forms of energy. In WandaVision we saw that she’s able to use what’s dubbed “spectral vision”, allowing her to see mystical energy from spells and electrical energy running through power lines. We can extrapolate from this that she can likely see the entire electromagnetic spectrum if she chooses to, and potentially also data streams from online technology.
These energy-based powers also give her the ability to absorb whatever’s thrown her way. For example, WandaVision saw her being tossed high into the air, but she was able to avoid injury by absorbing the kinetic energy generated by the fall. More impressively, she appears to be immune to bullets, absorbing their energy as they hit her. It’s likely she can redirect this power as energy blasts, though we haven’t yet seen this in action.
This may tie into her third major power of intangibility. It seems she can transform into a golden energy-based form that allows projectiles to harmlessly pass through her. This likely also allows her to pass through solid objects, i.e. able to phase through walls and ceilings. It’s likely she’s also able to become fully invisible if she so chooses, even if we haven’t seen this in the MCU yet.
Her ability to manipulate energy around her almost certainly also means she can fly. Flight is actually one of the comic book version of the character’s key strengths, as her energy-based powers mean she’s one of the few heroes who can travel at the speed of light. It remains to be seen whether she can achieve that feat in the MCU, but with this potential it’s easy to see why Fury tapped her as a S.A.B.E.R. operative.
Beyond The Marvels
With The Marvels‘ international release imminent, expect full spoilers to hit social media at any moment. That said, we expect Monica’s story to continue far beyond this movie. A key moment in the trailer shows her looking on in astonishment as a mysterious woman emerges from a portal. Fans are convinced this is a member of the X-Men, so perhaps Monica may end up as the liaison between the two worlds, with her ability to control energy letting her attain multiversal travel without injury.
But for those answers, we’ll just have to wait for the movie.
The Marvels releases domestically on Nov. 10.