WANDAVISION is a cinematic love letter to Scarlet Witch and Vision fans. The complicated comic book relationship lit up the film and streaming screen while hinting at the future of the Marvel Comics Universe and one new hero ready to soar.
Captain Monica Rambeau was a breakout star of the series. Tyonnah Parris lit up the screen in every frame. We want to see her soaring in her own series or in a future film that assembles Earth’s Mightiest Heroes again. It some ways Monica was the real hero of WANDAVISION.
An earlier post looked at Wanda, Vision, Billy, Tommy and Agatha. Let’s dive in to Monica of S.W.O.R.D. This is coming after the big finale but still here’s a SPOILER WARNING if you haven’t watched yet. Let’s look at this new star of the MCU and what could be next.
CAPTAIN MONICA RAMBEAU:
On screen Monica is the daughter of Maria Rambeau, Carol Danvers’ best friend and fellow pilot from the CAPTAIN MARVEL film. Maria went by the call sign Photon. That little girl from the 90’s set film is all grown up. Monica is now Captain Rambeau – astronaut, S.W.O.R.D. officer and about to be recruited into a bigger story.
In comics Monica was a New Orleans harbor patrol pilot exposed to alien cargo giving her energy powers. Monica was the first woman to go by the Captain Marvel code-name. Monica later took on the name Photon as part of the team Nextwave before assuming her current code-name Spectrum as part of the Ultimates and Mighty Avengers.
In WANDAVISION we learned Maria became founder/leader of S.W.O.R.D. but lost her battle with cancer during the five year “blip” when Monica was among those who perished in the snap of Thanos. There appears to be tension, even bitterness from Monica when Captain Marvel is mentioned. Monica awakens from the “blip” to learn about her mother’s fate, finds herself grounded with a rival running her mother’s organization.
By the WANDAVISION finale Monica is displaying energy powers like her comic book counterpart after going through the “hex” energy field around Westview. Did the energy in the barrier give Monica her powers or did it trigger the abilities already inside her just waiting to be unleashed? Is she born with the powers or did she gain power during her astronaut missions in space?
S.W.O.R.D.
S.W.O.R.D. first appeared in ASTONISHING X-MEN as a version of S.H.I.E.L.D. in space led by Agent Abigail Brand from her station orbiting Earth. Brand and the X-Men crossed paths over a prophecy on a planet called the Breakworld. Ord of Breakworld was working with human scientists to create a “cure” for mutants to avert the prediction. Due to recent events in X-MEN: DAWN OF X and EMPYRE, S.W.O.R.D. is back in a big way. The new series is part of the X-Men family starring an all-mutant team dealing with alien allies and enemies.
In the MCU, S.W.O.R.D. is based on Earth (or we haven’t seen a space station) but we know there is an astronaut program Maria developed and Monica was a star pilot. Then the snap, blip and five-year gap as seen in AVENGERS: ENDGAME. Monica awakened to find her mother gone, a rival for a boss and her organization taking an aggressive stance against Wanda’s Westview and building a secret weapon.
HE WANTS TO SEE YOU
In the first post-credits scene Monica learns from an agent that “he wants to see you.” The agent turns out to be a Skull. The Skrulls are my favorite Marvel Comics aliens. The reptilian aliens are shapeshifters and masters of genetic experimentation. Skrulls can impersonate anyone. War Skrulls are designed to not only shape shift but have the powers of other heroes. The Super-Skrull had all the powers of the Fantastic Four. Some Skrulls have been allies but most are aggressive aliens that infiltrate their enemies. In CAPTAIN MARVEL, Carol Danvers and Earth was in the center of the long Kree/Skrull war. Those Skrulls became allies of Carol and Nick Fury. Disney+ announced an upcoming SECRET INVASION series based on what is one of the best modern Avengers epics in which all of Earth’s heroes and even villains were infiltrated by a fanatical sect of Skrulls determined to Earth their new homeworld for the Empire.
Who is the “He” that wants to see Monica? If a Skrull is the messenger then is it Talos, the Skrull leader from CAPTAIN MARVEL or Nick Fury who was last seen in space in SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME. Is Nick recruiting Monica for a MCU version of Secret Warriors – a squad of young heroes he could trust when all other teams had been infiltrated by imposter aliens?
What could be next for Monica:
Invader?
Let’s go with the scariest prospect: what if Monica is a deep-cover Skrull? The religious fanatical Skrulls from SECRET INVASION referred to “HE loves you” to each other. The Secret Invasion was led by an exiled Empress who assumed an Avenger’s identity for years to set up the invasion.
Ultimates?
Monica leading The Ultimates, a super group focused on cosmic level threats. In comics, Monica as Spectrum was joined by Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Blue Marvel and Miss America. Talk about a big and bold first mission, they set out to stop Galactus and cure his cosmic hunger once and for all. Blue Marvel aka Dr Adam Brashear was a college footba star turned U.S. Marine and war hero. Brashear later became part of a project turned him into a powerhouse. America Chavez aka Miss America is a powerhouse from a parallel world. The character will make her MCU debut in DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE MADNESS OF THE MULTIVERSE. The Ultimates on their own space station could orbit several Disney+ shows and a CAPTAIN MARVEL sequel.
Nextwave?
Let’s not forget the potential of Monica in a NEXTWAVE based on the humorous superhero book. Monica was joined by monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone, Aaron Strack aka Machine Man, mutant Tabitha Smith aka Boom-Boom of X-Force and a character known only as The Captain. This project would bringing characters from across several teams/genres bringing mutants, magic, machines and cosmic heroes together as the MCU gets even bigger as more comic book characters emerge.
WANDAVISION definitely cast a spell with something very different from earlier Marvel projects. As the first Disney+ series it shows the ability to experiment with storytelling and the creative risks that could signal many exciting, intriguing projects ahead for the characters we love. Wanda and Vis were the heart but Monica was an amazing new hero set to soar as the next MCU phase takes off.
By Editor