Who is WandaVision’s Monica Rambeau?
If you haven’t watched Disney Plus’ WandaVision and would like to avoid spoilers, turn back now.
Monica Rambeau has a very long history in Marvel Comics, going back to her October 1982 debut in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL (1964) #16. From a harbor patrol officer based out of New Orleans to leader of The Avengers as the second (but first with the name) Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau has always been formidable, with or without superpowers. So how does that translate to WandaVision?
Who is Monica Rambeau?
As a little girl, Monica Rambeau’s Captain Marvel was one of the first female comic book superheroes I fell in love with because she looked like me. And when I saw a young Monica Rambeau in Captain Marvel, I knew Marvel had plans. You can’t introduce the childhood version of a superhero titan and not have big plans for them, right? And seeing the adult version of Rambeau, in WandaVision, 5 years after the “Blip” gave me goosebumps.
In the Comics…
Source: Marvel
Monica Rambeau was a lieutenant serving the New Orleans Harbor Patrol who was constantly passed over for promotion for Captain. While helping a friend of her grandfather, Dr. Andre LeClare, Monica destroyed a powerful and dangerous energy disruptor, smashing it with her bare hands. This changed her on a cellular level, allowing her to absorb any type of electromagnetic energy.
This gives Monica the power to become any form of electromagnetic energy, but only one form of energy at a time. These energies include gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet radiation, cosmic rays, visible light, electricity, infrared radiation, microwaves, radio waves, and neutrinos, gaining that energy form’s properties. In addition to electromagnetic superpowers, Monica Rambeau also has super speed, she’s a sharpshooter, and master of hand-to-hand combat.
Monica has several names throughout the comics including Captain Marvel, Lady Marvel, Photon, Pulsar, and Spectrum.
In WandaVision…
Source: Disney/Marvel
In WandaVision on Disney Plus, Monica Rambeau is the daughter of Captain Marvel’s best friend, Maria Rambeau. Monica is introduced as a young girl in the film Captain Marvel, having no powers. On episode 4 of WandaVision, Monica returns along with everyone else lost during the Thanos snap or “The Blip” in what is throwback scene to The Walking Dead’s frantic hospital scene.
Before the Blip, Monica worked for for Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division or S.W.O.R.D., the organization started by her mother, Maria Rambeau. While meeting with FBI agent Jimmy Woo (Ant-Man and the Wasp) to investigate the disappearance of someone the FBI had in protective custody in Westview, NJ, Monica and Agent Woo notice the entire town seems to have disappeared. After sending a drone into the town, the drone disappears, and Monica detects energy and investigates more closely. Monica is sucked into Wanda (Scarlet Witch) Maximov’s “Hex”, having to pass through an energy field with a very high concentration of cosmic microwave background radiation or CMBR.
Inside of the “Hex” is a small town that Wanda has psychically taken over and turned into the perfect cheesy sitcom life with the townspeople as actors on her show.
Because of Monica’s disappearance, S.W.O.R.D. sets up a mobile base just outside of the town of Westview to observe what’s happening. Astrophysicist Dr. Darcy Lewis (Thor and Thor: The Dark World) discovers the cosmic microwave energy and tracks Monica via the television static or CMBR. This disrupts Wanda’s television programming and Monica inadvertently mentions Wanda’s deceased brother, Pietro. Wanda telekinetically tosses Monica out of her town, sending her through the cosmic microwave radiation once more.
On episode 5 of WandaVision, Monica is in the hospital and the doctor asks to run more blood tests to analyze because Monica’s blood tests look blank. Monica refuses because she’s ready to get back to work.
The Setup for Monica Rambeau’s Powers
Marvel Cinematic Universe is typically deliberate with their foreshadowing and teases. There is no way the MCU introduced Monica Rambeau to not give her superpowers. There are two possible ways they will give Monica her powers, though.
By sending Monica through the force field twice could have activated her powers. Her blood tests were not just inconclusive; they were blank. Or at least appeared to be blank.
Another possible way they could introduce Monica’s superpowers is by having her attempt to stop the creation of a dangerous weapon, like in the comics. Remember, in episode 4 of WandaVision, acting S.W.O.R.D. Director, Tyler Hayward (any relation to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Brian ‘Hail Hydra’ Hayward?) says they’ve cut down on the space missions and Monica noted that S.W.O.R.D. looks to now be in the business of building weapons. And since Wanda had to steal Vision’s dead body from S.W.O.R.D., it’s possible they may have used Vision to create a very dangerous weapon.
Which Superhero Codename Will Monica Rambeau Have
While Monica Rambeau is canon Captain Marvel, the MCU already has a Captain Marvel, Monica’s godmother, Captain Carol Danvers. It’s highly likely Monica Rambeau’s superhero name will be either Photon or Spectrum.
Photon
Choosing the codename Photon could be a tribute to her mother, Maria Rambeau and founder of S.W.O.R.D. When Monica Rambeau is being debriefed at S.W.O.R.D. after coming back from the Blip, there’s a photo of her mother hanging on the wall that says “Maria ‘Photon’ Rambeau”. In the film Captain Marvel, “Maria ‘Photon’ Rambeau” is also on the side of Maria’s fighter jet.
Spectrum
There are a few hints that Monica Rambeau’s codename will be Spectrum. In WandaVision, one of the news outlets covering the “un-blip” is Spectrum News along with another Easter Egg, WHIH World News that regularly covers major events in the MCU. When Darcy attempts to make contact with Monica, she used a “Spectrum Analyzer” to track the CMBR. Also, Andrea Towers and Ross Lincoln of The Wrap noticed that The Disney Store was selling a black and white WandaVision pullover sweater that looks a lot like Monica Rambeau’s Spectrum uniform. Spectrum is also the superhero name that Monica has been going by since the early 2010s.
There are so many possibilities for what can happen in WandaVision and in the MCU with respect to the events taking place in the show. I haven’t even scratched the surface of all of the implications of WandaVision. There’s so much more! The excitement—the hype is real. And I, for one, can’t wait for more. But for now, I just want to know which codename will they choose?
