Monica Rambeau might have debuted in Captain Marvel as an excitable kid,
but in the comics, she's a heroine in her own right. In fact, Monica might be
one of the most powerful superheroes in the Marvel universe. This is her story.
Monica made her debut in 1982's Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16.
In this issue, fans are introduced to the spunky future Avenger as Lieutenant Rambeau,
an officer climbing the ranks of the New Orleans Harbor Patrol.
While on a mission, Rambeau takes a direct shot of extra-dimensional energy from a criminal
scientist's mysterious machine. As a result, she is granted incredible power over energy:
Monica is able to generate it, manipulate it, absorb it, and even transform her body
into pure energy, which enables her to travel at astonishing speed through the vacuum of space.
After this incident, Monica encounters some thieves who try to steal her purse.
While chasing them down, she accidentally gets into a minor fight with Spider-Man,
who's surprised at the amount of power she's packing. But after the misunderstanding is
cleared up, Spidey, along with an assist from Iron Man and the Wasp,
helps her gain better control over her volatile, newfound powers.
While Monica was not the first Marvel character to debut in a Spider-Man comic,
the issue marks the start of a strong friendship between the Lieutenant
and the wall-crawler. The two would team up in many future comics.
Fans of the MCU might identify Carol Danvers, brought to life on-screen by Oscar-winner Brie
Larson, as the one and only Captain Marvel. But off-screen, this couldn't be more incorrect.
Within the pages of Marvel comics, the Captain Marvel name has a long history dating back to
the 1960s, originating with the Earth-bound Kree warrior, Mar-Vell. Carol Danvers is actually the
seventh character to take up the mantle -- and she's certainly not the first woman to do it.
The first female hero to be known by the name of Captain Marvel was actually none other than Monica
Rambeau, who was the second person to take on the mantle. It's the media who originally
dubs Monica "Captain Marvel," astonished by her energy-based abilities. But curiously,
her take on the name has nothing to do with Mar-Vell or the Kree.
"Make sense?"
"Perfectly not confusing."
You can draw a straight line from Carol Danvers' powers to the original Mar-Vell, but Monica's
powers and origin story come from a completely different source, meaning that in Marvel Comics
canon, the fact that they shared a name is actually just a giant, confusing coincidence.
Although she goes on to change her hero name several times throughout the years,
Monica will always be remembered as the first woman to kick butt as Captain Marvel.
Monica Rambeau has made many lasting marks on the history of the Marvel universe.
When the Avengers made her a full-fledged member in 1983's Avengers #231, Monica officially became
the first African-American woman to join the team's ranks. Although she was then still
pretty new to the superhero life, both Wasp, the team's leader at the time, and Captain America,
her second-in-command, admired Monica's powerful abilities and ironclad composure.
Monica wasn't the first African-American heroine to join a Marvel super-team.
That honor goes to Ororo Munroe, better known as the weather-manipulating mutant Storm,
who made her comic debut in 1975's Giant-Size X-Men #1. In joining the Avengers,
Monica continued a proud history — and blazed a trail into the future.
Throughout the years, a plethora of Marvel superheroes have led the Avengers,
ranging from popular characters like Luke Cage to lesser-known types like Dr. Druid. Carol Danvers,
then working as Ms. Marvel, has actually led the team before herself. But as it turns out,
she isn't the only Captain Marvel to earn that particular distinction.
Captain America actually nominates Monica Rambeau,
then still known as Captain Marvel, for the team's leadership role in 1987's Avengers #279,
after then-leader Wasp decides to step down. During her time in charge, Rambeau's Avengers
battle Greek gods as well as AIM's Cosmic Cube-empowered nightmare robot, Super-Adaptoid.
Although being in charge certainly suits her, Monica's reign as the
leader of the Avengers comes to an abrupt end about a year after her inauguration,
after a debilitating accident drains her powers and nearly kills her.
Dr. Druid takes over after she resigns, and, let's just say, doesn't do such a great job.
Marvel has chosen some pretty strange characters to put into the spotlight over the years.
Ever heard of Maverick, an energy-absorbing mutant who, like Wolverine, went through the
Weapon X program? Probably not, but he got his own 12-issue comic run in 1997. What about Warlock,
the shape-shifting alien and X-Men affiliate, who got his own 9-issue run in 1999? No?
Well, perhaps you're familiar with The Craptacular B-Sides, a gang of
New Jersey teenagers with powers like "owning an actually magical Magic 8-Ball?" No? Well,
they too got their own solo series, back in 2002 — and "Craptacular" is right there in their name.
Given how unheard-of most of these characters are, it's surprising to the casual fan that they've
ever been given their own comic. It's even more shocking when you consider the fact that Monica
Rambeau, who leads the freaking Avengers at one point, has never been given her own solo series.
Sure, she had a pair of one-shot issues as Captain Marvel — one in 1989 and one
in 1994 — but never her own multi-issue run. This is a snub of epic proportions,
considering Monica's major significance in the Marvel universe throughout the years.
Superheroes tend to go through a lot of names over the years. Sometimes it's to
disguise their identity, as when Hawkeye, reborn after the events of the House of M storyline,
decides to go by Ronin. Sometimes it's to take up the mantle of another hero's legacy,
as when the mutant assassin Psylocke takes on the Captain Britain name after her brother
retires from the role. And then, sometimes, you're Monica Rambeau, and all bets are absolutely off.
The one-time Captain Marvel has changed her vigilante alias more times than most fans
can keep track of. It begins when she gives the Captain Marvel title to Mar-Vell's son,
Genis-Vell, in honor of his father's legacy, and chooses to become Photon instead. However,
this isn't the only time that Genis makes things difficult for poor Monica, as he later starts
going by Photon too! Instead of fighting him for the name, Rambeau simply changes hers to Pulsar.
Although she goes by the name of Pulsar for a while,
Monica eventually settles on the name of Spectrum.
As Spectrum, Monica plays an important role on Luke Cage's Mighty Avengers team,
at one point even going toe-to-toe with the powerful child of Thanos,
Proxima Midnight. Fingers crossed that Spectrum sticks, because her costume is
undeniably cool. And honestly, doesn't Monica deserve a little stability in her life?
Monica Rambeau's time as Photon is relatively uneventful, with one very important exception.
In the pages of Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E., a hilariously self-aware,
over-the-top comic series written by Warren Ellis, in which Monica gets to be wild, weird,
and wonderful. Not to mention, she acts as the leader of the Agents of H.A.T.E., an acronym for
Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort, adding yet another entry onto her long list of accomplishments.
Joining Monica is an assortment of minor Marvel characters, including X-Force's Tabitha Smith,
the monster-hunting Elsa Bloodstone, Machine Man, and a foul-mouthed newbie
who simply goes by "The Captain." The book is very much a parody of a Marvel comic,
with H.A.T.E. being an obvious play on S.H.I.E.L.D. Because of this, it shows
off a rarely-seen funny side of Rambeau, who is right at home leading a gang of marvelous misfits.
In the sprawling world of comic books, determining the "most powerful" Marvel
superhero is a complicated task. Thor and Hulk are pretty popular choices,
but some would argue villainous candidates like Galactus and Apocalypse are actually stronger.
While she might not be the first name that comes to mind,
Monica Rambeau is a contender as well. Her energy-based powers don't just make her a
formidable force to be reckoned with — they might also make her immortal.
In 2019's Avengers: No Road Home, Monica, now Spectrum, has a deeply philosophical discussion
with Vision about the inevitability of human death. Rambeau is quick to point out that her
body is actually a vessel of pure energy, so technically, she cannot die. Does this make
her less human? She and Vision come to agree that only they can determine the answer for themselves.
What is clear, however, is the extent of Monica's abilities. She could live for decades,
even centuries, protected from battle, old age, and general wear and tear.
Even the most powerful superheroes have a weakness. Superman's notorious Achilles' heel
is Kryptonite, Luke Cage's impenetrable skin is susceptible to Adamantium,
and Wolverine's healing abilities are rendered ineffective when the injury
is dealt by the Muramasa Blade -- it's a long story. Although she might be vastly powerful,
even Monica Rambeau winds up on death's doorstep every once and a while.
In 1988's Avengers #293 and #294, Namor the Sub-Mariner's wife, Marrina Smallwood,
transforms into a gigantic sea monster, leaving the Avengers to hunt her down. When they find her,
Monica turns herself into a bolt of electricity in order to stop the deadly creature. Unfortunately,
when she contacts the water, she accidentally conducts herself across the entire ocean.
When her fellow Avengers find her, she is shrunken and near lifeless.
Although she lives through the traumatic experience, she temporarily loses her powers,
leaving her no option but to quit the superhero game and resign from the Avengers.
Monica eventually regains her abilities, but not until after
a long time spent being haunted by the painful way she nearly lost her life.
Water and electricity certainly don't mix — especially when you're an energy-based superhero.
Superheroes hooking up with other superheroes is as much a part of the genre as the origin story.
Luke Cage loves Jessica Jones, Kitty Pryde has a history with Colossus,
and Rogue and Gambit have actually managed to get married. Likewise,
Monica Rambeau has shared intimate moments with a couple of supermen throughout the years.
2009's limited series Marvel Divas features Monica teaming up with fellow gal-pals Hellcat, Firestar,
and Black Cat. Here, it is revealed that while helping clean up after Hurricane Katrina, Monica
and Jericho Drumm, the sorcerer better known as Brother Voodoo, made a connection and acted on it.
However, the one-time Sorcerer Supreme isn't Monica's only love interest.
During 2013's run of Mighty Avengers, Monica, now using the name Spectrum,
gets injured fighting Proxima Midnight, and has to be healed by fellow Avenger Adam Brashear,
AKA Blue Marvel. This leads to a very strong relationship and one heck of a power couple:
Blue Marvel's powers include cosmic intelligence, anti-matter manipulation, and energy control.
Although she makes her debut as a kid in Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau's part in the colossal
MCU is set to extend far beyond her childhood. Her next appearance will come in the upcoming Disney+
series, WandaVision, with Mad Men's Teyonah Parris cast as a grown-up version of the character.
"Wanda, what's up?"
"Who are you?"
"I don't know."
If you're confused by how Monica's inclusion will make sense in this series, you're not alone. Heck,
everything about WandaVision is still shrouded in mystery, including the very premise of how Vision,
who was presumably destroyed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, comes back from the dead.
Marvel's promos for the show only introduced more questions, showcasing various scenes of
Paul Bettany's Vision and Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch from seemingly different time
periods. Throw Monica Rambeau into the mix and you've got one serious head-scratcher.
“This is gonna be a gas!"
Leaked set photos of Parris' Rambeau wearing a blue S.W.O.R.D. jacket seemingly confirm that she
will be working for or with the space-based task force, which has yet to make an appearance in the
MCU. Fans will just have to wait and see how it all comes together when WandaVision hits Disney+.
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