Fans saw Monica Rambeau return to the MCU with superpowers in The Marvels, leaving many wondering how she got to this point in her story.
Monica Rambeau's MCU Superhero Origin Story
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Teyonah Parris embodied the adult version of Monica Rambeau starting in 2021's WandaVision, gaining her superpowers in the MCU's first Disney+ show.
In the first four episodes of WandaVision, Monica went through the Hex barrier set up by Wanda Maximoff twice before pushing finally through a third time in Episode 7 with nothing but a spacesuit as protection.
Before that last instance, Kat Dennings' Darcy Lewis warned Monica that her interaction with the boundary could "[re-write her] cells on a molecular level:"
"You've gone through the boundary twice already, Monica. The energy inside has re-written your cells on a molecular level twice. It's changing you."
The last push through the barrier changed Monica's body's molecular structure, giving her the ability to see and manipulate all wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum.
She could also absorb different kinds of energy, as she did when she absorbed hits from bullets aimed at Billy and Tommy Maximoff and walked away unscathed.
In The Marvels, she further put her superpowers on display, showing the ability to fly, shoot energy beams from her hands, and become intangible in an instant.
On top of this, she officially got the superhero name Photon, which was the callsign her mother, Maria Rambeau, went by in 2019's Captain Marvel.
Comparing Monica's powers in the MCU to the ones she has in Marvel Comics, most of her powers were utilized on the big screen, although she has a few that have not been adapted yet.
First appearing in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16 (October 1982), Monica's other powers include appearance alteration, invisibility, super speed, a photographic memory, and the ability to phase through objects similar to the MCU's Vision. These powers are seen in addition to the ones her MCU counterpart possesses.
She gained these powers trying to destroy an energy-draining device from a Roxxon oil rig that exposed her to extra-dimensional energy, giving her the ability to convert her body into different kinds of energy. Oftentimes, she is depicted in the comics as a mutant as well.
The Marvels is now streaming on Disney+.
Read more about Monica Rambeau here:
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