Warning: This article contains spoilers for WandaVision.
It was officially announced that Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani would be joining Brie Larson in Captain Marvel 2, with Parris barely containing her own excitement at working with them both. Secret Invasion, an upcoming MCU Disney+ show, will likely lead directly into the Captain Marvel sequel, just as WandaVision will lead into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Though Captain Marvel 2 isn't expected to release until November 11, 2022, one supporting cast member fans expected to return was Lashana Lynch as Maria Rambeau, who was the mother of a young Monica Rambeau in the previous movie. However, the most recent episode of WandaVision has thrown a wrench into those expectations as the episode opens with a shocking and tragic reveal that affects both Monica and Carol Danvers.
TRAGEDY AFTER THE SNAP
In what is being hailed by some fans as the best scene in WandaVision thus far, audiences learned in the opening of “We Interrupt This Program” that Monica Rambeau was herself a victim of Thanos when he wiped out half of all life in the universe.
Monica awoke in a hospital steeped in chaos, with everyone returning all at once. Confused and unable to find her mother, Maria Rambeau, Monica finally meets a familiar face, the doctor in charge of her mother's surgery, Dr. Harley.
Maria was originally admitted to the hospital to treat her cancer with surgery, which Monica was told went well just before she disappeared. Tragically, Dr. Harley informs Monica that Maria's cancer was only in remission and returned, killing her two years after Monica disappeared. This revelation was quite shocking for some fans, who expected the character to return in the Captain Marvel sequel.
An air of tragedy looms over not just Monica Rambeau, but Carol Danvers too.
STAYING FOR A FRIEND?
Due to these tragic events, it's sad to wonder whether Carol Danvers was there for her best friend in her final moments.
Both of them no doubt lost a mutual friend in Nick Fury; however, audiences now learned that Monica was taken from them too. It would be quite terrible if Danvers didn't stick around Earth to keep Maria company for those two years, especially once her cancer returned.
This would make sense as it's shown in Ms. Marvel that Captain Marvel had spent enough time and had enough of a presence on Earth to have posters made showing Carol in her original costume and gaining devoted fans like Kamala Khan.
It could also explain why Danvers seemed so committed and concentrated on helping out other worlds by 2023. After Monica was snapped away in 2018 and Maria passed in 2020, Carol no longer had any connection our the blue planet to make her stay, or what little connection she had was only met with pain.
IDOL ON A PEDESTAL
It would be interesting to see what sort of relationship Carol Danvers will have with Monica Rambeau at this stage of the MCU since it seems apparent that Danvers was off-world until Thanos had already turned half the universe to dust. It seems as though the last time Monica might have even seen Carol was in 1995, and thus could only have an idealized image of the woman in her head.
Monica had essentially been raised on the S.W.O.R.D. compound, even rising to the rank of captain, same as her mother and Carol while serving with the secret organization.
Monica even has a color-coded S.W.O.R.D. uniform based on Carol's original red, blue, and yellow suit that Monica picked for her in Captain Marvel. Heck, the last thing that Monica is thinking before she wakes up after returning from The Snap was a conversation she had with Carol when she was a child. Even as an adult, Monica still filters her memory of Carol through her childhood.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR CAPTAIN MARVEL 2?
This is pure speculation at this point, but it seems like Captain Marvel 2 could the story about how both Monica and Kamala idolize Carol so much. Despite both Monica and Kamala starring alongside one another in this movie, they've actually rarely, if ever, interacted in the comics. One way of instantly connecting these two characters is how they see Danvers.
Their relationship could potentially be about how both of them learn to have a proper relationship with their hero, built on mutual respect, rather than idolizing them from afar and wanting to be exactly like them. It could also be Monica and Kamala that figuratively and literally help bring Carol down to Earth, perhaps helping her confront any lingering grief she has regarding Maria.
Teyonah Parris gave such an amazing performance in just the opening of this latest episode of WandaVision that skyrockets my excitement for the Captain Marvel sequel to new intergalactic heights. It will be a treat to see Parris play off her other co-stars—especially with Nia DaCosta at the helm.
