Marvel superhero Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) made her debut in 2021’s WandaVision, but her story has barely begun. Case in point: Monica still has no superhero name! However, based on a couple of upcoming Marvel titles, that may have changed.
When we last saw Monica, she had just gained her powers by crossing the barrier of Wanda Maximoff’s “hex” in WandaVision. The extent of her powers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t clear yet, but in the original comics, she has the ability to transform into different sorts of energy. At the end of WandaVision, Monica encountered a Skrull agent who told her that a friend of her mother’s was waiting for her in space.
That final scene set the stage for Monica’s return in The Marvels, coming out on July 28, 2023. In The Marvels, Monica will team up with Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) when the three of them discover that they have the ability to switch places with each other.
In the comics, Monica has gone by several different names over the years, including Spectrum, Photon, and Pulsar. Fans have been waiting to see which of those names will make it into the MCU.
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What is Monica Rambeau’s superhero name in the MCU?
Earlier this week, The Direct reported on an interesting quote by Marvel writer Eve L. Ewing, who’s currently helming the series Monica Rambeau: Photon. Speaking with Black Comic Lords, Ewing revealed that she’s been given very specific instructions regarding Monica’s name.
The publishing side [of Marvel Entertainment] and the MCU side do not communicate frequently, but we do sometimes … Let me put it this way. I’ll tell you this. I did not choose for [Monica] to be called Photon in this comic, I’ll tell you that. That is all I will say.
It seems pretty clear what Ewing is trying to say: Marvel has instructed her to use the name Photon in order to tie the Monica Rambeau comics into the MCU.
Is that the whole story, though? It turns out things are a little more complicated. As The Direct points out, Marvel has also released a new title in the Little Golden Book series called Meet the Marvels. In that book, Monica goes by the name Spectrum.
So which is it? Photon or Spectrum? Knowing Marvel’s penchant for secrecy, we may not know until The Marvels comes out in July—or even later.
(via The Direct, featured image: Disney+)
