Yesterday saw the release a bunch of new ‘First Look’ pictures of the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Captain Marvel. The first Marvel female super-heroine solo flick is set to hit theaters in March of 2019, and while we still haven’t gotten a trailer, we did get some good looks at many of the characters in the film, as well as some news on the story. One of the pictures released was of actress Lashana Lynch as Maria Rambeau, a fellow fighter pilot with Carol Danvers who uses the call-sign, ‘Photon’. This picture has led to a new theory on some of the MCU’s version of Captain Marvel’s origin.
While it’s been said that the movie won’t be an origin story – we still believe there will obviously be flashbacks that at least show/reference her origin. That’s evident from the pilot pictures in the first look reveal from yesterday.
This may seem like nothing to the casual fan, but die-hard Marvel fans recognize not only the character name, but the call-sign as well. You see, Maria Rambeau was actually the single mother of the first Captain Marvel in the Marvel 616 comics universe! After Carol Danvers was gifted her powers, Rambeau’s daughter, Monica, shifted gears with a few different names, with one of her most famous being Photon.
Now, the inclusion of Maria Rambeau has my mind racing, and it leads to a possible theory on just how Carol Danvers gets her powers and becomes Captain Marvel.
We don’t really have too many details about the film, but we do know that it won’t be a traditional origin film. Danvers will already have her powers at the start of the film and it will be more about exploring her limits with said powers. However, considering the fighter pilots pics released in today’s big reveal from EW, it stands to reason that those scenes will be flashbacks. And this is where my theory kicks in.
In those flashbacks, I suspect that we will see both Danvers and Rambeau on some routine maneuvers when a Kree battleship chasing a Skrull ship enters our atmosphere. They report the incident to their command, who order them to retreat. However, Danvers, in all of her hotheaded glory, insists that she and Rambeau pursue the alien crafts. Rambeau reluctantly joins her friend in the pursuit.
During the ensuing battle, Rambeau’s plane is shot down and explodes and Danvers is also hit, but she is saved by the Kree and given her powers. While Rambeau dies instantly, Danvers becomes Captain Marvel, but at the cost of her friend, and the mother of a now orphaned child.
Danvers’ guilt will add another layer of emotion to the character, and can also lend to a bit of an adoptive mother scenario where Danvers (before heading off to space) helps take care of Monica, but reveals her secret to her. This could lead to Monica wanting to grow up to be just like her, but takes the moniker of ‘Photon’ as an homage to her late mother. This builds the foundation for another female superhero in the future of the MCU, and with Marvel Studios head, Kevin Feige, stating that the future will be more than 50% heroines.
There is a flip side to this theory. It could potentially lead to a villainous take on Monica Rambeau. She could grow to despise Danvers for causing her mother’s death, leading to maybe joining up with Minn-Erva against Captain Marvel. But, I would still suspect that she eventually see the error of her ways, similar to Ghost in Ant-Man and the Wasp.
This theory is 99% conjecture right now, as very little is actually known of the plot details. But, as more information comes available, we’ll be able to rework or even confirm this theory, among many others to come as well.
What do you think of this theory? Let us know in the comments below!