Marvel Cancels Character Follow-Up After Bad Box Office?
Monica Rambeau has had a slowly developing storyline since audiences met her as a child in Captain Marvel. There was enough interest that Disney was creating a solo show for her, similar to Hawkeye or Loki. Now, in light of the poor reception of The Marvels, it looks like her project, according to noted Marvel leaker DanielRPK, has been canceled.
No Photon Series
You may wonder why anyone would even care about a Monica Rambeau show, and it’s a fair question. Monica hasn’t had much screen time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but in the literature, she’s kind of a big deal. Her comic book history has her so powerful that Iron Man and Spider-Man have to drain some of her energy to save her and everyone around her.
Leader Of The Avengers
In the canon, Monica Rambeau joins the Avengers, becomes their leader, and rises to fame under multiple hero names, including Captain Marvel, Photon, Pulsar, and Spectrum. She is arguably one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe. Thus, it makes sense that fans would want to see her follow a similar trajectory in the MCU.
Part Of The MCU
We met her in 1995 as the child of Maria Rambeau, Carol Danvers’ best friend, in Captain Marvel. She knew Carol as “Auntie Carol,” and Carol called Monica “Lieutenant Trouble.” Fast forward several decades, after the Avengers bring everyone back from the blip, and we meet a grown Monica, now working for S.W.O.R.D.
Standout In WandaVision
She appears as an agent attempting to help Wanda Maximoff release the town she has under her spell in WandaVision. During the chaos, Monica Rambeau sneaks into the town through an energy field, or “the hex” and then stops a highly dangerous weapon and absorbs extra-dimensional energy. Now, she can convert her body to energy.
On The Big Screen
Finally, Monica gets a larger role in The Marvels, where she must team up with her long lost “Auntie Carol” and Kamala Khan, who goes by the name Ms. Marvel. In The Marvels, the three women must contend with their powers all while trying to stop the destabilization of the universe and battle a Kree revolutionary, Dar-Benn.
No Follow-Up To The Post-Credit Scene
In the final scene, to save the universe, Monica enters another dimension through a closing wormhole and gets trapped there. In the mid-credits scene, we see her meeting with that universe’s Maria Rambeau and her partner, Hank McCoy, of X-Men fame. Of course, this scene sets us up for Monica’s story in the parallel universe to continue, ideally with the show Disney was developing, Photon. But, alas, it looks as though that is not to be.
The Marvels Was A Box Office Disaster
Teyonah Parris, who plays Monica Rambeau, got a chance to showcase her acting skills in the film, and she performed quite well. The movie is fun, fast-paced, empathetic, and endearing. Kamala Khan, played by Iman Vellani, brings the silly teen spirit to the trio, and Brie Larson, as usual, plays an excellent Carol Danvers.
Where Can Monica Show Up Next?
It’s not clear why The Marvels didn’t do well, or well enough for Disney. After all, it has grossed more than $200 million at box offices around the world, and it has received pretty good critical reviews, with critics particularly praising the performances of the three leads. Perhaps Disney is simply deciding to cut back production for the time being and focus more on quality than quantity.
In any event, industry insider Daniel RPK has reported that Monica Rambeau’s solo project will not proceed. The upside is that her storyline has not been axed altogether. We can expect to see her tale unfold in other projects—maybe in Ms. Marvel Season 2?
Here’s hoping.
