Warning! Spoilers for The Marvels ahead!
Seriously, stop reading if you haven’t watched yet!
Fine. You’ve been warned.
“Black Girl Magic!”
With those three words, Nick Fury tells us everything we need to know about Captain Monica Rambeau. Sometimes a hero is so unforgettable and awesome, you need to tell everyone you know about them. To that end, this is an official Monica Rambeau appreciation post.
When we last saw Teyonah Parris’ hero, she was cleaning up the mess Wanda Maximoff left behind in WandaVision. In The Marvels, she’s a badass astronaut working for Fury’s secret S.W.O.R.D. program. From the moment she space walks onto the screen, it’s obvious she’s the smartest person in the movie. If there’s one thing we love about the MCU, it’s that so many of its Black heroines aren’t just badasses, they’re also geniuses.
Once she is forced to team up with Carol Danvers and Kamala Khan, we get to see Monica’s true gift: her big heart. Amid all the power-switching craziness, she’s the grounded presence that keeps the three women on mission. She relieves Carol of her guilt and gives Kamala the confidence to find her own strength. She’s also not afraid of a fight, as she doesn’t hesitate to step up and challenge the more powerful Dar-Benn. However, when the moment of truth comes, she offers the misguided villain an olive branch of understanding, just like she did with Wanda.
Monica Rambeau is a truly special character. She’s informed by the tragedy of losing her mother while she was “blipped,” but she doesn’t let it consume her. She’s everything you want in a hero and a best friend. When the moment comes to save the universe, she sacrifices herself without giving it a second thought. She uses her powers to close a tear in the universe, telling Carol that she “always knew she’d have to stay.”
From Monica’s effortless spacewalk, to the way she beats down Kree warriors in the Khan’s living room, to her hilarious interactions with the all-singing people of Aladna, Parris’ performance is pitch-perfect. After meeting her in WandaVision, we knew Monica was someone we’d be rooting for, but in The Marvels, the actress makes her a hero we love and can’t wait to see again.
Fingers crossed that we get to see more of that universe she’s trapped in, or she returns during the multiversal war. After her scene-stealing heroism, we need more Monica Rambeau in our lives. She’s the Black girl we all deserve and need.
The Marvels is now playing in theaters.