We are now roughly six months away from the release of The Marvels, the new film from Marvel Studios that acts as a sequel to both Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel, and a continuation of the Monica Rambeau story initiated in WandaVision. In this series, we saw the beginning of Teyonah Parris becoming a superhero, and we might have just learned her codename.
In the comics, Monica Rambeau went by several names in her superhero career, including “Captain Marvel”; however, arguably the two most popular ones were “Photon” and “Spectrum”. In the film’s tie-in comic Monica Rambeau: Photon, writer Eve L. Ewing gave a sort of definitive answer, but it was still up in the air whether the MCU would embrace that name, or they would ignore the publishing medium. In a new interview with the Black Comic Lords, however, Ewing confirmed that she did not choose the name “Photon” for the character in that comic. She said (via ComicBookMovie.com):
“Keep in mind, comics world, as y’all know, the publishing side 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 her to be called Photon in this comic, I’ll tell you that. That is all I will say.”
Obviously, Ewing is not privy to the internal machinations of Marvel Studios, especially since they keep their operations separate from the publishing side. But from what we can gather, it seems like the team behind the film did not want to send mixed signals when it comes to the codename, even with a tie-in comic. At the end of the day, it will probably not make a difference, given the way Marvel Studios typically adapts these stories.
They are constantly making changes to what the comics first introduced to fit their universe and also to keep comic-book readers on their feet. Looking no further, Kamala Khan is an inhuman in the comics, but they changed that in the Disney Plus series to make her the first identified mutant in the MCU. (Not chronologically, since Namor was around way before her, but as far as the audience is concerned.)
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We’ve already gotten our first look at Teyonah Parris in costume as Photon through a leaked picture of The Marvels-related merch, as well as the two other leads. She will be wearing a black and white suit, very similar in style to Carol’s, though with different colors.
What do we know about The Marvels so far?
Little has transpired about the plot of the film, but from what we’ve been hearing from Marvel Studios and audiences that saw footage from the film at the D23 Expo panel, it seems like the story will kick off right after the post-credits scene of Ms. Marvel (which was actually directed by Nia DaCosta on the set of the film). Apparently, every time one of the three “Marvels” use their powers, they swap places.
Candyman director Nia DaCosta is at the helm of the upcoming film, which, according to a press release, has four writers. They are WandaVision’s Megan McDonnell, Loki’s Elissa Karasik, She-Hulk’s Zab Wells, and Nia DaCosta herself. The cast revealed so far includes Brie Larson as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau/Photon, Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel, Zawe Ashton, Park Seo-joon, and Samuel L. Jackson returning as Nick Fury.
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In that press release, according to The Direct, they also revealed the first official synopsis for the film:
Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan, Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team-up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as ‘The Marvels.’
The Marvels is currently scheduled to hit theaters on July 28, 2023. It will be the third and final MCU film this year, after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania opens on February 17, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 comes out on May 5. What do you think of Monica Rambeau’s codename? Would you have preferred Spectrum? Are you excited for The Marvels? Let us know by dropping us a tweet on our account and stay tuned for more on The Marvels and the rest of the MCU releases this year!
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Source: ComicBookMovie
