Captain Marvel X Maria Rambeau Revealed

When Captain Marvel first blasts into theaters on March 8, fans will get to see Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers team up with her longtime friend Maria Rambeau (played by Lashana Lynch). But what does this reteaming mean for the two women and their respective roles in the MCU?

In the comics, Maria Rambeau is not only Carol’s Air Force friend, but a fellow pilot with her own powers. She goes by the nickname “Photon” on her plane and has even mastered the ability to absorb other kinds of energies, including that of the Green Lantern’s rings. So it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to fans that when Maria shows up at the hangar where Carol and the rest of the Avengers are meeting, she volunteers to help with the mission.

However, there’s one small problem with this: Maria doesn’t remember who she is and is shocked when Carol tells her to fly off into space to help protect Earth from a Kree invasion. Fortunately, when Monica returns to her job at S.W.O.R.D., she helps jog Maria’s memory so the two can team up against Wanda Maximoff in the Multiverse of Madness.

While it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see a full-on Maria Rambeau movie, her character is still an important part of the MCU. Not only does she provide a grounded counterpoint to the cosmically-empowered Carol, but she also humanizes her in a way that makes it more likely that audiences will connect with the movie’s hero.