Marvel's The Marvels finally arrived in movie theaters after a considerable delay of several months. Despite its brevity compared to other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Marvels concludes with a profound impact, leaving viewers with two distinct and significant plot threads that will undoubtedly shape the future of the entire franchise. It is essential to note that these plot threads pertain to the larger universe and not solely to a potential third installment of the Captain Marvel series, at least for the time being.
Disclaimer: This article offers a detailed account of the ending of Marvel's The Marvels.
In this film, the three Marvel characters are brought together by the threat of Dar-Benn, a new Kree warlord. Dar-Benn's mission is to save the Kree homeworld Hala, which is facing an ecological crisis due to the destruction caused by Captain Marvel's defeat of the Supreme Intelligence in the previous movie.
However, Dar-Benn, being a Marvel villain, resorts to a ruthless method of saving her world by annihilating others. Using a cosmic bangle, which is one of a pair along with Kamala Khan's bangle, and Ronan the Accuser's powerful hammer, she creates rifts in spacetime. Through one rift, she steals the atmosphere of a planet to transport it back to Hala. In another instance, she takes the entire ocean (this is starting to sound like a joke from Carmen San Diego). Lastly, she attempts to extract the fire from Earth's sun to reignite Hala's dying star.
Naturally, Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan, our heroes, make their way back to Earth after their encounter with Dar-Benn. Once again, they confront Dar-Benn, but this time, she uses her bangle to absorb all the energy they throw at her. Eventually, she manages to overpower Kamala and seize her bangle. With both bangles in her possession, Dar-Benn becomes more powerful. As she tries to unleash their full potential by colliding them, her weakened body cannot handle the strain, causing her to disintegrate.
However, Dar-Benn's actions not only resulted in her demise but also created a distorted portal in space. Unlike before, this portal leads to an alternate reality instead of another location within our universe. Carol retrieves the bangles and returns them to Kamala, who now potentially possesses the abilities of the Marvel Comics hero Quasar. With the bangles, Kamala can teleport anywhere in the universe.
The return of Kate Bishop?
In one of the concluding moments of The Marvels, Kamala encounters Kate Bishop, the young apprentice of Hawkeye with her bow and arrow, and delivers the classic Nick Fury pitch. Quite literally, she recites his iconic lines from those post-credits scenes where he gathered the original Avengers.
There may be a temptation to assume that this fragment is referring to a TV crossover between Kamala and Kate, as they are both TV characters. However, the presence of Nick Fury quotes suggests that Marvel is likely laying the groundwork for the introduction of the Young Avengers. It is possible that this will be explored further in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, where a key character, Iron Lad, is a teenage version of Kang who decides to become a hero. While the upcoming movie is being called an Avengers movie, there is very limited information available about it apart from the title.
The Marvels Mid-Credits Scene Explained: What's up with that blue guy?
There is a sole bonus scene featured in The Marvels, positioned midway through the credits. It should be noted that there is no supplementary scene subsequent to the credits; the scene with Kate Bishop was, presumably, intended for that spot, but it ultimately manifested in the core movie narrative. This particular scene, which had already become public before the film premiered in theaters, brings us up to speed with Monica in an alternative universe, where she awakens in a hospital bed.
However, she is not alone. In the room, there are two other individuals present. One of them is the X-Man Dr. Hank McCoy, more commonly known as Beast, once again portrayed by Kelsey Grammer, who reprised this iconic role in X-Men: The Last Stand.
Monica's anxiety towards seeing her mother, Maria, is evident as she grapples with the situation. However, Hank and Maria remain unaware of the complete circumstances. Despite this, they are aware that Maria hails from a different reality, prompting Hank to suggest informing Charles Xavier (Professor X) about the matter. Subsequently, Hank excuses himself, leaving Maria to brief Monica, thereby concluding the scene.
What adds intrigue to the situation is that Maria is donning a unique red-and-white ensemble, identifying her as the character Binary. In the comics, Binary is an energy-based entity formed from Captain Marvel's powers, but Maria's situation differs. In this parallel universe, Maria assumes the role of Captain Marvel as Binary. This development was indirectly alluded to during a pivotal conversation between Carol and Maria, wherein Carol mentions that fate dictated Maria wasn't the recipient of Captain Marvel's abilities. Consequently, we witness a twist in reality with the emergence of Maria as Binary.
In a different reality portrayed in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, we witnessed Maria wearing the green Kree Captain Marvel suit. However, Maria met her demise in that universe. If this is indeed the same universe, it is possible that Binary could serve as the energy projection of that Captain Marvel. Nonetheless, it is uncertain if this is the case, as other heroic individuals, including Mr. Fantastic, also perished alongside Maria. It is highly plausible that the forthcoming universe we explore will feature a living Fantastic Four.
The lingering question now is: When will we encounter Monica again and continue this storyline? At present, it is difficult to speculate, but my hunch is that we will not need to wait for the next installment of Captain Marvel to find out. This situation appears to be of Avengers-level magnitude.
Editor's P/S
In the epic conclusion of "The Marvels," we witness a thrilling battle between our beloved heroes, Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan, against the formidable Kree warlord, Dar-Benn. Dar-Benn's desperate attempt to save her homeworld, Hala, leads her down a path of destruction as she wreaks havoc across the universe, stealing the atmosphere of one planet, the entire ocean of another, and attempting to extract the fire from Earth's sun.
Despite their valiant efforts, our heroes are overpowered by Dar-Benn, who absorbs their energy and seizes Kamala's bangle. However, her insatiable quest for power ultimately becomes her undoing as her weakened body disintegrates under the strain of wielding both bangles. In the aftermath of Dar-Benn's demise, a distorted portal to an alternate reality emerges, hinting at the vast possibilities that lie beyond our universe.
