Maria Rambeau’s Cameo In The Marvels Continues A Strange MCU Trend

Maria Rambeau’s appearance in The Marvels is the second time she showed up as a character from an alternate universe in the MCU, and it continues an interesting trend from her previous appearance. Maria Rambeau, played by Lashana Lynch, was introduced to the MCU in Captain Marvel. Though the version of her from the main MCU continuity passed away between the Snap and the Blip, Maria appeared again in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Similar to The Marvels, she appeared as a character from another universe, this time a member of the Illuminati.

Interestingly, this means Maria Rambeau is actually a completely different character in each of her three MCU appearances. Even stranger, each of the alternate universe characters she plays has a strong link to Carol Danvers. This connection also seems to have some implications for Carol’s role in the Marvel multiverse.

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Maria Rambeau Is Always A Version Of Carol Danvers

Maria’s two appearances outside of Captain Marvel have been as different superheroes. In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, she appears as the Captain Marvel of her universe. She most likely swapped places with Carol and ended up with the powers instead in this reality. Maria’s next appearance in The Marvels is as Binary. Though Binary’s backstory isn’t explored in the MCU, in the comics, Binary is an identity that Carol Danvers takes on while working with the X-Men.

Now, both of these appearances do have reasonable explanations for Marvel’s choice to have Maria show up instead of Carol. The Illuminati were intended to stand out as different from The Avengers of the MCU, so having Maria instead of Carol made sense. Having Maria as Binary in The Marvels created a more interesting emotional moment for Monica, so again, Maria was the right choice over Carol. However, with Maria Rambeau showing up as two characters that would typically be Carol in other universes, it does seem to have implications about Carol’s place in the multiverse.

The MCU Captain Marvel Is Unique In The Multiverse

From what has been shown in other universes, it would seem like Maria Rambeau often fulfills a role historically filled by Carol Danvers, whether that’s Binary or Captain Marvel. This could mean that the main MCU version of Carol is actually an outlier. This could also mean that there is a version of Maria Rambeau’s Captain Marvel out in the universe that could show up to fight alongside Monica and Carol when it comes time for Avengers: Secret Wars. With the main MCU Maria’s life cut short, it would be nice to see her reunite with Carol.

This might also suggest that audiences won’t be seeing alternate universe versions of Carol Danvers. It’s very possible this is a business decision on Marvel’s part, seeing as Brie Larson’s contract price is surely significantly higher than Lynch’s. Whether it is a narrative or business decision, it will be interesting to see if this trend continues following The Marvels or if Maria Rambeau’s Binary will become an MCU mainstay along with the X-Men.