Monica Rambeau

Monica Rambeau
Giant Size Special Captain Marvel #1 (November 1989)
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16 (1982)
Created by	Roger Stern John Romita, Jr.
In-story information
Alter ego	Monica Rambeau
Team affiliations	Nextwave Avengers New Orleans Harbor Patrol
Notable aliases	Captain Marvel, Photon, Pulsar, Daystar, Sceptre, Lady of Light, Monica Marvel, Sun Goddess
Abilities	Can convert body into any form of energy within the electromagnetic spectrum. Energy generation, absorption & manipulation. Travel at the speeds up to the speed of light while in her energy form. Able to travel in energy form through the vacuum of space.

Monica Rambeau is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. Initially known as Captain Marvel, the character became a leader of the Avengers. She later used the codenames Photon and Pulsar.

Publication history

The character was created by Roger Stern and John Romita, Jr., and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16 (1982).

Talking about the visual features of the character, the artist John Romita, Jr. noted that originally the character was intended to look like Pam Grier but

“

I just took some reference on Pam Grier, because I always loved her, and at the last moment somebody said that, "well, we need to use this woman, here," because they thought maybe Pam Grier wasn't as good-looking as the model they found. It was fine, because by the time she got done by other artists, it ended up looking like the generic black character, anyway.[1]

”

After her debut, the character appeared sporadically in Avengers vol 1 #227-347. She received a one-issue eponymous title, Captain Marvel vol 2 #1 during this time. She also starred in Avengers: Unplugged #5.

She returned in Avengers vol 3 with sporadic appearances between issues #1-59. During this run, she also appeared in Avengers: Infinity #1-4 (Sept - Dec 2000), Maximum Security #2-3(Jan 2001), Thor vol 2 #30 (Jan 2001) and the Avengers Annual in 2001.

After a cameo in New Thunderbolts #8-9, she appeared in Order #5-6. She starred in Nextwave #1-12. Following the cancellation of that series, Rambeau returned in Marvel Divas #1-4 and Heralds #1-5.

Fictional character biography

Origin

Monica Rambeau was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to Frank and Maria Rambeau. She was a lieutenant in the New Orleans harbor patrol, and operated as a cargo ship captain. Trying to prevent the creation of a dangerous weapon, Rambeau is exposed to extra-dimensional energy. As a result, she is able to convert her body to energy. She decides to use her powers to fight crime.^[2]

Avengers

Rambeau sought out the Avengers for help in mastering her new powers and became a member-in-training of their group.^[3] Befriended and mentored by Avengers veterans Captain America and the Wasp, Monica soon graduated to full membership.^[4]

She assisted Doctor Strange and the Scarlet Witch in battling Dracula.^[5]

Two of Monica's enemies were super-powered psychiatrist Moonstone (Karla Sofen), and Moonstone's powerful pawn Blackout (Marcus Daniels), who wielded the Darkforce. Captain Marvel first encounters them when the Avengers oppose the duo's escape from incarceration in Project: PEGASUS. After that, Monica temporarily loses her ability to transform back to human form during a battle against Dr. Eric Paulson, in which she fights alongside Spider-Man and Starfox.^[6]

Moonstone and Blackout return as members of Baron (Helmut) Zemo's Masters of Evil, participating in an occupation of Avengers Mansion and trapping Monica in the Darkforce dimension. Monica was able to escape in time to help retake the Mansion. During the battle, Moonstone is crippled and Blackout dies.^[7] Another of Monica's major early foes was the murderous interstellar pirate Nebula, who shanghaied Monica into space for an extended period before she reunites with the Avengers.^[8]

Rambeau later replaces the Wasp as leader of the Avengers.^[9] When honorary Avengers member Marrina transforms into the gigantic sea monster Leviathan, Captain Marvel leads the hunt for the creature. During the battle that followed, Monica makes contact with sea water while in her electrical form and accidentally conducts herself across the surface of the ocean, depleting her energies so gravely and dispersing her atoms so widely that she barely regains physical form. She emerges as a frail, withered husk of a woman devoid of super-powers.^[10]

After retiring from the team,^[11] Monica eventually regains her powers.^{[volume & issue needed]} She resumes crimefighting, facing foes such as Brazilian crime lord Kristina Ramos,^{[volume & issue needed]} Moonstone,^{[volume & issue needed]} Powderkeg,^{[volume & issue needed]} the Sons of the Serpent,^{[volume & issue needed]} the Blue Marvel,^{[volume & issue needed]} and the alien Starblasters.^[12][13] At the same time, she serves as a cargo ship captain in her friend Ron Morgan's shipping company before starting her own charter business.^{[volume & issue needed]} Her original powers gradually regenerate, fully returning when the alien Stranger accelerates the process.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Space adventures

Monica stays connected with the Avengers and serves as a reservist, sometimes assuming leadership duties in the absence of the current chair. She helps repel an Atlantean invasion of the surface world^[14] and assists in the Acts of Vengeance, which involved a concentrated, multi-villain attack on Earth's superheroes.^[15] Monica leads a reserve substitute roster during the team's first United Nations-backed reorganization.^[16] She takes on another leadership role during the Kree-Shi'ar war and leads an Avengers delegation.^{[volume & issue needed][17]}

When Genis becomes an adventurer, he is known as Captain Marvel like his father before him—which Monica resents. After she and Genis team up to defeat the Controller, Genis tries to concede the Captain Marvel title to Monica since he felt she was more worthy of it. Monica declines out of respect for the Mar-Vell legacy and adopts a new costumed alias as Photon.^[18]

For a time, Reambeau's mother intercepts her Avengers calls out of fear for her daughter's safety. After discovering this deception, Rambeau leads an unofficial force of Avengers against the 'Infinites', who plan relocating the galaxy.^[19] She is again called into action when the Scarlet Witch suffers a nervous breakdown and attacks the Avengers.^[20]

When Genis-Vell transformed wants to establish a new identity for himself, he begins calling himself Photon. Rambeau confronts him, but she decides to let Genis keep the Photon alias after she came up with a name she liked better: Pulsar.^[21]

Civil War/The Initiative

Rambeau later leads the Nextwave team, part of the Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort (H.A.T.E.), against Unusual Weapons of Mass Destruction created by the Beyond Corporation©.^[22]

During the "Civil War", Rambeau is a member of Captain America's Secret Avengers and registers as a member of the Initiative.^[23][24]

Marvel Divas

Photon appeared in the limited series, Marvel Divas (partly inspired by Sex and the City).^[25] She was one of the main characters, alongside Black Cat, Hellcat, and Firestar. She reveals a former relationship with Brother Voodoo, from whom she broke off. Despite that, Voodoo still has feelings for Photon. Eventually, Brother Voodoo, now promoted Sorcerer Supreme as Doctor Voodoo, asks for Monica's help to track down some evil sorcerers. Monica accepts, rekindling their relationship in the process. ^[26]

Monica later appears as one of the female heroes invited to Emma Frost's birthday party in Las Vegas. The heroines end up helping solve a cosmic crisis involving Frankie Raye.^[27]

Powers and abilities

Due to bombardment by extra-dimensional energies, Monica can transform herself into any form of energy within the electromagnetic spectrum. Among the many energy forms she has assumed and is able to control are cosmic rays, gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet radiation, visible light, electricity, infrared radiation, microwaves, radio waves, and neutrinos. By assuming an energy-form, she gains all of that energy's properties.

She is invisible and intangible in many of her energy forms (the most frequent exception being visible light), and is capable of flight in all her energy forms (reaching velocities up to and including light speed). She also has the ability to project these energies from her body while she is in human form (only one wavelength of energy at a time), usually in the form of energy blasts from her hands. She mentally controls both the type and quantity of energy she wishes to transmit. The maximum amount of energy she can transmit at a given time is unknown. Monica can also divert small amounts of various energies for employment as force beams, which have the equivalent to 300 tons of TNT of explosive force. A variation of this ability enables her to project light-based holographic illusions of herself. Monica has also shown the ability to split her energy from into several miniature energy forms that are under her mental command, each miniature Monica is able to react and fly at light-speed.

When she encounters a new or unfamiliar energy, Monica can often duplicate it given enough time for analysis.^[28] Monica tends to be physically insubstantial in her energy forms, though with concentration and effort she can sometimes perform tasks such as briefly grasping an object, either by partially solidifying or by applying some sort of force to the object in question.

When Monica temporarily lost her original powers after a massive energy expenditure,^[10] she developed the ability to shunt any mechanical energy directed towards her through a dimensional interface surrounding her body, granting her increased strength, resistance to impact, and the ability to fly. After Monica asked Reed Richards to examine these new abilities, he theorized that she accessed the same dimension from which she derived her energy powers to create the interface.^[29]

Monica has strong leadership skills and law enforcement experience due to both of her time as a police officer and former leader of the Avengers. She is an excellent markswoman, unarmed combatant, detective, and swimmer with extensive nautical expertise. She has received Harbor Patrol training, and Avengers training in unarmed combat by Captain America.

Limitations

Monica is able to retain her energy form for several hours with no ill effects.^[30] She can only transform herself into one wavelength of energy at a time, but she can transform between one energy-state and another in a fraction of a second. Extensive energy transformation and manipulation can be physically taxing once she re-assumes her physical form. Monica can also be forcibly reverted back to her original form by other forces.^[31]

Other versions

Earth-A

Like other inhabitants of this reality, Monica Rambeau would periodically visit Earth-616 for vacations. Due to the nature of the interdimensional travel, she received duplicate powers to her counterpart and would masquerade as her. It is implied that the inexperienced Rambeau appearing around that time in Black Panther was, in fact, this alternate. Rambeau claimed that the main reason she visited Earth-616 was not because she would gain superpowers but because her parents were still alive in that reality.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Forever Yesterday

Monica is featured in New Warriors #11–13, in an alternate reality that is listed as Earth 9105. She is part of a murderous version of the Avengers, who enforce the will of the tyrannical female Sphinx.^{[volume & issue needed]} She briefly makes an appearance in Avengers Forever #11–12 when she and several other alternate, evil Avengers are brought forth in order to battle the main protagonists.

Marvel Zombies

Monica Rambeau appears in the Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness issue #3 in her Nextwave uniform, fighting alongside the rest of the team against a zombified Power Pack.^{[volume & issue needed]}

MC2

Although Monica Rambeau has never appeared in Marvel Comics' future-era MC2 line, the comics feature her daughter by Derek Freeman, Blacklight, who first appears in A-Next #9.^[32]

References

1. ^ Nolen-Weathington, Eric; George Khoury. Modern Masters Volume 18: John Romita Jr.. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-893905-95-5. 
2. ^ Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16
3. ^ Avengers #227
4. ^ Avengers #231
5. ^ Doctor Strange Vol. 2 #60
6. ^ Marvel Team-Up #142–143
7. ^ Avengers #273-277 (November 1986-March 1987)
8. ^ Avengers #257-260 (July–October 1985)
9. ^ Avengers #279 (May 1987)
10. ^ ^{a b} Avengers #291-293 (1988)
11. ^ Avengers #294 (August 1988)
12. ^ Starblasters #1-4
13. ^ Quasar #55-58
14. ^ Avengers Annual #18 (1989), Atlantis Attacks
15. ^ Avengers Spotlight #27 (December 1989), Avengers Annual #19 (1990)
16. ^ Avengers #329 & 330 (February & March 1991)
17. ^ Operation: Galactic Storm
18. ^ Avengers Unplugged #5 (June 1996)
19. ^ Avengers Infinity #1-4 (September–December 2000)
20. ^ Avengers #501-503 (October–December 2004)
21. ^ New Thunderbolts #9 (August 2005)
22. ^ Nextwave #1 (March 2006)
23. ^ Avengers: The Initiative
24. ^ Avengers: The Initiative #1 Character Map
25. ^ "MyCup o’ Joe Tea, Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning". MySpace Comic Books. 2009-04-09. http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=92159514&blogId=482150960. Retrieved 2009-04-10. 
26. ^ Marvel Divas #1-4
27. ^ Heralds #1-5
28. ^ Avengers/JLA #2
29. ^ Captain Marvel (vol. 3) #1 (November 1989)
30. ^ Avengers v1 #253
31. ^ Avengers v1 #263, January 1986
32. ^ http://www.comicboards.com/spidergirl/view.php?rpl=000705170607