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Warning: SPOILERS for the latest episode of WandaVision are ahead!
In March 2019, less than two months before Avengers: Endgame arrived to deliver the Infinity Saga’s explosive finale, Marvel Cinematic Universe fans took a trip to 1995 to learn the origin story of Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel. Along with seeing younger versions of familiar faces like Nick Fury and Phil Coulson, Captain Marvel also introduced plenty of new characters, including Maria “Photon” Rambeau and her daughter Monica, with the former being one of Carol’s oldest friends and a fellow Air Force pilot.
Monica Rambeau was a kid during the events of Captain Marvel, but as an adult (played by Candyman’s Teyonah Parris), she’s a major player in Disney+’s WandaVision. Unfortunately, for those of you who were hoping to see an older Maria Rambeau reunite with Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel 2, there's some bad news to break, and it touches on the tragic side of Avengers: Endgame’s fallout.
Monica Rambeau Was Part Of The Blip
WandaVision’s latest episode, “We Interrupt This Broadcast,” wound the clock back to show how Monica Rambeau ended up in Wanda Maximoff’s freaky Westview sitcom fantasy, and the S.W.O.R.D. (Sentient Weapon Observation Response Division) investigation that followed. But before all that unfolded, the episode began with Monica being brought back to life by The Blip, i.e. when Hulk used the Infinity Stones In Avengers: Endgame to undo Thanos’ genocide of half of all life in the universe. Confused by the chaos within the hospital she woke up in, Monica tried to track down her mother’s whereabouts, as from her perspective, it hadn’t been that long since Maria got out of a successful surgery.
But The Blip occurred five years after Thanos’ reign of terror, and while Monica Rambeau was among those who turned to dust, Maria Rambeau survived. Upon finding Maria’s doctor, Monica learned that that her mother’s cancer came back and she died three years ago, i.e. two years after Monica disappeared. Before she died though, Maria, who was revealed to be S.W.O.R.D.’s founder, implemented guidelines to be activated in the event that personnel, including Monica, returned. That day eventually came, but sadly, Monica never reunited with her mother.
How Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home Depicted The Blip
Although we witnessed Hulk use the power of the six Infinity Stones procured from the Time Heist to snap those who’d been turned to dust back to life in Avengers: Endgame, we never actually saw any of the dusted reformed. It was only when Scott Lang noticed the renewed wildlife outside the Avengers’ base and Clint Barton got a phone call from his wife that it was confirmed that Hulk was successful, but immediately afterwards, the time-displaced Thanos and his army launched a devastating attack. With a climactic conflict, Tony Stark’s death and various loose ends to be tied up in the aftermath, it made so that Endgame didn’t delve into the Blip beyond showing the joy of so many loved ones being alive again.
As such, Spider-Man: Far From Home was the first MCU project to direct address the ramifications of the Blip, but it was handled with comedically. Amateur video footage showed people who’d disappeared half a decade earlier suddenly reappearing and freaking everyone out. On the flip side, we also saw the passage of time for those who stuck around best represented through Brad Davis, who was a nerdy middle schooler when Peter Parker, MJ, Ned Leeds and Flash Thompson, but by 2023 was a popular high schooler. But between Peter Parker still grieving Tony Stark’s death and having to deal with Mysterio’s machinations, Far From Home didn’t give the Blip a lot of attention.
WandaVision’s Depiction Of The Blip Was Heartbreaking
WandaVision’s “We Interrupt This Broadcast” was the first time that the Blip was shown through a tragic lens. Yes, it was great that trillions of people were resurrected, but their return was just as chaotic as when they were snapped away, if not more so. Five years after the Snap, Earth, and presumably every other civilization in the universe, had accommodated life going on without these absent people, and now they they had to contend with these instantaneous returns without any preparation. But on a more personal note, the Blip represented lost time.
Look at what happened to Monica Rambeau. Before she was dusted, she was waiting for her mother to be discharged from the hospital. To Monica, it seemed like she only nodded off for about 20 minutes, but when she “woke up,” Maria had been dead for years. You can be sure that she wasn’t the only one who came back to life and learned that a loved one, or many, died during the time they were gone. What’s even more sad is that Maria Rambeau didn’t live to see the day that her faith was rewarded, with Monica and everyone else coming back like she predicted.
With the exception of Black Widow, all of the officially announced upcoming MCU movies and TV shows are set after Avengers: Endgame. So there won’t be any lack of ways for the aftermath of the Blip to keep being explored, although it remains to be seen how many of those projects will do so (personally, I’d like to see what Clint Barton’s family life is like in the Hawkeye series now that his wife and three children are back). As for WandaVision, it remains to be seen if the Blip aftermath in any way factors into Wanda Maximoff’s trauma and why she’s taken over Westview, or if this primarily rooted in her struggling to cope with Vision’s murder. In any case, while it’s been nearly two years since Endgame’s release, the most recent WandaVision episode reminds us that the events that unfolded within the three-hour movie will continue to impact the MCU for years to come.
New episodes of WandaVision drop on Disney+ on Fridays, and you’re welcome to use the following link to sign up for the streaming service if you’re not already subscribed. Those of you looking forward to what’s in store for Monica Rambeau after WandaVision can expect to see her next in Captain Marvel 2, which releases on November 11, 2022. Stay apprised of what else Marvel Studios is sending to screens both big and small with our Marvel movies guide and Marvel TV guide.
