Captain Marvel was released to positive reviews and a massive $1.128 billion at the worldwide box office back in 2019. By the time The Marvels arrives in theaters, it will have been nearly half a decade since Carol Danvers last starred in her own solo outing, though she'll have some company in the sequel.
The Avenger will be joined by Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel and Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau, and it seems Marvel Studios has finally given the latter her own superhero codename!
There's been a lot of speculation about what she will be called in the MCU, especially as Monica has gone by Captain Marvel, Spectrum, and Photon over the years. During a recent interview with the Black Comic Lords, Monica Rambeau: Photon comic book writer Eve L. Ewing seemed to confirm that the hero will go by Photon in the MCU as well.
"Keep in mind, comics world, as y’all know, the publishing side and the MCU side do not communicate frequently, but we do sometimes," the writer explained. "Let me put it this way, I’ll tell you this, I did not choose for her to be called Photon in this comic, I’ll tell you that. That is all I will say."
In other words, that was a decision Marvel Studios made, leading us to believe they wanted some synergy between publishing and live-action.
Spectrum is Monica's preferred designation among many fans, and this is a little surprising when a recently released The Marvels tie-in book for children actually uses that moniker. Presumably, Marvel Studios changed course during reshoots or for copyright reasons, but we'll have to wait and see.
The Marvels looks great thus far, anyway, and the word from last year's D23 event is that the first teaser trailer definitely impressed. In terms of when that will be released online, we have Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arriving before then, so it will probably land somewhere between them.
"Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence, but unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe," reads a recently released synopsis for the movie.
"When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged neice Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team-up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as 'The Marvels.'"
The Marvels is set to arrive in theaters on July 28.