Explaining the return of a familiar face in ‘The Marvels’ mid-credits scene

This article contains major spoilers for The Marvels.

A lot happens in the short runtime of The Marvels, but as has become a trend among the Marvel faithful, the post-credit scene is all anyone wants to discuss.

That said, this one in particular feels like the most game-changing teaser in years regarding its implications for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe at large.

What is the post-credit scene in The Marvels about?

After being sent through time and space into a new reality, thanks to Dar-Benn’s catastrophic attempt to force jump points into the galaxy tissue, Monica wakes up in a strange hospital with an all too familiar face resting next to her. The heroine recognizes the other woman as her mother Maria, who had passed away from cancer in her universe. However, whoever this new Maria is, she doesn’t know or has never seen Monica before and is confused by the S.A.B.E.R. captain’s deeply emotional response.

Enter Kelsey Grammer’s Beast, who fans will know from Fox’s original X-Men movies. He poses his (correct) theory about what might have happened to her, despite having difficulty believing it could be possible. When Maria joins him by standing up, her costume is revealed, and her identity is finally confirmed. She is Binary.

Who is Binary in Marvel Comics?

Marvel often takes creative liberties when adapting characters from comics to screen and Maria Rambeau possibly being Binary is a prime example as this is a famous Carol Danvers alias (and later her duplicate) in the comics.

Binary’s origins date back to 1982’s Uncanny X-Men #163. While attending a celebratory banquet in honor of the X-Men, Carol was kidnapped by a parasitic alien race known as the Brood, who experimented on her and brought out her dormant cosmic powers. The X-Men eventually helped her escape and she later realized the full extent of her new, almost limitless capabilities. These draw from the very fabric of the universe to produce powerful beams of light, heat, and radiation. She decided to name her new self Binary.

Her connection to the white hole that gave her these extraordinary powers was eventually broken by Jean Grey in order to save the universe, which caused her to lose her Binary powers unless triggered by an exterior force.

In more recent adventures, specifically from 2021 to 2023, in Captain Marvel Vol. 10 #34-48, Binary was the name of a Carol Danvers duplicate created by the heroine herself to evade capture. She took inspiration from Monica’s powers, manifesting her powerful cosmic energy into matter. This Captain Marvel duplicate was eventually killed in battle against the Brood Empress.

Carol and Maria’s relationship is significant to the MCU and this surprising connection will only deepen their history. We can’t wait to see what this new direction means for Monica, Carol, and the rest of the superhero universe.