How does the body swapping work in ‘The Marvels?’

Bringing one of the strongest superheroes in the MCU back for a solo movie would always require a bit of creative finesse to keep things interesting. You can’t, after all, have Carole Danvers face off against the franchise’s ultimate big bad this early in the game, despite what Quantumania may have led you to believe. No, The Marvels is thinking outside the box.

Enter: body swapping or place swapping if we’re nitpicking. We were first introduced to the phenomenon in the post-credit scene of the Disney Plus series Ms. Marvel, although we didn’t have a name for it quite yet. We see Kamala Khan’s single bangle glow purple on her wrist, and then, right as she shakes it off, she’s launched through her closet door, where Carole Danvers appears in her place.

Trailers for The Marvels have keyed us in on what’s going on. Because Carole, Kamala, and Monica Rambau have light-based powers, they somehow end up in an entanglement, resulting in each swapping places with the other whenever they use them.

This concept might sound simple on the surface, but it has raised a couple of questions from confused fans. In an official clip, we see Carole and Kamala use their powers without swapping places.

So, is the phenomenon just a cool, cinematic narrative device or does it actually happen anytime they use their powers?

What’s up with the body swapping, and how does it work?

Although why Carole, Kamala, and Monica are swapping places is unclear, the mechanics of the mystery have been spelled out thanks to a brief international TV promo. In the trailer, we hear Monica say that she, Carole, and Kamala swap places not just when they use their powers but when they use them at the same time.

That would explain why, in additional trailers such as the one above, we hear Monica yell “switch” during an apparent fight scene. Assigning a rulebook such as this to the limitations of the trio’s body-swapping not only clears up the confusion but also allows for some neat fight sequences that aren’t entirely cluttered with swaps every millisecond.

The loophole means the trio can tame their predicament when they want to but will bump headfirst into it during battle when one can’t simply watch on the sidelines while the other fights. All three will have to use their abilities simultaneously, which will mean they’ll need to hone this new phenomenon to their advantage, something we’re confident will take place in the film’s third act.

Body swapping is not just a fun narrative tool to propel the story along. According to producer Mary Livanos, the switcheroo might be part of a bigger multiversal problem, one that could eventually come into play in the upcoming Avengers movies.

The Marvels premieres in theaters on Nov. 10.