The latest MCU release is officially in theaters and has flipped the script on its predecessor.
2019’s Captain Marvel was more popular with critics than audiences. In contrast, The Marvels, is proving to be well-liked among audiences but less so among critics. As audience members ourselves, we’re firmly in the “slightly uneven but very fun” camp when it comes to the late 2023 release.
The Marvels is a fun ride, regardless of how you feel about its leading woman, villain, or plot. It’s a worthy followup to Captain Marvel, and might truly be the better movie, thanks to its delightfully blended cast and intriguing — if rushed — premise. Its conclusion sets the stage for a slew of upcoming MCU releases, but anyone without a persistent eye on Marvel’s big-screen future might be left befuddled by those ending scenes.
There are technically two separate scenes that could be throwing viewers for a loop here, so let’s break them down one by one.
The Marvels ending
First, let’s get to the introduction of a team I’ve been championing for actual years. In the final moments of The Marvels we see a familiar purple-clad figure arrive home, only to be greeted by the one and only Kamala Khan. That figure, that dog, and those arrows belong to one Kate Bishop, Hawkeye’s mentor and one of the original members of the Young Avengers.
That’s right people, it’s happening. The Young Avengers were officially confirmed in that brief, charming scene between Kamala and Kate. Kamala, channeling Nick Fury, informs Kate that she’s putting together a team of youthful heroes, and asks Kate if she’d be interested in joining. Cassie Lang seems to be another impending recruit, and we can assume that several others — including America Chavez and Eli Bradley — will join them eventually.
The scene was short and sweet and, for those viewers who don’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of the Young Avengers, probably somewhat confusing. However, it’s also a fun homage to the original MCU post-credits scene between Tony Stark and Nick Fury and it’s setting up a future we’ve been waiting for since the very start.
The Marvels post-credits scene
Then we have what may be the most confusing moment in all of The Marvels — Monica’s final scene. Anyone who’s seen the film will recall that, in order to close a potentially universe-breaking rip in spacetime, Monica was forced to trap herself far, far from home. We were entirely unaware where she might end up, but we got a big clue in the film’s wrap-up.
Monica awakes in a hospital bed with none other than her mother by her side. Considering Maria Rambeau died several years back — while Monica was blipped, no less — it was an unexpected cameo. All the more unexpected is when Maria not only doesn’t recognize Monica, but also reveals herself to be decked out in an unfamiliar superhero outfit. The entrance of a big blue Beast is also a trip, but we’ve been waiting for the X-Men’s big debut for actual years at this point.
So, let’s zero in on Monica’s situation. She’s now trapped on one side of a sealed rift in spacetime, in a universe in which her mother is not her mother but is a superhero. Not Captain Marvel, like she was in Multiverse of Madness, but Binary, a different identity taken on by Carol Danvers in Marvel comics. This time, that identity belongs to Maria Rambeau.
Then there’s Frasier Beast. He looked a little overly CGI’d, but I’ve been waiting so long to greet that big fuzzy face that it’s hard to be mad. Beast reveals, in his brief time on screen, that Monica and her new friends exist in an alternate universe to Earth-616.
That leaves us with Monica, alive and well but trapped in another plane, alongside one of the most highly-anticipated teams in the entire MCU. She’s a long distance from the other team that was introduced in The Marvels, but — considering Kamala’s status as a mutant — it feels like an eventual collision of worlds is inevitable.
