Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Marvels.
One of the biggest mysteries established in the MCU’s Phase Four was the location of the second bangle, the twin to the fabulous accessory worn by Kamala Khan that catalyzes her powers in Ms. Marvel. In the Disney Plus show, New Jersey teen Kamala becomes the superhero she’s always dreamed of being when she inherits her grandmother’s bangle, which kickstarts her mutant (not Inhuman) genes.
Throughout the six episodes of Ms. Marvel we discovered that the bangle was sought after by the Clandestines, a race of djinn-like beings from the Noor Dimension who were trying to use the artifact to open a door in reality to return home (and, you know, destroy the Earth too). We also learned that there was a second bangle out there somewhere, but its location was never revealed in the show itself.
A year and a half on from Ms. Marvel‘s conclusion, though, Marvel finally offered up the goods on the second bangle, with The Marvels revealing all we need to know about its origins, location and powers.
Who has the second bangle in the MCU?
Ms. Marvel featured many clues as to where the second bangle might have ended up. In a flashback, we learned that Kamala’s own bangle had been discovered in a Ten Rings temple raided by the British, found on the disembodied arm of a Kree. This spawned various theories that Shang-Chi‘s Xialing could have it, or perhaps Eternals‘ Sersi or Moon Knight‘s Steven Grant might be looking after it at their respective British museums.
As it happens, the Kree clue was the most important one as The Marvels reveals that the evil Kree radical Dar-Benn has got her mitts on the second bangle, tracking it down to the remote, barren planet designated MB-418. When Kamala learns about its discovery, she admits that while she was desperate to find the other bangle she didn’t think it would be in space. That makes all of us, Kamala.
What is the second bangle used for in The Marvels?
It’s a shame Kamala and Carol Danvers didn’t become besties sooner as it turns out Captain Marvel knows all about the bangles. Although Ms. Marvel led us to believe they originated in the Noor Dimension along with the Clandestines, Carol reveals that the bangles are actually called Quantum Bands, ancient Kree artifacts of legend that use colossal amounts of energy to open dimensional gateways known as Jump-Points, the network of wormholes that the Kree use to hop around space.
Vengeful after the downfall of the Kree empire, with her homeworld Hala on its last legs, Dar-Benn takes to using her bangle — or Quantum Band — to suck the atmosphere from the Skrull colony planet of Tarnax, the oceans from Aladna, and the sun from Earth and funnel them through Jump Points to reinvigorate Hala. However, once she gets both Quantum Bands, Dar-Benn goes truly power mad. Overwhelmed by the combined energy of both bangles she is atomized and opens a tear in space/time to another reality (but that’s a whole other story).
Who has the second bangle now?
With Dar-Benn destroyed, Kamala is entrusted with both Quantum Bands. It’s unclear exactly how Ms. Marvel can withstand the power of both bangles when Dar-Benn couldn’t, but perhaps it’s due to her own mutant genes or else because she had successfully bonded with one bangle for longer than the Kree villain did prior to donning the second.
In any case, Kamala now sports two of the most powerful objects in the MCU’s cosmos on her wrists. These will either cause her a whole lot of problems with settling back into a normal life in a Ms. Marvel season 2 or else come in very handy in saving the day with her new Young Avengers teammates.
