This Major Cameo in ‘The Marvels’ Is Actually a Familiar Character in Marvel Comics

The Marvels has finally arrived in theaters after a series of delays, and, as with any Marvel Cinematic Universe film, it came with a few notable cameos. The most significant of which happens during the mid-credits scene, which features a comic book character with ties to the X-Men.

Spoilers for The Marvels ahead!

The Marvels sees Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) reluctantly team up with Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) when their powers become entangled. Although Danvers is accustomed to working alone and isn’t on the best terms with Rambeau, the trio ultimately find they function quite well together as a unit, and set out to prevent Kree revolutionary Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton) from destroying planets in her quest to restore her own home planet, Hala.

Unfortunately, the ending of The Marvels isn’t a completely happy one. During the trio’s final battle with Dar-Benn, the villain rips a hole in the very fabric of space and time. Through the hole, an alternate reality exists and threatens to leak into their world. To save the universe, Rambeau uses her light energy manipulation powers to close the hole. However, in doing so, she gets trapped in the alternate reality, with no way for Danvers or Khan to reach her. Rambeau is very much alive, though. In The Marvels post-credits scene, she wakes up in a hospital in the alternate reality and is stunned to see her mother, Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch), beside her.

The only problem is that Maria isn’t her mom in this reality—she’s Binary.

Who is Binary in Marvel Comics?

In The Marvels, it appears that Binary is a variant of Maria Rambeau in the MCU. However, her origins in the comics are quite different. In the comics, Binary isn’t from an alternate reality or a variant. Instead, she is Carol Danvers.

Binary arose during a point in Danvers’ history when she had been depowered by Rogue and parted with the Ms. Marvel moniker. Meanwhile, she also started working with the X-Men. On one of their missions, Danvers was abducted by the alien race known as the Brood, who experimented on her. Due to her unique human/Kree genetic makeup, the experimentation had an odd effect—it allowed her to harness the power of a white hole and turned her into an extremely powerful figure engulfed in flames and emitting a golden hue. Danvers’ superhuman strength and energy manipulation powers are much stronger in her Binary form. Additionally, in this state, she can generate heat, light, and radiation, control gravity, and travel at the speed of light. It’s not surprising she remained in this form while continuing to work alongside the X-Men.

Eventually, Danvers lost her Binary abilities and reverted back to her original powers. However, Binary would appear again in later comic books. When Danvers gets captured by Vox Supreme, she uses her powers to shape energy into a duplicate of herself and has her duplicate free her. The duplicate later becomes sentient and takes on the moniker Binary in reference to Danvers’ previous alias. While Binary also fought alongside the X-Men, the being ultimately met a quick demise at the hands of the Empress.

Why is Binary in The Marvels?

Unfortunately, Binary’s comic book history doesn’t do a whole lot to explain the hero’s cameo in The Marvels. While it’s evident that Rambeau is Binary in this reality and working with the X-Men, we don’t get to see the nature of her powers. She certainly has the Binary suit, but doesn’t have the golden hue and enflamed body that Danvers’ Binary form had. It’s safe to say she’s not the duplicate version of Binary since she’s able to speak. But we don’t know how she became Binary or if she was Ms. Marvel or Captain Marvel before becoming Binary.

What the cameo does achieve, though, is getting another version of Lynch’s Rambeau into the MCU and introducing a mutant tie-in. When we see Binary, she’s in what appears to be the hospital wing of the X-Mansion, along with Kelsey Grammer’s Beast. Even though we don’t know Binary’s powers or backstory in the MCU, her appearance does pave the way for the X-Men to enter the MCU and teases she’ll be a part of the team. With Deadpool 3 next up on the MCU’s roster and featuring mutants, Binary could make another appearance soon.

(featured image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)