Monica Rambeau is a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics' universe, who has been a member of the Avengers under the aliases Captain Marvel and Photon. She was created by Roger Stern and John Romita, Jr. in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16 (1982). Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Publishing, Inc. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to first comic book to feature a character. ... The Amazing Spider-Man is the title of both a comic book published by Marvel Comics and a daily newspaper comic strip. ... The Hobgoblin character co-created by Stern. ... John Romita Jr. ... The Avengers is an elite fictional comic book superhero team in the Marvel Universe. ... Nextwave is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics, that debuted in 2006 and was cancelled after issue #12,[1] which was published in February 2007. ... The Avengers is an elite fictional comic book superhero team in the Marvel Universe. ... Captain Marvel is the name of several unique fictional Marvel Comics superheros. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... [[ For the bands, see Superheroes (band) and Super Heroines. ... Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Publishing, Inc. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... The Avengers is an elite fictional comic book superhero team in the Marvel Universe. ... The Hobgoblin character co-created by Stern. ... John Romita Jr. ... The Amazing Spider-Man is the title of both a comic book published by Marvel Comics and a daily newspaper comic strip. ...

Fictional character biography

Monica Rambeau has always been devoted to serving and protecting the public, both as herself and in her various costumed guises. Before she became one of the brightest stars in the age of marvels, Monica Rambeau was a dedicated lieutenant in the New Orleans harbor patrol, partnered with the daring John Audain. Monica's life changed when old Rambeau family friend Professor Andre LeClare came to her for help; he had developed an other-dimensional energy-tapping device with financial support from South American dictator Ernesto Ramirez, who intended to use LeClare's technology to create incredibly dangerous weapons. Ramirez had already begun adapting the technology for his own purposes with the aid of scientist Felipe Picaro, but LeClare and Rambeau joined forces to destroy Picaro's prototype. In the process, Rambeau was bombarded by the device's extra-dimensional energies and gained the power to convert her own body into energy and back again at will. LeClare urged her to use this power as a crimefighter, and she left the harbor patrol to become a full-time adventurer. Dubbed Captain Marvel by the media, Rambeau sought out the Avengers for help in mastering her new powers and became a member-in-training of their group. Befriended and mentored by Avengers veterans Captain America and the Wasp, Monica soon graduated to full membership, serving a lengthy stint during which she became one of the team's most valuable and respected members. One early complication was the memory of an earlier Captain Marvel, the legendary alien warrior Mar-Vell, a deceased honorary member of the Avengers. Rambeau felt awkward about inheriting his title after she learned of his existence, but she retained the name since the Avengers and others regarded her as a worthy heir to Mar-Vell's heroic legacy. Another new Avengers recruit, Mar-Vell's close friend Starfox (Eros), disapproved of Monica using the Captain Marvel name at first; but even he was soon impressed by Monica's character and ability, giving her his blessing and saluting the new Captain Marvel.

As an Avenger, Monica faced foes such as Maximus, the Enclave, Annihilus, the Lava Men (who mistook her for the divine Lady-of-Light of their legends), Morgan Le Fay, the Dire Wraiths, Maelstrom, the Skrulls, Kang, Attuma, Freedom Force, an insane Quicksilver, Tyrak, and Grandmaster's Legion of the Unliving, even battling an army of Earth's major super-criminals during the Beyonder's Secret Wars alongside many of Earth's foremost heroes. Two of Monica's earliest recurring enemies were super-powered psychiatrist Moonstone (Karla Sofen), who became one of Monica's bitterest foes, and Moonstone's powerful pawn Blackout (Marcus Daniels), who wielded the eerie Darkforce. Captain Marvel first encountered them when the Avengers opposed the duo's escape from incarceration in Project: PEGASUS. The pair would later return as members of Baron (Helmut) Zemo's Masters of Evil, participating in an occupation of Avengers Mansion and trapping Monica in the Darkforce dimension; but Captain Marvel escaped in time to help retake the Mansion during a series of skirmishes that left Moonstone temporarily crippled and Blackout dead. Another of Monica's major early foes was the murderous interstellar pirate Nebula, who shanghaied Monica into space for an extended period before she was reunited with the Avengers; but while Monica's adventures spanned space and time, she remained one of the most down-to-Earth Avengers. Her powers allowed her to make frequent visits to her native New Orleans, where she maintained a close and loving relationship with her parents. She even started a charter fishing business, eventually working on the water alongside her father, a retired firefighter and Monica's original heroic inspiration. When an exhausted Wasp stepped down as Avengers chairwoman, Captain America nominated Captain Marvel to replace her as team leader. Though she was overwhelmed at the prospect, Monica accepted the post and filled it quite capably at first, even seeing the team through a conflict with the Olympian gods; however, Monica became increasingly uneasy in her new role, a situation made worse after ambitious new recruit Doctor Druid began undermining her leadership. Finally, when honorary Avengers member Marrina transformed into the gigantic sea monster Leviathan, Captain Marvel led the hunt for the creature; during the battle that followed, Monica made contact with sea water while in her electrical form and accidentally conducted herself across the surface of the ocean, depleting her energies so gravely and dispersing her atoms so widely that she could barely regain physical form, emerging as a frail, withered husk of a woman devoid of super-powers. Forced to retire from the team, Monica fought her way back to health and eventually regained her powers, though in a reduced and altered form that allowed her to surround herself with a manipulable energy field. She resumed crimefighting, facing foes such as Brazilian crimelord Kristina Ramos, Moonstone, Powderkeg, the Sons of the Serpent, the Blue Marvel and the alien Starblasters. At the same time, she served as a cargo ship captain in her friend Ron Morgan's shipping company before starting her own charter business. Her original powers gradually regenerated, fully returning after the alien Stranger helpfully accelerated the process.

Monica has yet to return to the full-time Avengers roster, but has stayed connected with the team and served often as a reservist, sometimes assuming leadership duties in the absence of the current chair. She helped repel an Atlantean invasion, opposed the Acts of Vengeance conspiracy, chaired a reserve substitute roster during the team's first United Nations-backed reorganization, led an Avengers delegation to the Shi'ar empire during the Kree-Shi'ar war, played a key role in overthrowing the alternate reality tyranny of Morgan le Fay (Monica being one of only a few heroes whose sense of Avengers spirit was strong enough to overcome Morgan's mind-warping magic), battled the Wrecking Crew, advised troubled new recruit Triathlon, led an ad hoc squad of Avengers in saving the galaxy from relocation by the Infinites, helped contain Bloodwraith, fought Lord Templar & Pagan, faced the Triple-Evil, helped liberate Earth from the forces of Kang, battled The Order, assisted during the Scorpio crisis, and was one of many Avengers who confronted an insane Scarlet Witch. Rambeau also helped staff the Avengers' deep space monitoring station in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, being one of the few Avengers who could commute there with ease. For a time, Monica's mother was intercepting her Avengers calls since she feared for her daughter's safety and wanted Monica to spend more time with her ailing father, but Monica soon put a stop to her mother's meddling. Whether she will work with the newly reorganized Avengers at some point remains to be seen. When the late Mar-Vell's offspring Genis became an adventurer, he soon became known as Captain Marvel like his father before him-which Monica resented at first. After she and Genis teamed up to defeat the Controller, Genis tried to concede the Captain Marvel title to Monica since he felt she was more worthy of it; but Monica declined out of respect for the Mar-Vell legacy, impulsively adopting a new costumed alias as Photon. More recently, Genis-physically and mentally transformed after a near-death experience and wanting to establish a new identity for himself distinct from his father-started calling himself Photon. Monica confronted him, tensely at first, but the two Photons ended up brainstorming super-hero names over coffee. Neither one of them wanted to become Captain Marvel again given all the baggage associated with the name, but Monica decided to let Genis keep the Photon alias after she came up with a name she liked better: Pulsar. A hero by any name, Monica remains one of the most formidable adventurers of her generation. .

Nextwave

Monica Rambeau character design, for the comic book Nextwave. Art by Stuart Immonen.

In the comic book series Nextwave by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen, Rambeau leads the Nextwave team, part of the Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort (H.A.T.E.). Nextwave fights Unusual Weapons of Mass Destruction created by the Beyond Corporation©. In Nextwave, Rambeau annoys her teammates by repeatedly bringing up her experiences leading the Avengers, and she shouts the names of her energy attacks.It was also revealed in Nextwave that she blasted a dog when she was a child. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (540x1115, 119 KB) Summary Featured in this sketch is Monica Rambeau, artwork by Stuart Immonen. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (540x1115, 119 KB) Summary Featured in this sketch is Monica Rambeau, artwork by Stuart Immonen. ... Nextwave is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics, that debuted in 2006 and was cancelled after issue #12,[1] which was published in February 2007. ... Stuart Immonen is a comic book artist. ... Nextwave is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics, that debuted in 2006 and was cancelled after issue #12,[1] which was published in February 2007. ... Warren Ellis Warren Girade Ellis (born February 16, 1968) is a British author of comic books and graphic novels, well known for his acerbic personality and sociocultural commentaries, both through his online presence and his writing. ... Stuart Immonen is a comic book artist. ... The Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort, better known by its acronym H.A.T.E., is one of two antagonistic organizations in Marvel Comics Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E., a series created by Warren Ellis. ... The Beyond Corporation© is a fictional multinational corporation that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. ...

Despite the appearance of Nextwave characters in other Marvel titles, in 2006 Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada stated that Nextwave's setting was in an universe separate from the main Marvel continuity ^[1], but this may have changed as the entire team appears together in solicitations for the Initiative. Quesada at the February 7, 2007 midnight signing of The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born at Midtown Comics Times Square, New York. ...

Civil War/The Initiative

In the "Civil War" crossover, Rambeau is a member of Captain America's Secret Avengers. Monica has been identified as one of the 142 registered superheroes who appear on the solicited cover of the comic book Avengers: The Initiative^[2]. Civil War is a Marvel Comics summer 2006 crossover event, based around a core limited series of the same name written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven. ... ... Captain America, the alter ego of Steve Rogers,[2] is a fictional comic-book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Civil War is Marvel Comics summer 2006 crossover event, with a core limited series of the same name written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 775 × 600 pixels Full resolution (800 × 619 pixel, file size: 205 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Avengers: The Initiative #1 Front to back, right to left: (please fill in remaining with the correct wikilinks!) Iron Man Ms. ...

Powers and abilities

Pulsar can transform herself into any form of energy within the electromagnetic spectrum. Among the many energy forms she has assumed are cosmic rays, gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet radiation, visible light, electricity, infrared radiation, microwaves, radio waves and neutrinos. She is invisible and intangible in many of her energy forms (the most frequent exception being visible light), and is capable of flight in all her energy forms (reaching velocities up to and including light speed). She also has the ability to project these energies from her body while she is in human form, usually in the form of energy blasts from her hands; a variation of this ability enables her to project light-based holographic illusions. When she encounters a new or unfamiliar energy, Pulsar can often duplicate it given enough time for analysis, such as when she replicated and drained the verdant will-powered energies of an extra-dimensional emerald gladiator. Pulsar tends to be physically insubstantial in her energy forms, though with concentration and effort she can sometimes perform tasks such as briefly grasping an object, either by partially solidifying or by applying some sort of force to the object in question.

Abilities Monica has strong leadership skills and law enforcement experience. She is an excellent markswoman, unarmed combatant, detective and swimmer with extensive nautical expertise.

Alternate Versions

MC2

Although Monica Rambeau has never appeared in Marvel Comics' future-era MC2 line, the comics feature her daughter (with Duane Freeman) Blacklight, who first appears in A-Next #9.[1] Characters from the MC2 universe. ... Blacklight, is a fictional character who appeared in the Marvel Comics MC2 series A-Next. ... // A-Next is the Marvel Comics MC2 Universe version of the Avengers. ...

References