The Marvels: Who is Binary?

❘ Published: 2023-11-10T11:20:15

Marvel Studios

Though it comes as no surprise, The Marvels is full of details and Easter eggs not to be missed – with a huge one arriving in the form of comic character Binary.

The film’s synopsis reads: “Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. However, unintended consequences see her shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with two other superheroes to form the Marvels.”

While fans see plenty of Captain Marvel in the latest MCU installment, there are hints in the movie that there may be more sides to her character than meets the eye.

Here’s a full rundown of who Binary is the original Marvel comics and how they are introduced in The Marvels. Warning – spoilers ahead!

Binary’s reveal in The Marvels

The introduction of Binary in The Marvels comes in the form of a post-credits scene centering Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), who is now trapped in a multiverse that’s not her own after helping to defeat Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton).

The Marvels post-credits scene begins with Monica Rambeau waking up in a kind of lab, with a younger version of her mother Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) lying by her bed.

She calls out “mom” three times, then says “I’ve missed you so much. I’m so sorry.” Maria touches her mother’s face, and Maria just looks confused.

A blue figure asks about their “mysterious visitor,” and Maria says that she seems a little disoriented. Monica asks where she is and what happened, and then we get the big reveal, as the blue figure turns, and it’s Hank McCoy/Beast – as played by Kelsey Grammar – from the X-Men movies.

“We were hoping you could tell us” Beast says, stating that “Binary”, aka Maria as this universe’s version of the hero, found her, then hypothesizing that Monica has crossed through a tear in space-time. “You are now in a reality parallel to your own, which is of course impossible,” he says.

Maria asks about her confusion, to which Beast responds somewhat cryptically: “Confusion is but the first step on the journey to knowledge.” Maria says she’ll take it from there. Though Beast states that Charles – meaning Charles Xavier/Professor X – asked for an update. At which point he leaves, stating he’ll check on them later.

The camera pulls back to reveal an ‘X’ on the giant door that Beast departs through, just as Maria asks: “Who are you?” And Monica responds with “Oh sh*t.”

If Binary will soon be confirmed in the MCU remains to be seen – but one thing we do know for sure is that the X-Men are only just getting started.

Binary in Marvel Comics explained

Binary in Marvel Comics is actually another identity of Carol Danvers, and the road it took her to get there is certainly a long one. It starts with an encounter with Rogue, who at the time was a mutant terrorist.

Rogue’s ability to drain powers had a cataclysmic interaction with Carol’s unique physiology, resulting in Rogue stealing her powers, while the powerless Carol was rendered an amnesiac. Carol gets her memories back with help from Professor Xavier, but he cannot restore her emotional connections to the memories.

An evolution of her powers made Carol more powerful than ever, leading to her Binary identity.

With nowhere else to go, Carol remains with the X-Men. During an adventure in space, the latent, altered genes that fueled her original powers are reactivated, stronger than ever. This unlocks a new form, allowing Carol to channel vast cosmic powers. She adopts the identity Binary but leaves the X-Men, eager to finally explore space.

Carol spends years in space, mainly fighting alongside the Starjammers and occasionally popping up for stories. Carol eventually loses her Binary powers, though her original Kree-enhanced powers remain, leading to her return to The Avengers.

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