Ah, the Blip. First named in Spider-Man: Far from Home, the official moniker given to the eradication and return of half of Earth’s population is far cuter than it should be. But in WandaVision episode four, we get a far more horrific look at its impact. And with the true arrival of one of our favorite heroes, Monica Rambeau, we also get an inkling of how the MCU could solve one of its biggest problems going into the next phase: Mutants.
The super-freaky opening to the episode foreshadowed the horrors to come and reintroduced Monica Rambeau to the MCU. Last seen during Captain Marvel as a precocious little girl, Monica is now all grown up. And she was one of the billions of lifeforms who were snapped away by Thanos and his big golden glove. But now she’s back. Her cells reconfiguring as they emerged back from nonexistence. But things only got stranger from there, as Monica embarked on a cosmic-tinged adventure into Westview.
So what does any of this have to do with mutants?
Disney+
Fans have long questioned how the naturally-powered heroes would enter the MCU. For years, mutants were a non-option thanks to Marvel’s previous deals with Fox. But now that Disney has ownership of Fox and therefore the X-Men and their mutant mates, we know they’ll be headed to the MCU soon. Finding a way to explain the existence of a whole generation of heroes seems like it would be a big retcon.
But what if the Blip is the answer to that? What if the reason people begin to develop powers is because they were snapped away, and when they came back their cells had mutated? It’s not the prepubescent power surge that we know and love as mutant canon. But it would be a very easy way to introduce an entire new roster of heroes with “naturally occurring” powers.
So where does Monica Rambeau fit in?
Well, apart from the fact Teyonah Parris is amazing, the prominence of Monica’s reappearance and the intricate piecing together of her body got us thinking. In the comics, Monica’s powers allow her to manipulate energy and to “transform herself into any form of energy within the electromagnetic spectrum.” While we love a comics-accurate story, the reality is that Monica’s power origin was already repurposed for Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel. That means we need a new way for her to have her powers. And while being kicked out of a pocket reality filled with cosmic radiation seems like it could also be a reason, we think she might have had her powers before she entered Westview. COOL!
From what we see in episode four, Monica is the only person who can actually see the forcefield. And not only that, but she goes straight through it with no protective hazard suit, no secret underground infiltration, and after Jimmy Woo tells her he hasn’t been able to get in. It’s totally possible that Monica’s burgeoning powers are the reason she was able to perceive and easily enter the forcefield. Heck, if Wanda is controlling who’s coming in and out, maybe she sucked Monica in because she recognized another powerful person. We know that both Agatha and Dottie could be magic users who Wanda may or may not be syphoning power from. So if Monica did get her powers from the Blip, she is likely not the only one.
How many people could have powers?
Marvel Comics
While it’s doubtful that we’ll see half of the universe’s population develop powers, certain humans who were snapped could have come back with powers. The cosmic experience they were a part of will have irrevocably changed them. It really doesn’t take much suspension of disbelief to accept that some came back changed at a genetic level. These mutations could offer up a whole new spate of superheroes, which is a far more satisfying idea than a retcon about mutants being underground this whole time.
Even with the Multiverse entering into the Marvel equation, this seems like a far more realistic and grounded way to actually introduce mutants and eventually the X-Men. After all, if the MCU wants to introduce Charles Xavier as the fearless leader he is, wouldn’t it be interesting to see him come of age in a new age of mutants where thousands of people are coming to terms with their powers? This is, of course, just a theory. But it feels like a solid one. And one that we wouldn’t be surprised to see more of during this season of WandaVision. After all, now that we know who is at the center of the horrors of Westview, we’re going to need a hero to stop her. Why not Monica?
