Marvel Spoiled WandaVision Plans for Monica Rambeau Debut

Early on in WandaVision's development, when Marvel Studios first started making announcements to fans about the project, it was revealed that the show would feature Teyonah Parris as a grown-up Monica Rambeau. The inclusion of the character was certainly exciting for the Marvel faithful, and everyone looked forward to how she would bring the character to life, but it actually spoiled a major story reveal for the WandaVision creative team. Monica was originally written to be a surprise.

According to showrunner Jac Schaeffer, the original intention for Monica was for her identity to be revealed in the actual show. In the Hex, Parris plays the character of Geraldine. We were supposed to think that was all there was to the character, until the end of the third episode when it was revealed that her real name is Monica Rambeau. That surprise went out the window when Marvel announced the casting.

"Yeah, Teyonah [as Monica Rambeau] was announced at Comic-Con 2019, I think, and I'm pretty sure we were breaking the outlines and writing as though it would be a surprise," Schaeffer told THR. "But Marvel and Disney have incredible strategy when it comes to the PR side of things. They're so smart, and they know how much to give and how much to hold back. So when that dropped, the jig was up. In the linear watch of the show, when she first appears, she's referred to as Geraldine. So it ended up being the opposite of what we intended, and people were like, 'Geraldine? But she's Monica Rambeau!' So that ended up being a fun reversal."

We all knew going into WandaVision who Teyonah Parris was playing, but it didn't take away from the fun of seeing Monica Rambeau exit the hex and achieve her own origin story. That story will continue in Captain Marvel 2, which was set up in one of WandaVision's credit tags.

"What I will say is that the people who are involved in making Captain Marvel 2 are terrific storytellers, and Teyonah is an incredible guardian for this character," Schaeffer added. "So I have absolute faith that there will be a lot of unpacking of feelings in Captain Marvel 2, and I look forward to it."

What did you think of Monica's origin story in WandaVision? Let us know in the comments!