It is very possible that the former Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, may be even more powerful than the current wearer of the mantle, Carol Danvers.
Captain Marvel isn’t just the title of one female powerhouse but two. Thanks to the recent trailer for The Marvels featuring a new face, the question of Marvel Vs Marvel now floats into the public eye. When it comes to comparing the two Captain Marvels, Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau, both have their own significant feats that stand out against one another. With simple things such as what type of energy they’re capable of using, to how many tons one can lift over the other, the Strongest Captain Marvel isn’t an easy title to grant.
Starting off with origin stories, both versions have their start in the military and gain their powers through bizarre means. Carol Danvers was born a half-Kree/Human hybrid who underwent accidental exposure to a device known as the Psyche-Magnitron. The powerful blast from Kree technology awakened her inherited powers, as it did to other Kree/Humanoids such as Minn-Erva or Captain Atlas, allowing her to transform psychic energy into a concussive force. It wasn’t long before she took up the name Ms. Marvel, before eventually coming into her own as Captain Marvel.
One Captain Marvel Has The Edge in Terms of Strength
Meanwhile, Monica’s origin is a little more on the extreme side. Having only been a Harbor Patrol officer, there was no way she’d ever make it into space as Carol did. Instead, space came to her as she was bombarded by artillery from an extradimensional super weapon. Rather than blowing her to smithereens, Monica’s latent abilities that she had suppressed since childhood awakened, allowing her to control the electromagnetic spectrum. Yet even with her innate abilities, her superhero title didn’t come easy. It took battling the likes of Elihas Starr, also known as the tiny dynamo Ant-Man’s villain Egghead, and extensive training by Tony Stark, for Monica to take up the mantle of Captain Marvel.
In terms of combat potential, Rambeau seems to outclass Danvers. Danvers can take in massive amounts of energy and use it quite well against some of the strongest combatants in Marvel. Captain Marvel #12 (by Kelly Thompson, Lee Garbett, and Mark Brooks) had her face down a hammer-less Thor Odinson and come out on top. Meanwhile, in Hulk #8 (by Jeph Loeb, Mark Paniccia, and Peter Steigerwald), she effortlessly knocked out the Grey Hulk Gangster Joe Fixit. However, it only took a single punch from Thanos to knock Carol out cold. Meanwhile, Monica has taken on many dimensional beings such as the Beyonder, as well as the Olympian Gods such as Zeus in Avengers #284 (by Roger Stern, Mark Gruenwald, and Al Milgrom).
Each of The Marvels Has Comparable Powers
Both Monica and Carol can travel at faster than light speed, with Monica being able to turn her body into ultraviolet light and Carol being able to blast herself through space with her energy. However, in terms of durability, both Marvels have their own way of surviving damage thrown at them. Carol can absorb most attacks, channeling the energy into her body before throwing it back in the form of her energy blasts. On the other hand, Monica can transform her body and become intangible, allowing attacks to phase right through her. Outside of combat, due to their natural abilities Carol and Monica also age at a slower rate.
Overall, the prospect of having two Captain Marvels begins to bring up questions of who is stronger. In terms of strengths, both have their own feats of grandeur and violence but Monica’s various bouts with Dimensional powerhouses outclass Carol’s battles against universal foes. In a test of speed, neither truly triumphs against the other thanks to both being able to take casual trips to the end of the universe and back to earth. Finally, when it comes to how much they can both handle neither of the Marvels can be taken out easily. That said, Monica can do a lot more in terms of handling damage thrown at her than Carol and likely would come out on top.
