Captain Marvel 2 Should Introduce The EVIL Ms. Marvel

Captain Marvel 2 should introduce Karla Sofen, the villainous Moonstone – aka the evil Ms. Marvel. Carol Danvers made her official MCU debut in 2019’s Captain Marvel, taking to the skies and soating higher, further, and faster than any previous MCU female superheroes. Marvel Studios has recently confirmed a sequel, currently scheduled to release on July 8, 2022.

Oddly enough, Captain Marvel’s power set means this will be a particularly challenging movie for Marvel. Carol’s Tesseract-induced powers were diminished for much of Captain Marvel, courtesy of Kree inhibitor technology. But when she broke out of the Astralscape, Captain Marvel unlocked her Binary powers. She’s now one of the single most powerful heroes in the MCU, able to punch through spaceships with effortless ease. In Avengers: Endgame, she was able to grapple with Thanos, and he literally had to punch her with the Power Stone in order to knock her down.

This causes a major risk of what can be called “power creep.” In gaming, this refers to a flawed game mechanic where every release introduces more powerful content than the last one. The stakes always have to be increasing, because the heroes are powerful enough to dismiss old threats with a wave of their hands. Given Captain Marvel could literally beat up Thanos, there’s a real risk this will become a problem in the MCU going forward. Fortunately, there is a solution – Moonstone, the evil Ms. Marvel.

Who Is Moonstone, The Evil Ms. Marvel?

Moonstone is one of Marvel’s most sinister villains. Karla Sofen grew up in the shadow of wealth and privilege, overwhelmed with envy for those who had more power and money than she did. Karla learned how to manipulate others to her own end, and developed something of a sociopathic sense of humor. She trained as a psychologist, and then used her talents for manipulation to ensure her patients could never recover. With one man, for example, she encouraged the breakdown of his marriage by calling round at his house when he was out, encouraging his wife to believe he was having an affair. Karla’s schemes became ever more destructive and dangerous, and she even goaded patients into committing suicide.

Karla successfully absorbed a powerful crystal called the Moonstone into herself. Originating from the Blue Area of the Moon, this granted Karla tremendous powers. She became one of Earth’s most potent energy manipulators, possessed of superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and reflexes. Dubbing herself Moonstone, Karla soon found herself going toe-to-toe with powerhouse superheroes like the Hulk. Moonstone became one of Marvel’s classic villains, known for her manipulative skills as well as her powers. She became a member of the Thunderbolts, a group of ex-villains who were pretending to be heroes in order to achieve their own goals; while some of the Thunderbolts were actually redeemed due to their involvement with this program, Karla simply enjoyed the thrill of deception.

Moving into the 2000s, Moonstone gradually transitioned to become one of Carol Danvers’ greatest, and most dangerous, enemies. When Norman Osborn formed his Dark Avengers, he appointed Karla as his evil “Ms. Marvel,” and soon Karla and Carol Danvers were locked in a vendetta that escalated to terrifying levels. At one point, a brawl between the two threatened the entire city of Los Angeles, as they crashed through syscrapers and their power-bursts caused city blocks to lose power. It was easily reminiscent of the battle between Superman and Zod in Man of Steel, giving an idea of the power level these two operate on.

Why Moonstone Is Perfect For The MCU

The MCU has always enjoyed using twisted, mirror-image villains who can match the heroes blow-for-blow. It’s true this has become a little formulaic, but Karla Sofen is different and distinctive enough to avoid that trap. The MCU’s Captain Marvel is, in truth, unused to enemies who can match her power; notice the contemptuous ease with which she beat Yon-Rogg in Captain Marvel. Moonstone would be a real shock for Carol – not least because of the way the Moonstone operates. While Moonstone quite enjoys the thrill of physical conflict, she also quite likes to toy with her enemies like a cat with a mouse, pushing them to the brink of self-destruction. It’s not hard to imagine a scenario where Moonstone isolated Carol from any friends, twisting and breaking her until she barely retained any sense of self-control.

Moonstone has the ability to absorb energy into herself, and this could make her very dangerous indeed to Captain Marvel. It’s entirely possible Karla would be able to absorb the Tesseract power burning inside Carol’s body, draining her and leaving her weakened. Imagine a scenario where Carol Danvers was reduced to the power levels she operated under in the first two-thirds of Captain Marvel, and was hunted by an opponent who possessed the raw power that was once her own. Fortunately, this ability works both ways, and in the end Carol could discover she can absorb Moonstone’s powers as well. In the comics, this even allowed Captain Marvel to pull the Moonstone out of Karla’s body, stripping her of her abilities. The interplay between the two would be stunning, as each tried to get the measure of the other.

Moonstone Would Set Up The Future Of The MCU

It’s generally believed Marvel Studios is working on a Thunderbolts/Dark Avengers movie. Certainly several key members of these teams have been introduced into the MCU, most notably Baron Zemo and Ghost. The former is particularly interesting, because he served as the main villain in Captain America: Civil War and is returning in the upcoming Falcon & Winter Soldier series. Thunderbolt Ross has also been positioned in a place of prominence in the MCU after Captain America: Civil War, and his story appears to continuing in Black Widow. Ross, too, is strongly associated with the Thunderbolts, forming one iteration and serving as part of the team as the Red Hulk. Back in October 2018, there were rumors Marvel had commissioned a Dark Avengers script; there have since been constant rumors, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to find one of these projects is in the works.

Moonstone – the evil Captain Marvel – would be a crucial step along the journey to these projects. Karla is one of the most iconic Thunderbolts, a member of almost every version of the team, and her power levels would turn them into a real force to be reckoned with. Not only would Karla Sofen be perfect for Captain Marvel 2, her introduction would help set up the MCU’s future as well.

About The Author

Thomas Bacon
(4894 Articles Published)

Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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