Five plot twists that can turn Captain Marvel upside down
Quantum Realm Powers
How does Carol Danvers get her Captain Marvel powers? The trailers suggest that they are the result of alien experiments. This might be the case, but what if the source of her power is something that MCU fans are already familiar with? Fans theorize that Carol’s powers come from the Quantum Realm — the micro-dimension that appears in Ant-Man.
Think back to Ant-Man and the Wasp. At the end of that film, Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) reveals that she somehow acquired superpowers after getting stranded in the Quantum Realm for decades. The film’s antagonist, Ghost, also gets powers from interacting with Quantum energy.
What if the experiments that Carol is subjected to are for studying the Quantum Realm? This plot twist would accomplish two things: it would subvert expectations by drastically changing Captain Marvel’s origin story, and — even more shocking — it would make Ant-Man and the Wasp relevant! ScreenRant explains this theory in-depth, but it mostly revolves around small connections between Captain Marvel and the Ant-Man films.
Janet Van Dyne warns Scott Lang about getting stuck in a “time vortex” at the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp. While that line hasn’t been explained, Samuel L. Jackson revealed that Captain Marvel can time travel in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. A tenuous connection at best, but Quantum Realm powers might explain this ability.
There is even precedent for this in the comics. Marvel superhero Quasar uses “Nega-Bands” as weapons — gauntlets that draw energy from the “Quantum Zone” (which is different from the Quantum Realm, apparently, but bear with us). Jude Law’s character wears weaponized gauntlets unique to him, as seen in the marketing material. It’s possible that Marvel is combining these concepts for the MCU. Could the Kree be using Quantum Realm technology but require further research? This would explain the experiments on Carol.
These might sound like superhero conspiracy theories, but Quantum Realm powers would explain a lot, wouldn’t they?