Captain Marvel Theory: Binary Powers Are Why Carol Is So Overpowered

The Captain Marvel trailer introduces Carol Danvers' Binary powers - perhaps explaining why she's the most powerful hero in the MCU. As eagle-eyed fans have noticed, the trailer includes the moment where Carol Danvers receives her Kree powers, but may also show off Carol's transformation into Binary, an identity used by the comic book version of the character in the 1980s and the early 1990s.

The teaser trailer Marvel's next film, Captain Marvel, shows Brie Larson in costume as the superpowered heroine and introduces viewers to younger versions of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg). Most importantly, though, the trailer gives fans a close look at Captain Marvel as she demonstrates some of her abilities.

The trailer drops plenty of hints on what the upcoming film has in store for Carol Danvers, with a scene at the end indicates that the character may gain a serious upgrade at some point in the film. This new power is rooted in the comics, and could be a key factor in what makes Captain Marvel strong enough to move planets.

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Captain Marvel's Binary Powers Explained

In the comics, Carol Danvers left her career as a superhero behind her after her powers and memories were stolen by Rogue. Though her memories were restored by Professor X, her abilities remained lost. Carol remained a normal human being until she was experimented on by the alien species known as the Brood. The Brood's evolutionary ray unlocked Carol's true potential and gave her access to a new set of powers.

As "Binary", Carol was able to tap into the power of a white hole, allowing her to utilize all types of energy on the electromagnetic spectrum. She could move at the speed of light, breathe in space, and control gravity to a limited degree. Carol no longer had any need for her old powers, as her "Binary" abilities gifted her with superhuman strength that far exceeded what she could do in the past.

Carol has since lost these abilities. Later stories have shown that Carol still has them inside her, but they only emerge on rare occasions.

Does Captain Marvel Become Binary in the Trailer?

At the end of the Captain Marvel trailer, Captain Marvel's body begins to radiate with energy and her eyes begin to glow; her change in appearance indicates a massive increase in power. The look has a lot in common with Carol's Binary form. In the comic books, Binary originally had red skin, glowing yellow eyes, and fiery hair. In later years, Carol's skin would remain the same during the transformation, and only her eyes and hair would go through any physical changes. With her hair glowing yellow, Brie Laron's look in this scene does seem to borrow heavily from her comic book transformation into Binary. If this is what we're seeing, then the MCU's Captain Marvel may be set to receive a sizable upgrade.

This idea is supported by another scene in the trailer where Carol is hooked up to a machine, which bears some resemblance to the machine the Brood used on her. While it's unlikely that the movie can adapt the Brood since their rights may belong to Fox, the story of Carol becoming Binary could unfold in a completely original way.

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When Does Captain Marvel Become Binary?

It's been established that Captain Marvel isn't an origin story; the character will have her powers at the start of the film as a member of Starforce. However, this doesn't mean that Carol will have already reached her peak in terms of power when we meet her. Indeed, it's not clear from the trailer where in the movie the scene will take place, although story logic makes it more likely to happen in the finale, when Captain Marvel fights the movie's main villain.

The transformation could come at a dramatic moment where Captain Marvel is on the verge of defeat at the hands of a much stronger opponent. If so, the scene could be similar to Thor's final showdown with Hela in Thor: Ragnarok. At the end of the movie, Thor unleashed the full power of the God of Thunder and managed to defeat Hela. Considering that was the end of an arc for a character who'd already earned their powers, it would be a fitting parallel. However, the plot of this particular movie is deeper than that...

Is Binary How Captain Marvel Loses Her Memories?

Receiving a major boost in power could have a tremendous impact on Carol, possibly explaining either her amnesia at the heart of the film or even explain why she's been absent from the present-day MCU thus far.

The Captain Marvel film could draw from the X-Men story that saw Carol become Binary for the first time. When Professor X gave Carol her memories back, it was discovered that he was unable to restore her emotional connections to the people and places in her memories. So when Carol became Binary and gained the ability to travel in space, she had nothing holding her back. If something similar were to happen to Carol in the movie, it would explain why she's no longer on Earth.

Alternatively, the movie could explore a more recent storyline from the comics where Carol's extreme use of her Binary powers caused her to lose her memories due to an extra brain lobe, leading to her being manipulated by Kree villain Yon-Rogg. The movie is already taking liberally from the Kelly Sue DeConnick run from the early 2010s, so this key aspect would fit: Carol loses her memories using her Binary powers, making her true strength a potential weakness.

Is This Why The MCU Captain Marvel Is So Overpowered?

Captain Marvel has been repeatedly described by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige as the strongest hero in the MCU with a power level that's "off the charts". According to Feige, Captain Marvel is the most powerful character to appear in the MCU, which is saying a lot considering that she exists in the same universe as powerhouses like Thor and the Hulk. In fact, Feige says that Captain Marvel will help change "the balance of power" in Avengers 4 as the heroes battle Thanos for the second time.

As exciting as that sounds, there definitely seems to be a notable difference in power levels between the MCU and comic book versions of Carol Danvers. In the comics, Carol is a force to be reckoned with but not so utterly trouncing of the Marvel Universe's juggernauts. This Binary power, something that in her debut film proves to be as problematic as it is useful, could be a good way of explaining that while avoid making her too extreme. We'll find out the truth in 2019 with Carol's first two MCU appearances in Captain Marvel and Avengers 4.