Maria Rambeau, Carol's best friend before she lost her memories.
After leaving Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., Carol didn't seek out 'Martian Manhunter' to restore her past. Instead, she made a different choice: to meet Maria as she was now, a person with no memory of her old life, and decide what to do next from there.
And it turned out to be the right decision.
Maria had her own piece of the story from the day Carol disappeared. She shared everything she knew, giving Carol a clearer picture of the past and helping her slowly piece together what was lost.
"When I got to the hangar, Lawson looked restless. She said she wanted to save more lives, but you… you said…"
Hearing those words, something clicked inside Carol. The next part of the sentence felt like it was already etched into her heart, waiting to be spoken.
"If there were lives at stake, I would fly the plane."
Even without her memories, Carol was still Carol. Her heart and her instincts hadn't changed.
But Maria's face still held a trace of sadness.
"I'm not upset about Lawson, or the fact that you turned out to be an alien. What really broke me… was losing my best friend. And with this mission being top-secret, everyone at the base had to pretend like nothing happened."
As the conversation continued, Carol learned a lot from Maria—about the people on Earth who cared about her, about the life she truly belonged to. She wasn't "Vers" or some Kree warrior.
Her real name was Carol Danvers.
Maria's daughter, Monica Rambeau, even gathered everything Carol had left behind. As Carol dug through those old keepsakes and memories, the sense of belonging she once had to the Kree Empire started to crumble, replaced by something stronger: her human identity.
Yes, Kree blood ran through her veins, but she was raised on Earth. She was human.
"Reid," Carol said, turning to the quiet man who had been observing from the side, "can you please bring out J'onn?"
"J'onn? Is there someone I haven't met yet?"
Maria looked at Reid in surprise. They had already introduced themselves when they first met, so she knew this title wasn't meant for him.
"Looks like you've made your decision," Reid said calmly.
As he spoke, a faint, translucent figure began to rise from within him. The form gradually solidified until it took on the familiar appearance of J'onn J'onzz—Martian Manhunter—standing before them.
"I'm terribly sorry, ma'am," 'Martian Manhunter' spoke first, his tone respectful. "Due to certain… circumstances, I had to rest within Reid and missed the chance to introduce myself properly."
His voice was smooth, carrying a quiet warmth and sincerity. Combined with his calm, composed demeanor, it was impossible to stay mad at him.
Maria, who hadn't been angry to begin with, felt her heart ease. She quickly let go of any confusion about why J'onn hadn't appeared sooner.
"Alright, J'onn, I need my memories back. I want to find out who I really am." Carol took a deep breath.
"This will be easy."
'Martian Manhunter' nodded, his expression gentle. He stepped forward, raised a hand, and placed a single finger against Carol's temple.
"It'll only take a moment. You'll remember everything."
Just as he was about to restore her memories, a sudden knock at the door interrupted him.
"Looks like we have guests," 'Martian Manhunter' remarked with a hint of exasperation. He withdrew his hand and, without missing a beat, shifted his form into the appearance of Reid's adoptive father—Alfred.
"Sorry about this, Reid."
"It's fine. The old man won't mind," Reid replied, unbothered.
Meanwhile, Carol went to open the door. Standing there was Maria's neighbor, Tom.
Suspicious that he might be a Skrull, Carol tested him in various ways, but in the end, she found nothing unusual.
After finally sending the neighbor away, an unfamiliar voice echoed from behind them.
"If I were you, I'd be a little nicer to the neighbors. You never know when you're gonna need to borrow some sugar."
Talos, the Skrull general, had somehow slipped into the room unnoticed.
Carol tensed, ready to fight, but Talos simply raised his hands in surrender.
"Let's not start smashing your friend's place with that magic arm of yours, alright?"
Before Carol could respond, Maria noticed something alarming outside the window. Standing next to her daughter, Monica, was… herself. Another Maria.
It didn't take much to figure out what was happening. A Skrull had disguised itself as her and was standing beside her daughter.
"Don't worry. She won't get hurt… as long as you don't kill me, that is. No accidents will happen." Talos' voice remained calm.
He wasn't here to fight. He was here to negotiate. It was a move he had carefully planned, ensuring both sides could talk without things escalating. He knew Carol and Fury would likely attack on sight, so he took precautions.
But even with all his planning, he missed something.
He accounted for Carol and Fury's reactions—but what he didn't expect was the man disguised as Alfred. Someone who was a natural counter to Skrulls.
"I don't think any of your preparations are going to work, Skrull."
'Martian Manhunter', still disguised as Alfred, dropped his form, revealing his true self. The sudden transformation startled Talos, who instinctively took a step back.
He could immediately tell that this being's shapeshifting ability was fundamentally different from that of the Skrulls. They weren't even close to being the same kind of species.
"Didn't think there were other shapeshifters around here." Talos muttered.
'Martian Manhunter' smiled faintly. "My abilities go far beyond just changing forms. Look outside."
Talos hesitated. A sinking feeling formed in his gut as he turned toward the window—and his face twisted into a grimace.
His soldiers, all of them, were standing motionless outside. Every single one had reverted to their true Skrull forms.
"No… What did you do to them?!" His voice was strained, almost panicked.
Among the crowd, the Skrull disguised as Maria—the one near Monica—had also returned to its natural form. It was now sluggishly walking toward the house, expression blank.
"Agent Fury, could you check on Monica? Make sure she doesn't panic," 'Martian Manhunter' instructed without turning his head.
"I'll go," Maria interrupted before Fury could respond. Her voice carried a mother's unwavering determination. "She's my daughter. I should be the one to comfort her." Without waiting for a reply, she stepped outside.
Talos watched in silence, his hands curled into fists. Even without fully understanding 'Martian Manhunter's' abilities, he knew one thing for certain: the man had somehow tracked down all his operatives—and taken control of them.
Every strategy, every backup plan he had put in place, was completely dismantled.
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