One thing Flo and I did discuss a lot is how much Rachel’s version of the power could help against the Beast. Frigg was easy to figure: her version of the power had been shrouding her armor and weapons in energy-constructs since its earliest use. But Rachel’s version seems to infuse her own body with extra force, and that body is matter, and the Beast generally destroys what matter it touches.

Rachel’s own knowledge of this issue explains why she hasn’t been just raining punches into the belly of the Beast before now. With a surge of desperation, she has perhaps pushed her abilities to the point where they serve as a “skin” over her glowing extremities.

And maybe there’s also a glow going on under the tentacles in panel 3 as well, keeping her from derezzing. Or maybe the Beast, desperate and confused, is actually suspending its life-absorbing powers just to huck these scary luminescent beings into a wall, the way it suspends its power to keep from falling into the ground. Maybe maybe. If I had it all to do over again, I’d probably ask for Rachel’s whole body to be glowing in this sequence. But these moments have the right emotional force, and that’s the most important part.