In both “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Captain Marvel,” Ronan the Accuser’s Universal Weapon seems like a mostly ceremonial weapon on par with (and occasionally surpassed by) other weapons in the Kree arsenal. For example, Jude Law’s Yon-Rogg uses Kree Magnitron Gauntlets that seem far more spectacular. The only surprising thing it does the entire film is emit a concentrated concussion blast that twists the neck of the Other (Alexis Denisof). However, it makes perfect sense that someone dedicated to the old ways of the Kree Empire would carry such an archaic weapon.
For Ronan and Dar-Benn, the Universal Weapon may symbolize their connection to the pre-Kree Civil War era. However, Dar-Benn’s version of the weapon, appears to be slightly more modern — perhaps it was built long after the destruction of the Supreme Intelligence (during which time Dar-Benn was a mere soldier) and was instead commissioned by Dar-Benn as a newly minted Accuser in the aftermath of Ronan’s demise.
It now emits a purple energy, which can be dispelled upon making contact with the ground, similar to, but on a much smaller scale than, the planet-destroying effects of Ronan’s weapon when it was combined with the Power Stone. It’s possible that either the Universal Weapon always has some portion of this power that the Power Stone augmented or that Dar-Benn had the new Universal Weapon designed with inspiration from its fusion with the Power Stone. It’s even possible that this redesign was meant to honor Ronan, her predecessor, and continue the mythmaking of their shared position and empire.
