The Marvels is the recent theatrical release from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Since the films and TV series in the franchise are interconnected, it's important to watch prior MCU projects before checking out the movie. So, what do you need to watch before The Marvels?
This article lists the relevant Marvel movies and series you need to watch before The Marvels. And if you’ve already seen them, we still suggest doing some rewatching before watching the film.
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Captain Marvel (2019)
Of course, The Marvels is a sequel to Captain Marvel, so you need to watch this film first. Captain Marvel gave us the origin story of Carol Danvers and how she got her powers.
Captain Marvel is set in 1995, and the film follows the story of Carol Danvers as she becomes the hero Captain Marvel after Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.
Nick Fury also played a huge part in the movie. In the events of the story, he still wasn't the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and we don't see him in his signature eyepatch yet.
Captain Marvel was the first superhero that Fury encountered, which then led him to a path of working with heroes and becoming the future director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
It’s important to watch Avengers: Endgame before any post-Infinity Saga film or series. Many significant events in the MCU, like the time jump, happened in Endgame.
Most movies and series after Endgame are influenced in some way by what happened in the film. For instance, they show the characters dealing with the repercussions of the Blip.
And while Carol Danvers doesn’t get as much screen time as the rest of the heroes, she does play a significant role in Avengers: Endgame. So, it’s best to watch this film first before The Marvels.
WandaVision (2021)
While WandaVision focused on Wanda’s character development and exploration of her grief, you still need to watch the series in order to understand how Monica Rambeau got her powers.
Monica is the daughter of Air Force pilot Maria Rambeau (Carol Danvers’ best friend). In WandaVision, she served as a captain in S.W.O.R.D. and she introduced herself as “Geraldine” in Wanda’s fictional sitcom.
WandaVision showed how Monica got her powers, so it's best to watch the series before The Marvels.
Ms. Marvel (2022)
In The Marvels, Captain Marvel is joined by her fan Kamala Khan a.k.a. Ms. Marvel. As Kamala is one of the main heroes in the movie, it’s important to watch her origin story in the series.
The Marvels also serves as a continuation of the events in Ms. Marvel, so you have to watch the series in order to keep up with the events in the MCU timeline.
Ms. Marvel followed Kamala Khan, a 16-year-old Pakistani-American high school student from Jersey City. She’s an aspiring artist, gamer, and a super-fan of Captain Marvel.
The series showed how Kamala Khan got her powers, so it's important to watch Ms. Marvel before The Marvels.
Secret Invasion (2023)
Since The Marvels also features Nick Fury, you can also check out Secret Invasion and witness his mission on Earth prior to the events of the film.
While the series is not heavily connected to the film plot-wise, it is still worth seeing for the character alone and learning more about him as a major figure in the MCU.
"This series has to happen so that The Marvels can happen. All these things are connected in an interesting sort of way," Samuel L. Jackson told Empire Magazine regarding their connection.
In Secret Invasion, Nick Fury fights to stop a Skrull invasion on Earth and save humanity. Captain Marvel fan-favorite Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) also appeared in the series.
Hawkeye (2021)
Hailee Steinfeld made a cameo appearance in the final scene of The Marvels, reprising the role of Kate Bishop from Hawkeye.
Considering that the character made her introduction in the MCU series, we also recommend you watch it as well so that you can learn more about the character's hero origins prior to her appearance in the film.
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Kelsey Grammer made his comeback to the Marvel Universe in the mid-credits scene of The Marvels where he reprised the role of Beast from the Fox Marvel movies.
He first played the character in X-Men: The Last Stand where he had a major role. However, since then, he hasn't made more pivotal appearances with the exception of a cameo in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
We recommend watching the third X-Men movie in the original trilogy just for Grammer's debut as Beast alone and understand the hype of his return.
Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, Ms. Marvel, and Secret Invasion are available to stream on Disney+ while The Marvels will be available this February 7.
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