Rounding out a year packed with MCU content is the aptly titled The Marvels (essentially Captain Marvel 2). The Marvels brings three female heroes together – Captain Marvel, Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau – and if you’re unfamiliar with any of those names, there are some MCU movies and Disney+ series you might want to catch up on first. Here’s what we recommend you watch prior to checking out the new film.
Top MCU movies and series to watch before The Marvels
Captain Marvel
Audiences were first introduced to Brie Larson’s hero in the 2019 film Captain Marvel, which happened to be the MCU’s first female-led solo superhero film and managed to gross over a billion dollars.
Carol Danvers’ origin film is well worth a watch before The Marvels, showing how she went from a top-notch pilot to a Kree warrior to one of Earth’s mightiest superheroes – as well as the birth of her longstanding relationship with the Skrulls. It also introduces us to pivotal members of the Captain Marvel family, including loyal pet Flerken Goose, Carol’s best friend Maria Rambeau and her daughter Monica Rambeau.
Avengers: Endgame
Captain Marvel makes an appearance in Avengers: Endgame, where she teams up with the Avengers to take down Thanos and arrives as a secret weapon in the final battle. This is the next time that she appears in the MCU since her introduction in the 2019 film, and it raises a lot of questions as to where she’s been for the past few decades.
WandaVision
While Wanda Maximoff is the star of the show in WandaVision, the series does introduce us to Teyonah Parris’ adult Monica Rambeau.
This is the first time Monica has been seen in the MCU since she was introduced in Captain Marvel and WandaVision filled us in on a few things about her character – she worked for SWORD (an intelligence agency kind of like SHIELD), she disappeared during the five-year blip which caused her to miss her mother’s last days, she has some unexplained beef with Captain Marvel (which will no doubt be explored in the film) and, oh yeah, Wanda’s Hex somehow gave her superpowers!
Ms Marvel
Disney+ has served as the launching pad for a number of new MCU heroes in their series, one of which is Ms Marvel. The origin story introduces us to the charming and excitable Kamala Khan, who is a massive fan of all things superheroes (particularly Captain Marvel). After putting on a mysterious bangle passed down from her family, Kamala is given superpowers that allow her to turn light into a physical entity. But being a superhero isn’t so easy when you have to juggle the demands of high school and an overbearing (but very loveable) family.
Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion may end up not bearing much weight on the plot of The Marvels, but it does hold some integral plot points for characters who have been involved with Captain Marvel.
For one, we know Nick Fury will return in The Marvels, and he headlines Secret Invasion. It may not be the best-reviewed entry in the MCU but the series does give a lot of insight into the mysterious Nick Fury and his ongoing relationship with the alien race of Skrulls, as well as giving hints at what may have happened to them all in between the events of Captain Marvel and the present day MCU.
Marvel Studios: Legends
If you simply do not have time to watch all of the movies and shows above prior to your viewing of The Marvels, Disney’s Marvel Studios: Legends is here to help.
These are essentially short episodes that recap a specific character’s journey in the MCU so far in a trailer style. Disney+ recently released a crop of new episodes in season 2, including ones dedicated to Carol Danvers, Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau – which will catch you up on all the essential info about their characters in under 20 minutes max.
If you’re ready to undertake your homework, you’ll be able to find all these MCU movies and series streaming on Disney+. Then be sure to check out The Marvels in cinemas (or in IMAX!) on November 9.
Lead Image Credit: Disney+/Marvel Studios
This articles has been updated with additional titles.
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