Another post-Endgame Marvel movie is out, which means a timeless question is once again raised: what do I need to watch before I see the new one?
After the disbandment of the original Avengers, it can be confusing for a casual fan to see origin story after origin story of countless characters without clear insight into the next climatic film. Eternals, Shang-Chi, WandaVision, etc...it's hard to keep track of all the new people introduced and all of the new powers in the MCU. It's understandable that audiences are getting tired of the franchise's lack of focus.
So now that The Marvels is out, there's yet another ongoing conversation. The film centers on Carol Danvers (also known as Captain Marvel), Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan (also known as Ms. Marvel). While moviegoers are likely familiar with Carol (and maybe Monica, although she was only a child in Captain Marvel), not everyone will be familiar with Kamala. Anyone out of the loop on the MCU's tie-in television shows won't recognize her at first glance; she had an entire 6-episode introductory show called Ms. Marvel. And despite meeting Monica through Captain Marvel, she also had an adventure of her own (as an adult) in WandaVision.
If you've skipped the MCU shows, or are just rejoining the MCU audience after some time away, we promise, it's not that confusing. In case you want to know what may be good to watch before The Marvels, here's what you should know.
Do you need to watch anything before The Marvels?
In our opinion, we can unequivocally say: no. If you've watched up to Avengers: Endgame, don't let any inflammatory voices fool you, you really don't need to watch anything before The Marvels.
Marvel Studios knows their audience, and they know not everyone will have tuned in for every single TV show or movie they've released in recent years. As long as you're familiar with Captain Marvel and her story, the rest is explained in a succinct way in the beginning of the film, leaving little room for confusion.
That said, the two main properties that supplement The Marvels are arguably two of the best MCU shows to date (plus Captain Marvel, if you want to rewatch), and it won't take too much of your time if you see The Marvels and decide afterwards to check out Monica and Kamala's backstories–or if you just want to binge them before.
If you want to catch up on everything involving The Marvels before you watch, here's what to see.
Captain Marvel
This one is a bit of a no brainer. You've likely already seen this pre-Endgame film, but you may want to watch it as a reminder of what's at stake for Carol, her relationship to the Kree-Skrull conflict, and her relationship with Monica.
That said, The Marvels gives a great background on everything involving Monica and the Kree and Skrull. Seriously though, you'll get the gist even without seeing Captain Marvel again.
WandaVision
You probably remember Monica Rambeau from Captain Marvel, when she was a child. WandaVision introduces a grown-up Monica for the first time, however, as she works with a team of people to figure out what, exactly, is going on when Wanda Maximoff apparently kidnaps a whole town, forcing them to live in a bizarre sitcom fantasy reality. Due to Monica's involvement, she manages to get powers from walking through the hex that Wanda created, forever altering her career path.
The Marvels explains this all well enough, and mostly pulls from Monica's relationship with Carol, who she hasn't seen since being a child during the events of Captain Marvel.
Ms. Marvel
Don't know who that excited teen is who's losing it over Captain Marvel? That's Kamala Khan. She's first introduced in the short but sweet Ms. Marvel, which shows her first getting her powers (which are beautifully tied to her Pakistani family's history of Partition) and the villain she defeats to save her hometown of Jersey City.
While The Marvels does a decent job of giving audiences the overall idea of Kamala's powers and her obsession with Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel dives deeper into who Kamala is. It's a bit like watching Sony's Spider-Man films before Captain America: Civil War. You can get the gist of who Peter Parker is without watching the films (and you know he loves Tony Stark), but by watching you have a better idea of where the neighborhood hero came from.
Secret Invasion
Okay, this one is really, really for extra credit. This overall disappointing Nick Fury-led series expands upon the Kree-Skrull conflict, chronicling the chaos Fury and Captain Marvel caused in relocating many of the Skrull to Earth.
The Marvels makes absolutely no references to this series, which makes perfect sense, as it's largely contained to a group of rebellious Skrulls, Nick Fury, and former Skrull general Talos. Secret Invasion is like one battle within an overall war, one that Captain Marvel and others aren't a part of. If you care about the entire MCU history of the Skrull and Kree conflict, feel free to check out Secret Invasion, but there's no pressure to tune in.
