This weekend brings The Marvels, the 33rd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the third in Phase Five. It’s the fourth to feature Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, who this time teams up with two fellow heroes: Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau and Imam Vellani’s Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel. As with all MCU titles, you have to have seen — or least read up on — a number of films and shows to grok the plot of The Marvels. Does that include Captain Marvel?
The answer is: Yes, it does. Despite a title referring to three characters, it’s the sequel to Captain Marvel, which in 2019 because the first MCU title centered around a female character. That film introduced the title character to the MCU, showing her backstory as an U.S. Air Force pilot who becomes a member of the elite alien military unit Starforce. She also befriends Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, who later summons her to help out with the events shown in Avengers: Endgame.
Larson’s Captain Marvel later appeared in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Captain Marvel isn’t the only thing to watch before buying a ticket to The Marvels. WandaVision is the show that introduced Parris’ Monica Rambeau, who’s actually the daughter of Danvers’ late friend Maria Rambeau. You’ll also have to have seen the show Ms. Marvel, which debuted the titular character. On top of that, the recent Secret Invasion follows Nick Fury, who’s prominently featured in The Marvels and got into some misadventures you need to know about.
Marvel recently revealed that they’re starting a line of movies and shows that aren’t connected to the MCU and therefore don’t require any homework viewing.
Captain Marvel hits theaters on November 10.