The Marvels: Top 9 MCU movies and shows to watch before Brie Larson-starrer flick release

The Marvels is the Marvel Cinematic Universe's final 2023 release, and there are nine great movies and shows to watch before the Captain Marvel sequel. The Brie Larson starrer will be released on November 10. The story of the Marvels will have to cope with some of the challenges that the MCU has created in recent years. Since Marvel began expanding on Disney+, several characters have emerged across the MCU's shows, causing complications for viewers who have missed a show or two. Given that the MCU's Phase 4—the first with Disney+—published nearly as many projects as the total number of movies in the Infinity Saga, several programs got lost in the shuffle.

The Marvels cast includes two series regulars, Teyonah Parris' elder Monica Rambeau and Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan. While Monica should have no issue with audiences because she debuted in the famous WandaVision, Kamala's MCU series, Ms. Marvel, had the lowest launch viewership of any MCU TV show, indicating that many fans did not tune in. Brie Larson will return as Carol Danvers in The Marvels. Those are just two of the MCU entries that will have an impact on The Marvels, and for those who missed some projects as well as those who want a refresher on the journey thus far, here are the nine MCU movies and shows to watch before The Marvels.

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Secret Invasion

• Genre: Action-adventure Spy thriller Science fiction Superhero
• Running Time: 3 hours, 46 minutes, with 6 episodes
• Star Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Cobie Smulders, Martin Freeman, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Charlayne Woodard, Killian Scott, Samuel Adewunmi, Dermot Mulroney, Christopher McDonald, Katie Finneran, Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, and Don Cheadle
• Release Date: June 21, 2023
• Where to watch/OTT Platform: Disney+
• IMDb Rating: 6.0/10

Secret Invasion is the most recent MCU project to be linked to The Marvels. The series is directly related to Captain Marvel and also serves as a prequel to the new film, making it required viewing in preparation for The Marvels. The Secret Invasion demonstrated how, with the cooperation of the Skrulls, Nick Fury established an espionage network on Earth, promising that he and Captain Marvel would find them a new home.

When that didn't happen, Gravik, one of the Skrulls, radicalized several Skrulls and attempted to take over Earth. Major deaths, the revelation that Fury is married to a Skrull, and other stunning events were among the series' shocking surprises. Following the conclusion of the Secret Invasion, Fury and his wife traveled to the SABER space station to attend a peace negotiation meeting between the Skrulls and the Kree, paving the way for The Marvels.

Ms. Marvel

• Genre: Drama
• Running Time: 6 episodes, with each episode having a runtime of 47 minutes.
• Star Cast: Iman Vellani, Aramis Knight, Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Laith Naki, Azhar Usman, Travina Springer, and Nimra Bucha
• Release Date: June 8, 2022
• Where to watch/OTT Platform: Disney+
• IMDb Rating: 6.3/10

Ms. Marvel is another MCU entry that must be seen to truly appreciate the Marvels. The series presented Vellani's Kamala Khan, who trained to be a hero after receiving her powers from a mystical bangle. Ms. Marvel's discovery of the bangle is significant for the film, as The Marvels' villain, Dar-Benn, has been shown to possess the other bangle, in addition to introducing Kamala and her family, who will also return in The Marvels. Ms. Marvel's final episode also featured a post-credits scene in which she mysteriously switched places with Captain Marvel, something that will happen to all three heroes in the film, as The Marvels' driving force.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

• Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
• Running Time: 2h 13m
• Star Cast: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Yuen Wah, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, and Tony Leung
• Release Date: September 3, 2021
• Where to watch/OTT Platform: Disney+
• IMDb Rating: 7.4/10

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was Captain Marvel's most recent film appearance and performed an excellent job of introducing a new MCU hero with entertaining fight scenes. Carol Danvers appears via hologram alongside Bruce Banner to discuss the Ten Rings with Wong, Shang-Chi, and Katy. The heroes learn that the Ten Rings are transmitting a signal to an unknown destination, and given the persistent notion that the Ten Rings and Ms. Marvel's bangle are linked, Carol Danvers' cameo appearance could play a role in The Marvels.

Wandavasion

• Genre: Action
• Running Time: 9 episodes with 40–50 minutes of runtime per episode
• Star Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Teyonah Parris, Kathryn Hahn, and Kat Dennings
• Release Date: January 15, 2021
• Where to watch/OTT Platform: Disney+
• IMDb Rating: 7.9/10

The first MCU TV series, WandaVision, is compulsory viewing before The Marvels. Monica Rambeau, now an adult who works for SWORD, was reintroduced by WandaVision. During the five years Monica was snapped by Thanos, Monica's mother, Maria, became gravely ill and died, according to the series. Monica is devastated to realize that her mother has died. Later in the narrative, Parris' character passes through the Scarlet Witch's Hex Wall, which grants her powers. Monica is shown to dislike Carol's absence and is summoned to space by Fury, both of which would be significant in The Marvels.

Spider-Man: Far from Home

• Genre: Action
• Running Time: 9 episodes with 40–50 minutes of runtime per episode
• Star Cast: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, J. B. Smoove, Jacob, Batalon, Martin Starr, Tony Revolori, Marisa Tomei, and Jake Gyllenhaal
• Release Date: July 2, 2019
• Where to watch/OTT Platform: Disney+
• IMDb Rating: 7.4/10

For the majority of Spider-Man: Far From Home, it appeared that Nick Fury was assisting Tom Holland's Peter Parker in dealing with the Elementals and Mysterio; however, Spider-Man: Far From Home's second post-credits scene revealed that this was not the case. Throughout the film, the Skrull Talos pretended to be Fury, with Jackson's character revealed to be in space, working with other Skrulls aboard the SABER space station. This is significant because the trailer for The Marvels revealed that Saber and Fury's space mission will play a vital role in the film.

Avengers: Endgame

• Genre: action, adventure, fantasy, sci-fi
• Running Time: 3h, 1m
• Star Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Josh Brolin
• Release Date: April 26, 2019
• Where to watch/OTT Platform: Disney+
• IMDb Rating: 8.4/10

Captain Marvel's MCU story was continued in Avengers: Endgame, with Carol being the one to save Iron Man and Nebula while they were lost in space. In the film, Captain Marvel demonstrated the full extent of her abilities, turning the tide for the Avengers by destroying Thanos' massive spaceship and holding her own in a single battle with the Mad Titan until Thanos pulled out the Power Stone. Rewatching Avengers: Endgame in preparation for The Marvels allows you to relive the second-biggest milestone in Captain Marvel's journey while also seeing the MCU at its best.

Captain Marvel

• Genre: action, adventure, fantasy, sci-fi
• Running Time: 2h 4m
• Star Cast: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg, and Jude Law
• Release Date: March 8, 2019
• Where to watch/OTT Platform: Disney+
• IMDb Rating: 6.8/10

Captain Marvel, released in 2019, is the most important film to see before The Avengers. Brie Larson's Carol Danvers made her feature debut, revealing the inner workings of the Kree Empire and how Carol retrieved her memories, saved the Skrulls, and became Captain Marvel. Carol's dearest friend was her mother, Maria, who played a child version of Parris' Monica Rambeau in the film. Captain Marvel explained why the MCU hero had gone AWOL, witnessed Carol form a personal friendship with Nick Fury, and saw Carol swear to assist the Skrulls in finding a new home. The Marvels will include several Captain Marvel narrative points.

Avengers: Infinity War

• Genre: action, adventure, fantasy, sci-fi
• Running Time: 2h 29m
• Star Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldaña, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt
• Release Date: April 23, 2018
• Where to watch/OTT Platform: Disney+
• IMDb Rating: 8.4/10

While none of The Marvels' lead trio had yet made their MCU debuts when Avengers: Infinity War was released in 2018, the film set up Carol Danvers' first two MCU appearances. The post-credits scene from Avengers: Infinity War shows Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury getting swept off by Thanos' snap, but not before putting out a beacon for Captain Marvel to return to Earth. With Nick Fury expected to play a role in The Avengers and the MCU lately demonstrating how the Blip affected Fury and his actions since resurrecting, Avengers: Infinity War serves as a good reminder before The Avengers.

Guardians of the Galaxy

• Genre: sci-fi, adventure, action, fantasy, comedy
• Running Time: 2h, 1m
• Star Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, and Benicio del Toro
• Release Date: August 1, 2014
• Where to watch/OTT Platform: Disney+
• IMDb Rating: 8.0/10

While no significant narrative themes from Guardians of the Galaxy appear to be repeated in The Marvels, the films are linked unusually. The Marvels will employ the same weapon as Ronan the accuser in Guardians of the Galaxy. Dar-Benn, the villain of the Captain Marvel sequel, may be shown in The Marvels promos and pictures wielding the same type of "universal weapon" wielded by Ronan in Guardians of the Galaxy. The MCU's cosmic team's first film also introduced audiences to the Kree, with Ronan subsequently revealed to have had a run-in with Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel.

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