The Marvels and Secret Invasion star Samuel L. Jackson revealed the Disney+ shows that the upcoming Captain Marvel sequel will rely on.
After more than four years since her last solo adventure, Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers will return to the big screen in Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels.
However, while her first film may have been a largely singular story about the origins of Larson’s kree-warrior-turned-MCU-hero, Captain Marvel 2 will be a group affair “akin to the first Avengers“ film with the likes of Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel and Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau joining the fun.
So with these newly introduced streaming characters popping up in the super-powered sequel, there is a bit of homework for viewers to do to have the full context going into The Marvels.
What To Watch Before Captain Marvel 2
According to The Marvels star Samuel L. Jackson, who spoke in the latest issue of Empire Magazine, there are three Disney+ series to watch before The Marvels hits theaters:
WandaVision
Marvel Studios’ first Disney+ series, WandaVision, appears on this list of must-watches for the Captain Marvel sequel because of its introduction to Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau.
As the SHEILD scientist investigated the illusion Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff had cast on the entire town of Westview, she discovered superpowers of her own, becoming the Marvel hero known as Photon.
With Monica being the daughter of Carol’s best friend and wingman Maria (played by Lashana Lynch in Captain Marvel), surely this complicated relationship between the two will be at the heart of this MCU blockbuster.
Ms. Marvel
Showcasing the origin of another hero that will be central to the happenings of The Marvels was Ms. Marvel, starring Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan.
Serving as Vellani’s on-screen debut, this coming-of-age comedy showcased an Avengers superfan (both in and out of universe) grappling with the familial expectations, the throws of high school, and becoming Jersey City’s very own teenage superhero.
Seeing as Kamala is/was a Captain Marvel mega-fan seen throughout the series, and Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers even popped up in the show’s post-credits sequence, Ms. Marvel looks as though it will be the closest thing to a direct prequel to the upcoming MCU sequel.
Secret Invasion
And the most current project to appear on Jackson’s list was his upcoming “espionage thriller” series, Secret Invasion.
It remains unknown the exact specifics of how this streaming show will play into The Marvels, as it has yet to release at the time of writing. However, with the Skurlls at the center of the “invasion” having first been introduced in Captain Marvel, the show will no doubt play into the Brie Larson-led sequel.
Jackson’s Nick Fury has been confirmed to play into The Marvels, and according to the actor, Secret Invasion “has to happen so that The Marvels can happen,” noting that the pair “are connected in an interesting sort of way.”
The Marvels Pre-Watch List
While not mentioned by Jackson in his list of must-watches before The Marvels, there are others that fans looking for a little extra credit can enjoy before the Captain Marvel sequel comes to theaters.
It might seem obvious, but Captain Marvel has to be at the top of that list, as this 2019 blockbuster introduced fans to Brie Larson’s take on the iconic Marvel character for the first time. This intergalactic adventure may have largely taken place during the 1990s, but it introduced audiences to elements that will be key to the sequel, including the Rambeau family and the Skrulls.
The other big-screen adventures to stream in advance of The Marvels are Avengers: Infinity War, where the character was teased in the post-credits scene, Avengers: Endgame, which saw Carol join the Avengers and take on Thanos’ army, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings, where Captain Marvel cameos in a shocking stinger alongside Simu Liu, Benedict Wong, and Akwafina.
The Marvels comes to theaters on November 10.