If you clicked on this article, you can’t pretend this doesn’t apply to you. We know all of our readers are dedicated fangirls. If you haven’t already devoted your fangirl energy to Marvel, it’s not too late. You may be thirty-three movies and twelve TV shows behind, but don’t fear! Kamala Khan is the fangirl representation we all needed. If you don’t have days of your life to give to catching up on the last sixteen years of Marvel, The Marvels is still worth it. All you need is these four projects!
Captain Marvel
Of course, the very source of Kamala’s devotion is important to understand. Kamala’s debut scene in The Marvels shows her writing her own comic featuring herself and her hero. Her walls are covered in posters, and we later see her in a Captain Marvel t-shirt. Even arriving on another planet doesn’t stop her from planning her Captain Marvel fan-fiction, as she tells Captain Rambeau. She’s just like us, for real. The Marvels follows Carol Danvers’ own adventures during the Kree-Skrull war, which begins in Carol’s own movie, Captain Marvel.
Endgame
Endgame may have come out five years ago (has it been that long?!), but it still lives in our minds. With the hype that surrounded its release, it may go down as one of the most iconic films of all time. As for Kamala, she may not have been anywhere near the battlefield, but Endgame gives us a much-needed update on Captain Marvel’s whereabouts. It may not have felt like it at the time because the two movies came out within months of each other, but Captain Marvel takes place nearly thirty years before Iron Man snapped his fingers. So before we see Kamala step into her hero’s shoes, we need to see what Carol has been up to since 1995.
Ms. Marvel
Again, it was an obvious pick. Our relatable queen Kamala has her own backstory that’s essential to understanding The Marvels. With Disney+ making Marvel releases so much more frequent than they used to be, it can be hard to keep track of everything. One plus, though, is that a TV show gives us more time to get to know our characters. Ms. Marvel not only shows Kamala gaining her powers, but also gives us a chance to fall in love with her. And seriously, you will.
Wandavision
Kamala, Carol, and Monica’s powers are central to the plot of The Marvels. The movie does briefly explain how she got her powers, but you should watch Wandavision anyway. If nothing else, it’s just iconic, and everyone should watch The Scarlet Witch in her villain era. Unfortunately, we’re not here to talk about Wanda, but Wandavision will make the transition from the little kid Monica in Captain Marvel to superhero Captain Rambeau in The Marvels make so much more sense. Besides, it’s cooler to see her gain powers by moving through Wanda’s hex wall than just hearing about it.
Like we said, you don’t have to stress. After these four projects, you’re good to go! Then you get to watch sixteen-year-old Kamala Khan be the most relatable superhero. Body-swapping into space and being thrust into a war with a Kree supervillain could, in theory, be a reason to panic. But Kamala’s just happy to be there. We bet she and Tom Holland’s Spiderman would be friends. You should watch that, too.
Now that we’ve got you hooked, you don’t have to run to your nearest theater. You can watch it in the comfort of your own room (perhaps decked out in your own merch, like Kamala) starting January 16! And the fun doesn’t stop when the movie ends. The DVD includes deleted scenes, a gag reel, and audio commentary. And if you still find yourself wanting more, you can always start from the beginning of decades of MCU content.
Do you have a favorite part of The Marvels? Or a piece of lore that’s important to the film that we missed? Let us know in the comments or by tweeting us at @thehoneypop!
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