Higher. Further. Faster. Together.
The Marvelsreleased on November 10, is the sequel to the 2019s Captain Marvel and a direct sequel to the 2022 TV show “Ms. Marvel.” The film picks up right where the mid-credits scene from the season finale of “Ms. Marvel” left off: Follows Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan in a space adventure for the ages.
The Marvels takes place in Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is a continuation of several other MCU projects. Here’s what to watch before watching the sequel:
Captain Marvel
Post-credit scene from Avengers: Infinity War
Avengers: Endgame
“WandaVision”
The mid-credits scene from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
“Ms. Marvel”
“Secret Invasion”
To be completely honest, I had high expectations for this movie that I guessed wouldn’t be met. After the disappointing character assassination of Cassie Lang, one of my favorite comic book superheroes, in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania, I was terrified. Getting these characters right was important to the future of female-led superhero movies, especially since “Ms. Marvel,” and The Marvels had faced backlash weeks before the film’s release.
That being said, I loved this movie. All I can say without spoiling too much is that the fight scenes are spectacular. The first fight in the movie, which was heavily featured in trailers and commercials, was my favorite. I enjoyed the seamlessness of these three superheroes in three very different places. Despite switching places, their movements were fluid from one scene to the next.
After the three heroes met, the chemistry between actresses Brie Larson, Iman Vellani and Teyonah Parris was amazing. The trio were able to riff off each other in an organic way that brought the characters to life and made their dynamic believable.
Kamala Khan, also known as Ms. Marvel, emulated what every comic book fan would feel meeting their favorite superheroes and then got to live out the dream, traveling through space with Carol and Monica.
I haven’t laughed this much during a Marvel movie in a very long time. The three actresses had great comic timing when it came to their characters’ reactions, a stark contrast from Captain Marvel which was packed with Carol’s trauma-filled backstory that created her future in the MCU.
Many aspects of Kamala’s solo show bled into the film, especially her family. Khans plays an integral role and proves that at the core of it, The Marvels is about family; those the characters are born into and those formed through choices like Monica and Carol.
Kamala’s ethnic background is not played up to be her only role in the film. She is more than her skin color and religion. She is a fully developed character that showcases Vellani’s performance in the trio. She stood out and brought comedy to ease the tension between Monica and Carol, who were reunited for the first time in thirty years.
Monica’s powers are also explained more after “WandaVision”, as her powers are linked to the trio’s shared light-based abilities, resulting in the entanglement that is the catalyst for The Marvels becoming their trio.
We also get to know what Carol was doing between the events of Captain Marvel and the mid-credits scene Avengers: Infinity War and why she stayed away from Earth, the planet she called home for so long.
The MCU is famous for its post-credits scenes, which are used to set up future films. This movie has a mid-credits scene and a surprise cameo at the end of the movie.
If you haven’t seen The Marvelshere’s your official warning: STOP READING NOW IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MOVIE AND DON’T WANT SPOILERS.
At the end of the movie, Kate Bishop, aka Hawkeye and a founding member of the Young Avengers, makes a cameo appearance that made me jump out of my seat. From the post-credits scene, it looks like Kamala will become a founding member of the Young Avengers instead of the Champions like her comic counterpart.
Another spoiler alert for the mid-credits scene:
Enter Monica Rambeau, who wakes up in a hospital setting to see none other than the universe’s Maria Rambeau, aka Binary, and Hank McCoy, aka Beast. As a lifelong X-Men fan, I was jumping up and down at this point. We finally have a direct connection between Fox’s X-Men franchise and the larger MCU leading up to the untitled Deadpool 3 movie coming out in summer 2024.
Running at 1 hour and 45 minutes, including credits, this made this the shortest MCU film. I honestly wish there was more. Some of the plot felt rushed, but the scenes we got were gold and I loved every minute.
@SairamMarupudi