Film Phase 4 — Multiverse Opens (2024–2025)

The Marvels

Name: The Marvels
Released: 2023-11-10
Duration: 105 min
Rating: 5.9
Cast: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Samuel L. Jackson, Zawe Ashton

"Higher. Further. Faster. Together."

Released November 10, 2023 1h 45m ★ 5.9TMDB ★ Essential

When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, Carol's powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol's estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work in concert to save the universe.

Watch note

Carol, Kamala and Monica's powers become entangled — they swap places when using them. Monica enters a hole in space and ends up in an alternate universe. Carol and Kamala both confirmed for Doomsday.

Why It Matters in the MCU

The sequel to Captain Marvel cross-cuts between three characters whose powers have become quantum-entangled, and the conceit produces the franchise's most formally inventive action choreography in years — the swapping sequences in the opening act are a genuinely fresh visual idea. The ensemble chemistry between Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani is the film's strongest argument for itself, working in ways the plotting doesn't consistently support. It is the shortest MCU film since Thor and the most tonally playful entry in Phase 5, though its box-office performance confirmed that audience reconnection with Carol Danvers remains an open problem.

Watch These First

19 titles lead into The Marvels — 48 hours in total, 15 of them essential.

Captain America: The First Avenger Essential 2h 4m ★ 7.0
Captain Marvel Essential 2h 4m ★ 6.8
Thor Essential 1h 55m ★ 6.8
The Avengers Essential 2h 23m ★ 8.1
Iron Man 3 2h 10m ★ 6.9
Thor: The Dark World 1h 52m ★ 6.5
Captain America: The Winter Soldier Essential 2h 16m ★ 7.7
Guardians of the Galaxy Essential 2h 1m ★ 7.9
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 2h 16m ★ 7.6
Avengers: Age of Ultron Essential 2h 21m ★ 7.3
Captain America: Civil War Essential 2h 27m ★ 7.4
Black Panther Essential 2h 14m ★ 7.4
Spider-Man: Homecoming 2h 13m ★ 7.3
Doctor Strange Essential 1h 55m ★ 7.4
Thor: Ragnarok Essential 2h 10m ★ 7.6
Avengers: Infinity War Essential 2h 29m ★ 8.2
Avengers: Endgame Essential 3h 2m ★ 8.2
WandaVision (Season 1) Essential 6h ★ 8.2
Ms. Marvel (Season 1) Essential 4h 30m ★ 6.3

Create a watch plan for these 19

Opens the planner with just these titles, so you can set your own pace.

Where It Fits in the MCU

The Marvels sits at position 148 of 165 in the MCU's story-chronological order, placing it within the Phase 4 — Multiverse Opens (2024–2025) era. It is rated Essential — must-watch for following the main MCU narrative. Watching in story-chronological order provides the most coherent character development experience — individual arcs build naturally toward the franchise's major crossover events, with each film's post-credits scenes carrying forward into what follows.