The 36th movie in the MCU, Thunderbolts*, arrives in theaters later today. And like a lot of its brethren, you may need to do some studying before you jump right into the film. Sure, the movie brings you up to speed on who everyone is over its running time. But this is very much not a standalone movie, and rather than asking “who” and “what” and “huh?” you might want to do some boning up before you bone down at the movie theater. That’s an expression, right? Sure, why not?
Anyway, if you’re looking for what to stream before you go see Thunderbolts*, we’ve got you covered. However, because you have a limited amount of time, we’ll explain how relatively important it is to stream the movie (or TV show) or not. Consider this your watchlist before you hit the theater — or after, if you want a little more explanation about what just happened.
Black Widow
If you have a limited amount of time, the Black Widow solo film is really the only thing you need to watch before Thunderbolts*. It introduces Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), who is still reeling from her sister’s death in Avengers: Endgame. It also introduces Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), who both appear in the film — as well as setting up Yelena’s relationship with Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julie Louis-Dreyfus). The events of the film also get referenced multiple times throughout Thunderbolts*, so there’s that!
Falcon and the Winter Soldier
The six-episode TV series not only continues the adventures of Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) in the modern day, but also introduced John Walker (Wyatt Russell), aka U.S. Agent. Two major characters in the movie who don’t like each other very much, this is also an essential watch — though less so than Black Widow.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
The final member of the Thunderbolts team, Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) was introduced way back in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Though this is a less essential watch, the movie — frankly — doesn’t do a very good job of explaining her, so if you want to know more, check this one out.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Okay, we’re now getting into “only if you want to” watches. Wakanda Forever includes a sub-plot featuring Valentina that is more extensive than her appearances in Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Black Widow. That said, it doesn’t really set up too much in Thunderbolts* so your mileage may vary.
The Avengers
A lot of the third act action takes place in what was formerly Avengers Tower, as introduced in the 2012 film. There are also visual references to the final battle in that flick throughout, and even a key artifact from the movie shows up in an earlier scene.
Avengers: Age Of Ultron
We’re getting pretty wonky here but if you want to see how the Avengers left Avengers Tower and headed upstate, which is a whole plot point in Thunderbolts*, here’s where you find that out.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Legit only if you are the most complete of completists, if you want to physically see them moving boxes out of Avengers Tower after selling the building (as we discover in Thunderbolts*, to Valentina), you can see that happen in the climax of Homecoming.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
You should watch this because it’s the best MCU movie, but also it introduces the Winter Soldier, if you want to know more about his troubled past — and metal arm.
Captain America: Brave New World
The movie right before this one, Valentina references the president turning into a Red Hulk (Harrison Ford), and you’ll also get the setup for Bucky being in Congress.
Hawkeye
Black Widow to Thunderbolts* is pretty much a straight line. But if you want to see what Yelena did between those two points, including a delightful scene of her eating mac and cheese, check out Hawkeye.
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