5 Marvel Shows to Watch Before Avengers Doomsday

Several months ago, I did a blog post about pre-Endgame movies to watch before Avengers Doomsday. Especially with the recent Doomsday trailers, I thought it a good time to revisit some more Marvel projects to rewatch before the big day. One thing the post-Endgame saga did was canonized television series on Disney Plus. Say what you will about the inter-workings of movies and series, but I’ve enjoyed it. (Though I'm still waiting for them to officially canonize SHIELD)

WandaVision

In the midst of the pandemic, this was our saving grace for nine episodes. It was definitely an amazing way to begin the Multiverse Saga. Remember all the theories and anticipation, watching for Mephisto and Agatha? While Wanda isn't confirmed to be in Doomsday (or alive for that matter) this was our first look at grief during early post-Blip life. A lot of mysteries have been answered from this series, but there are still plenty of question marks, including Wanda's boys and White Vision.         

Extra Credit - The Marvels

Say what you will about this movie (and it making Carol Denvers into a Disney princess) but there's one big thing from this movie to address leading into Doomsday: The X-Men. After getting her superpowers in WandaVision and teaming up with the Marvels in this movie, Monica ended up thrown into another corner of the multiverse where she met Beast and Binary from the X-Men universe. Plus I swear I'm one of the few people who wants to see Ms. Marvel back.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier 

A number of mixed emotions during this series but I think we were all happy to have this adventure during the pandemic. I'm not sure it was the best received Marvel project, especially after the energy surrounding WandaVision (that was a hard act to follow). It was an emotional adventure transitioning Sam Wilson from the Falcon to being Captain America, but it also introduced our new Falcon, US Agent, and of course Val.

Extra Credit - Captain America: Brave New World

If you went straight from Falcon and the Winter Soldier and straight past this movie on your way to Doomsday, you'd probably be alright. There's no indication that Red Hulk or Sterns will play a part in the next Avengers movie. That being said, this movie serves to further establish Sam's role as Captain America and Joaquin's role as Falcon (I had honestly forgotten there was a new Falcon).

Loki

We can't have a multiverse movie without addressing the Loki who triggered the multiverse. After this variant escaped in Endgame, there was humbling to happen and some Kangs to be discovered. If it weren't for this Loki, we wouldn't have the X-Men universe, What If, Tobey's Spider-Man, or any of the parallel worlds. Last we saw of Loki, he was woven into the fabric of the multiverse, so I'm curious what his role will be in Doomsday.

Extra Credit - Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

This movie was underwhelming for many people (especially since the Kang storyline was scrapped). However, it attempted to connect the threads of our Avengers to the big bad of Loki. I'm curious what would've happened with this movie and Loki if Kang Dynasty were still happening. I heard rumors we'll see something of Kang being taken care of off-screen in Doomsday, but we'll see.

Hawkeye

On the grand scale of things, this show probably won't have much impact on the events of Doomsday (especially since Jeremy Renner isn't confirmed to appear). However, it does feature Yelena, previously seen in Black Widow, who would become a major player in Thunderbolts. Plus, I also just adore her character interacting with Kate Bishop. 

Extra Credit - Black Widow

Like Hawkeye, this movie doesn't look like it will have direct impact on Doomsday. That being said, this movie introduced the aforementioned Yelena and her adopted father. Both these powerhouses (Red Guardian for his strength and Yelena for her wit) reappeared in Thunderbolts. It's hard for me to decide if this movie or Hawkeye are more crucial.

 

What If...?

Slim chance of any of these characters appearing in Doomsday (except perhaps a variant of Captain Carter), but this hit series gave us a glimpse of what a multiversal epic could be. Three seasons and three epic finales. I think it would be a shame to let this series fade into obscurity, despite the release of Marvel Zombies, so I'd love to see Kahhori or the Hydra Stomper again.

Extra Credit - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

If we're going into a multiverse grand finale, we ought to include the epic (and horrific) journey that Doctor Strange took across the worlds. This movie isn't exactly what I'd envisioned from a multiverse hopping story, but it was the first (aside from Loki) so it would be a fun (and traumatic) one to revisit.

I'm sure there are plenty of other movies and series to revisit before the epic crossover of the Avengers, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four. In a few months I plan to highlight a few more post-Endgame movies. I have my list already and I probably won't finish it (especially as more and more cast members are revealed). I appreciate all that the MCU has done for superhero movies and, despite what vocal internet people say, it's not dead and I can't wait to see it continue to grow and evolve.

Best MCU Beards for No-Shave November

Each year when No-Shave November comes around, I think to test my genetics and see if I can grow a beard than last year. My genes are such that it took me into my thirties to test myself long enough to get the goatee that I currently have. But November isn’t just about the face fuzz, but about men’s health. Physical and mental. So while I'm having a bit of fun with the Marvel-lous men (they seriously give me beard envy) men's health is serious. Many of us internalized the message to not ask for help. Don’t forget to check in on your mental and physical health. And don’t isolate yourself in the world of men; find your team of Avengers.

Though in no particular order, naturally I had to start here. Because iconic.

Maybe similar to Tony's, but it showed his transition from doctor to sorcerer.

Probably the closest to the beard I'm able to grow (but I lack sideburns).

Fitz started as a baby-faced nerd, but became a tough stubbly spy.

Without Hydra programming, Bucky needed something to keep looking tough.

Maybe Matt got tired of paying someone else to shave him?

Very polished and regal. A beard fit for a king.

Sometimes you can't care to shave (and sometimes you want to see your capabilities).

I think we all had beard envy for Cap's temporary on-the-run beard.

Fury was trying to look homeless. A beard helps, I guess?

I don’t know that I ever want chops like Hugh Jackman, but it’s iconic now. 

I had to finish off with The Thing’s bolder-y beard. Love it!

5 Marvel Movies to Watch Before Avengers Doomsday

I started doing my MCU “Binge List” posts after Infinity War and Endgame, when everyone was trying to watch the entirety of the MCU library before that culminating battle against Thanos. It’s served me well to prepare myself and review the story so far. However, with Doomsday coming to theaters next year, even just the known cast list provides a challenge, with over thirty movies and shows potentially playing a part in the upcoming multiversal event.

Sure, I could share the list of the forty-ish Marvel projects that will lead into this crossover… but that’s a bit much even for me. Instead, I’m going to highlight a few movies to rewatch (plus a few extra credit movies) to establish characters and story development. Later this year and next, leading up to the movie, I’ll add a few more movies and shows to the list.

X-Men

We know we have returning cast members from the original X-Men movies, including Professor X, Magneto, Mystique, and more. Since the third Deadpool movie established the Fox X-Men saga in the multiverse, it’s possible we’ll have those variants in Doomsday. However, there’s no guarantee they’ll portray the same variants from Fox or if they’ll be new variants (maybe from the universe where Monica ended up in The Marvels). Regardless, the original X-Men movie produced by Fox will give you a sense of the main characters appearing from X-Men, regardless of where they come from in the multiverse. 

Extra Credit - X2

The sequel to X-Men, so we have the continuation of Professor X and Magneto’s story. Also, this is when we meet Nightcrawler, who’s set to return in Doomsday. 

Iron Man

Since Tony Stark is gone, this movie might be a strange choice for rewatch before Doomsday. But this is where the formal MCU began (before retconning in Spider-Man, X-Men, Blade, etc.). It’s worth revisiting where this epic story began and how far we’ve come since Tony became Iron Man. And with RDJ portraying Doctor Doom, it’ll be interesting to see how they had the likeness between Doom and Tony. If they don’t address the issue of the doppelgänger, bringing RDJ back would be a waste of time. 

Extra Credit - The Avengers

We’ve come a long way since the Battle of New York, but this is when the Avengers first became a team. From the original roster, only Thor is confirmed to appear. But it’s worth remembering where the team began. 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier 

Bucky may have been originally introduced in The First Avenger, but his brainwashing at the hands of Hydra still impacts his story. Plus this movie marks the first appearance of Sam Wilson (the current Captain America) and it was a turning point in the story, as SHIELD fell. Plus since it’s still one of the most popular MCU movies, it could be the considered the pinnacle of MCU movie potential. 

Extra Credit - Captain America: Civil War

Just as The Winter Soldier changed the MCU with the fall of SHIELD, this movie was a turning point for the Avengers. Infinity War would’ve played out 100% differently if the Avengers hadn’t broken up. Plus, this movie introduced Wakanda and Spider-Man and it pushed Bucky’s story along powerfully. 

Avengers: Infinity War

After the fallout of Civil War and Ragnarok, things got chaotic really fast when the Avengers were pushed together on multiple fronts. This movie changed the MCU forever, not just because of Thanos’s snap, but also because of how the Avengers grew to include new intergalactic colleagues. We don’t have the Guardians of the Galaxy confirmed for Doomsday, but you never know (they did say Star Lord would return after their third movie).

Extra Credit - Ant-Man and the Wasp

I know plenty of people didn’t care for this Ant-Man sequel, but I enjoyed it. Bridging the gap between Civil War and Endgame, this movie progressed Scott Lang’s story. Plus, traveling into the Quantum Realm pushed us forward toward the multiverse, even if we didn’t know it yet. 

Avengers: Endgame

This movie is the basis for where the MCU left us in recent years. The Avengers reformed and traversed the multiverse to bring back everyone they lost in the Snap. This is also where half our original Avengers roster said goodbye. No more Tony, Natasha, or Steve. As far as the team is concerned, this is where we left the Avengers and Doomsday is an Avengers movie. It’s gotta be done. 

Extra Credit - Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

This is arguably one of the most popular movies from the post-Endgame era of the MCU. It’s certainly my favorite Marvel movie of recent years. And, along with Far From Home, this movie did a great job establishing the post-Blip world. 

I’ll be back in a few months with more Marvel projects to revisit. I expect we might have more cast announcements by that point. Avengers assemble!

Thunderbolts Binge List

I started doing these Marvel binge list posts when MCU Phase Four started and it seemed like half the fans had binged the existing MCU movies for Infinity War and Endgame. Only a couple weeks until Thunderbolts premieres in theaters and it's our first big crossover since Endgame.  Sure, we've had Multiverse of Madness and The Marvels, but that's about as big as we've had since the Avengers' last battle. To prepare for the Thunderbolts, here are the movies that are essential for refreshing your memory before this band of misfits hit the big screen. And with less than a month to go, it may take some literal binging.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2 hours 4 min)

Chronologically we need to start with Bucky. Before he became the Winter Soldier, he was best friends with Steve Rogers. Even though Steve Rogers is out of the picture, Bucky keeps popping up here and there in the post-Endgame Marvel projects. And it seems like he'll be leader of the Thunderbolts (if anyone can lead them).

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2 hours 16 min)

And with Bucky leading the Thunderbolts, the next logical movie to watch is the way named after him. Is there a better reveal in any MCU project than Steve seeing that Bucky is the Winter Soldier? This was a game changer in MCU history with repercussions still in Phase Five.

Captain America: Civil War (2 hours 28 min)

The first chunk of this binge list is essentially getting to know Bucky again. So we'll continue on with when Bucky finally got his mind back. Like The Winter Soldier, this movie continues to have repercussions across the MCU. Infinity War would have looked very different if not for Civil War. Finally here, Bucky gets some help.

Black Widow (2 hours 13 min)

Though this movie came out after Endgame, the bulk of the movie takes place immediately after Civil War. Joe and I talked about this on the podcast, but a bulk of the Thunderbolts come from this movie. So you'll need to check this movie out to meet Yelena, Red Guardian, and Taskmaster again. And of course we get Valentina appearing in the credit scene, alongside Yelena, after the events of Endgame.

Black Panther (2 hours 15 min)

Optional viewing for Bucky (again) as we have a credit scene of Shuri visiting Bucky and, for the first time in decades, he's not the Winter Soldier anymore (unless he wants to tap into those skills on his own).

Avengers: Infinity War (2 hours 29 min)

Thanks to Wakandan tech, Bucky is better and ready for battle against Thanos. Just in time for him and his Vibranium arm to be dusted by Thanos's Infinity Gauntlet and the Avengers are left to grieve everyone... for now.

Ant-Man and the Wasp (1 hour 58 min)

Now for some new blood. While the Avengers were busy with Thanos (or maybe a short time before Thanos) Ant-Man and Wasp had to face off against Ava Starr who was fighting for her life. In the aftermath of their fight, Scott and the Pyms used access to the Quantum Realm to help stabilize Ava's Ghost powers. I guess we'll see how that works when she appears in Thunderbolts.

Avengers: Endgame (3 hours 2 min)

And we return to the Avengers. After a few years, they assembled again to reverse Thano's snap. So welcome back Bucky and the rest, including Yelena (though we don't learn about her death until Hawkeye), And despite being with Bucky until "the end of the line" Steve decided to say goodbye to his oldest friend. 

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Episodes 1-6)

We're in the post-Endgame era now. We were all excited for this Disney Plus series, especially after the success of WandaVision. Here is where we met the loose cannon John Walker (aka US Agent) and dealt with the fallout of him trying to measure up to Steve Rogers as Captain America. I'm curious how the years in between will have affected him. This series was also our first introduction to Valentina on screen and we know she'll play a big role with the Thunderbolts.

Hawkeye (Episodes 4-6)

After coming back in the Blip and receiving new instructions from Valentina, Yelena went off to avenge her adopted sister by attempting to kill Natasha's best friend. But of course Yelena and Clint come to an understanding by the end of the finale. And we got some adorably funny banter from Yelena, teasing Kate Bishop, which was my favorite part of this series. 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2 hours 41 min)

Her part wasn't the biggest in this movie, but Valentina came back and we found out she used to be married to Everett Ross. So while he was aiding the Wakandans, she tried to throw a wrench into their plans. I guess we'll see where that leaves her.

Captain America: Brave New World (1 hour 58 min)

Obviously the main focus of this movie was Red Hulk and Sam Wilson, but Bucky made an appearance. It's cool to me that despite his history we see glimpses of Bucky's life and success after Endgame. I wonder how much of his Winter Soldier story is available to the public. Full disclosure: I wasn't able to see this movie in theaters so I'm hoping it arrives on Disney Plus in time to view before I see Thunderbolts in May.

And now we watch (these movies/series) and wait for the release. I'm excited! And since half the Thunderbolts are confirmed to appear in Doomsday, I'm curious how this movie will lead into next year. If you want more discussion on the upcoming Thunderbolts, check out our latest Marvel episode on the Latter-Day Saint Geeks Podcast--Joe and I had some fun talking about this one in particular.

LDS Geeks Podcast #34: Future of Marvel

If I need an insight to existing or upcoming Marvel content, one of my go-to people for questions is Joe. With so many Marvel projects coming down the line this year, I figured I needed to grab him for a podcast episode to discuss what's what with the first few. Enjoy!

--Spencer

LDS Geeks Podcast #29: Holidays at Hogwarts

With Halloween in the recent past and the holiday season before us, it's time to start talking about celebrating. So Russell and I had fun discussing how Hogwarts students celebrate muggle holidays. After you take a listen, let us know your thoughts on our Ilvermorny discussion: how do you think they celebrate Thanksgiving?

--Spencer

Listen to Episode 29 on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube

Check out Spencer's recent blog posts: click here

Check out Russell's recent blog posts: click here

Show notes:

00:12 - Introductions
01:31 - Spencer's Recommendation: Captain America The First Avenger
        Available for streaming on Disney Plus
03:40 - Russell's Recommendation: Michael Vey 
05:49 - Halloween
15:05 - Christmas
        "Friday Creature Feature - House-Elves" by Spencer
21:35 - Valentine's Day
        "Puffs: Third or Nothing!" by Spencer
28:40 - Easter
        "Harry Potter and the Five Gospel Truths" by Brigitte C. Madrian
33:44 - Holidays at Ilvermorny
39:54 - Conclusion

Secret Invasion Binge List

As Secret Invasion approaches on Disney Plus, I’m excited to see what Marvel will make of this intriguing storyline. My brother had told me about this plot from the comics years ago and then I saw it play out in cartoon form in Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Now we get to see it in live-action. I can only hope that Daisy Johnson (aka Quake) will return, as she was part of Fury’s team in the comics and cartoon. But since Agents of SHIELD is kind of semi-canon… we’ll see. There are two aspects of this show we know though: it will contain Nick Fury and the Skrulls. So let’s review Director Fury and his experience with these shapeshifters.

Captain Marvel

This prequel movie was Fury’s first encounter with the Skrulls, as well as ours. As a misunderstood faction of the shapeshifters infiltrated Earth, they sought only for the discovery and safety of their families. Along the way becoming allies with Carol, Fury, and Maria, they fought off the Kree before fleeing into space with Captain Marvel as their protector. We wouldn’t see the Skrulls again (knowingly at least) for many years yet.

Iron Man and Iron Man 2

This was our first present-day appearance of Director Fury. In the credits scene of Iron Man, he approached Tony Stark about the Avengers Initiative. Six months later, he set Black Widow undercover in Stark’s company to evaluate him. After helping Tony Stark save himself, Fury left as quickly as he’d arrived.

Thor

In the credit scene for Thor’s inaugural movie, we see Selvig in the aftermath of New Mexico, teaming up with SHIELD and Fury, leading directly into the events of The Avengers. Unfortunately, it’s obvious to the viewer that Loki is along for the ride with Selvig.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Again, Fury only makes a short appearance (he’s good at those). This time he appears in Times Square, welcoming Steve Rogers (aka Captain America) to the 21st Century. Defrosted after nearly 70 years, it understandably takes Steve a few minutes to acclimatize. 

The Avengers

A major player in this movie, Fury is the one who gets the Avengers together. It was his pet project after all, as we learned in Captain Marvel. First he was sending Widow to recruit Banner and then he was bringing Cap in himself. After Coulson’s death, Fury rallied them together and gave them someone to avenge (Coulson, of course) in the Battle of New York. He also helped them give the World Security Council the slip after the battle. 

Agents of SHIELD

Season 1, Episode 2

After assigning Coulson and his new team to the Bus, they got it wrecked leaving South America. So naturally Fury showed up to tell Coulson off, in a semi-humorous ending to the episode. Fury made a note to warn Coulson about his recruit, Skye. Things turned out okay in the end, so maybe that means Fury will recruit her as Quake to help in Secret Invasion (I’m going to keep dreaming).

Season 1, Episode 22

This episode takes place after Winter Soldier, but I’ll talk about it here while I’m already under the SHIELD heading. On his way to Europe after the events of Winter Soldier, Fury catches the signal of a stranded FitzSimmons. After rescuing them, it's off to help Coulson beat Garrett. And he does. And Fury goes off to do Fury-type stuff (starting to form his Secret Invasion team maybe?).

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

I loved this team up of Falcon, Cap, and Widow. This movie is largely considered one of the best MCU movies and it’s not hard to see why. In a way, this movie probably set in motion Fury recruiting his private team for Secret Invasion. With the fall of SHIELD and Fury’s supposed death, it creates a power vacuum and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Skrulls used this vacuum to begin advancing their invasion. It was also nice to see Fury in more of a major role, instead of making an appearance that lasted maybe five minutes like many MCU movies.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

So after the Avengers get their butts and minds kicked by Wanda, they take a little respite at the Barton Homestead. And it’s there that Fury shows up to give the Avengers the needed pep talk (and some intel about where to go next to fight Ultron). With the Avengers on the mission, Fury goes to pick up Coulson’s fleet of helicarriers (per the Theta Protocol in Agents of SHIELD). And with Ultron defeated and the New Avengers Facility up and running, Fury slips back into the shadows. 

Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame

While the Avengers are off fighting Thanos and the SHIELD team is off fighting Graviton, Fury and Hill are in Atlanta doing who-knows-what. Just as things are heating up, they start dusting into the air. But not before Fury can use his pager to call Captain Marvel. The next time we see Fury, it’s at Tony’s funeral. Or maybe it was never Fury… you’d never know if a Skrull got dusted instead of him. Peter Parker certainly didn’t know… but we’ll get to that in the next section.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

We’re led to believe that Fury is featured throughout this movie (only to find out in the credits scene that he’s off-world and Talos is covering for him). However, that doesn’t mean the appearance of “Nick Fury” with Spider-Man is meaningless. Fury obviously trusted Talos enough to leave him in charge and to play him. And this Skrull does a pretty good job (though I’d say he doesn’t have Fury’s instincts, or else he wouldn’t have trusted Mysterio). 

WandaVision

Season 1, Episode 9

After Monica Rambeau became super-powered during the events of WandaVision, a Skrull messenger was sent to touch base with her. This takes place during the mid-credits scene, so hopefully you didn’t miss it. It’s likely that she was recruited to help Fury. Only makes sense I suppose.

In addition to what I've already noted for Fury and Talos, we've also been told that Rhodey and Agent Ross will be appearing. If you want to watch Rhodey's story, I'd say to check out the Iron Man movies (all 3) and the Avengers movies (2-4). For Everett Ross, check out Civil War and both Black Panther movies.

So now we wait. Who’s a Skrull? Who’s human? And who’s a Skrull we can trust? And will we finally get to see Quake in the proper MCU? Come on and make Agents of SHIELD fully canon! But that could be a pipe dream. Only time will tell who’s in Fury’s inner circle.

Ant-Man Binge List

As we enter 2023, we also enter phase five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We begin with the third movie starring Ant-Man and the second movie starring Wasp (though technically she was in the first Ant-Man too, just not as Wasp yet). Ant-Man is one of my MCU favorites, and not just because of a man-crush on Paul Rudd. Regardless, we've got four movies featuring Ant-Man and one Disney Plus series featuring his villain. So let's review before Quantumania comes to theaters. 

Ant-Man 

I absolutely loved this movie. If you haven’t watched it in a while, watch it before the new movie comes out. A gem at the end of Phase Two, it was the solo hero origin story. Kind of refreshing after sequels and team ups. Getting to focus on ex-burglar Scott Lang and his inner battle trying to be a good father and a productive member of society. Now especially as a dad, I love this movie even more.

Captain America: Civil War 

Though he played a small part in this Avengers conflict, this movie bridges the gap between the two Ant-Man movies. After his encounter with Falcon during the first Ant-Man movie, it’s no surprise that Scott would be Team Cap. This movie also introduced Ant-Man’s super-sized “Giant Man” ability, which would become a staple of his powers later on.

Ant-Man and the Wasp 

After being put on house arrest in the aftermath of Civil War, this movie saw Scott teaming up with Hank and Hope (who were on the run, after the Avengers Civil War). On one hand, you had Ghost coming after them. But from other directions you have mobsters and the FBI chasing down Ant-Man. When you look at it like that, it almost sounds like a Scooby-Doo chase scene.

Avengers: Endgame 

Despite being absent in Infinity War (because of the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp, I suppose), Scott played an integral part of Endgame. After Chang freed him from the Quantum Realm, it was Ant-Man who put events into motion to carry through the Time Heist to bring back the Snapped. If Ant-Man wasn’t an Avenger after all that, he definitely is now.

Loki (Season 1, Episodes 1-6)

I’m still anxiously awaiting the second season. But I’m guessing the events of Quantumania will play directly into the events of Loki. The first season saw the Loki variant from Endgame going into the TVA and inadvertently taking it down (more or less). In the finale, his variant, Sylvie, kills the guy behind the TVA… who just so happens to be a variant of the main villain in Quantumania. 

Unfortunately, even after refreshing myself on all these movies, I’m unlikely to see Quantumania when it first comes out, as it premieres two days after my little girl is due. So to all of you seeing Quantumania in theaters, enjoy! And no spoilers! Once it hits Disney Plus, you can bet I’ll watch it right away.