Everything You Need To Know About ‘Captain Marvel’ Before You See ‘Endgame’

Avengers: Endgame is going to be the culmination of everything we've ever known for the past 11 years in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And before the final showdown on April 26, most of our heroes have already met each other, across both Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. But there's still one hero who has yet to be introduced to the whole gang — or what's left of it: Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). And while it might help to see Captain Marvel before Endgame, you'll still be able to appreciate the powerful character without it.

In the post-credits scene in Infinity War, Nick Fury's last act before disintegrating into dust is to page the universe's protector, knowing that she would have a lot to contribute to solve this intergalactic dilemma. There have also been rumors that she's going to be the one to defeat Thanos, as she's going to be a real match for the Mad Titan.

Though there's no guarantee that her addition to the Avengers roster makes her the key to defeating Thanos, Carol Danvers will for sure play a big role in the plan. Especially since it seems that the Avengers are all out of other options, what with their other comrades dead by dusting.

The second Endgame trailer shows Captain Marvel strategizing with her fellow superheroes for the first time, and it doesn't exactly involve a warm welcoming party. They want to know where she's been all this time, and she then explains that she's been defending the rest of the universe while the Avengers have been protecting Earth, which makes her sound like a pretty big deal — which, I mean, she is.

Captain Marvel is required viewing for anyone who wants to fully understand who Carol is, how she's come to be an intergalactic hero, and why she might just be the secret weapon the Avengers need to defeat Thanos. There are plenty of Easter eggs hidden in the movie that show us just how vital Danvers' storyline is in the grander scheme of the MCU.

The film, which is set the 1995, doesn't only introduce us to Captain Marvel, who is a human who gained incredible power from the Tesseract and was kidnapped by the Kree. Having lost her memories of Earth, she believed she was a Kree, but learns differently when she crash-lands on earth mid-battle. By seeing Captain Marvel in action, you'll understand not just how powerful she is but how powerful the Space Stone is, and how her connection with the stone might affect the outcome of Endgame.

Captain Marvel also sets up another narrative that goes beyond Infinity War. The film talks about a centuries-long (or even millennia-long) conflict that is larger than the one Thanos has caused. We learn about the Kree, their conflict with the Skrull, and the desire to be the supreme alien race. We also learn more about Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. — a study under S.H.I.E.L.D. that investigated the Tesseract's power, and how to apply that to space flight (and possibly more).

All of this is just to say that, yes, you absolutely should watch Captain Marvel before watching Endgame. You won't be lost if you can't, but this character has just begun to leave her mark on the MCU.