The essential Marvel movies and shows to watch before Thunderbolts – a spoiler-free guide

You know the drill by now. As with any upcoming Marvel movie, there's (usually) a handful of projects from the MCU's back catalogue to watch – or rewatch – in the hopes of making sense of another instalment.

Thunderbolts* is no different. Bundling together a crew of misfits and anti-heroes from Marvel's past across film and television, the all-star crossover brings the likes of Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes into the same orbit as Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova for the first time.

Throw in Ant-Man alumni making a surprise return, Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Val finally stepping out of the shadows, and Lewis Pullman's Sentry/Bob bringing The Void to the MCU, there are plenty of new and unexpected angles to consider – so it pays to do your Marvel homework ahead of time.

Below, we'll give you the spoiler-free guide on what to watch before Thunderbolts*. For more, check out the story so far in Marvel Phase 5 as well as the full picture to date in the Marvel timeline.

The Marvel movies and shows to watch before Thunderbolts

Black Widow

This is the big one. First introducing Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova into the MCU, 2021's Black Widow will be a major touchstone for Thunderbolts*.

Not only does Black Widow introduce Yelena to the MCU, it also deals with the fallout from her relationship with former sister-in-arms Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson).

Yelena, of course, will return in Thunderbolts* as, too, will her continued grief over the loss of Black Widow. It also sees the return of copycat villain Taskmaster – even if most fans think she won't stick around for the entirety of the runtime.

Throw in more of Yelena's family unit with David Harbour's Red Guardian making a comeback after first showing up in Black Widow and there's certainly an argument to be made that Thunderbolts* is the closest we'll get to a follow-up to that movie – a Black Widow 1.5, if you will.

To put a button on it all, Black Widow also marks the arrival of Julia Louis-Dreyfus' shadowy operative Val in the MCU. The Black Widow post-credits scene also kicks off a working relationship between Yelena and Val.

To see where that heads next, you'll need to watch episodes four and five of the Disney Plus series Hawkeye. From there, Yelena's adventures and off-the-books jobs for Val continue in Thunderbolts*.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

If Black Widow is the essential MCU project to catch up on ahead of Thunderbolts*, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier might be 1-B.

Why? Enter: Bucky Barnes. His character arc is one of Marvel's strongest, beginning as a plucky soldier in World War Two, being brainwashed into being a sleeper agent, and later emerging as one of Marvel's most affable, yet complicated, characters.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, then, really digs into what makes Bucky tick as he reflects on his past lives while also teaming up with Sam Wilson's Falcon to put the stop to an anarchic group known as The Flag Smashers.

The Disney Plus series also deals with the legacy of Captain America. The next person to wield the shield, aside from Sam Wilson, is Wyatt Russell's John Walker. He may bloody and tarnish the stars and stripes in this limited series, but he clearly has a lot of growing up to do – and that's something that will surely be explored more during Thunderbolts*.

Alongside Falcon and The Winter Soldier, we'd certainly recommend (if time permits) 2011's Captain America, 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and 2016's Captain America: Civil War. Each charts Bucky's main arc in the MCU, as well as standing out as some of Marvel's finest films.

Speaking of Captain America features, Brave New World is also a key footnote for what's to come in Thunderbolts*. The surprise appearance of Bucky in that politically-charged thriller reveals he's running for Congress – a narrative thread that carries over into the Marvel team-up.

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Now, this maybe wasn't one you were expecting to crop up on this list. Largely divorced from Marvel's grand tapestry of cinematic entries, 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp includes one character who will be making a surprise return in Thunderbolts*.

Hannah John-Kamen's Ghost was at risk of becoming one of the MCU's forgotten figures, joining the likes of Walton Goggins' Sonny Burch and Laurence Fishburne's Bill Foster in being Marvel memory-holed. But the largely tragic figure will continue her journey in Thunderbolts*, so you may need a refresher with this divisive Ant-Man sequel.

Avengers: Endgame

Six years on, Avengers: Endgame remains Marvel Studios' North Star. As such, would always recommend checking back in on the Infinity Saga conclusion before major Marvel movie events. In this case, it works in tandem with Black Widow to reveal the ripple effect Natasha's death in Endgame has on some major players the MCU.

There's been plenty of talk about how Thunderbolts* will spark important, meaningful conversations surrounding mental health. At the heart of that will be how Yelena deals with Natasha's passing. So, yes, you can enjoy 'On Your Left', I Love You 3000, and a whole host of other iconic MCU moments, but it's worth digging into Endgame again for Natasha's sacrifice and the personal impact it will later have on Yelena.

For more, check out our complete guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order. Then dive into our interview with Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier as he talks how the script evolved from its Die Hard origins.