Soon Brie Larson will be bringing Carol Danvers to life in, well, Captain Marvel, but if you want to get the most out of the new movie, you’re going to want to check out a few comics before you hit the theater.

Marvel’s Carol Danvers took on the Captain Marvel mantle in 2012, but the character has been around since 1968, and since her inception, the character’s changed quite a bit over the years. Not only has her character changed though, but also her history, legacy, powers, and supporting cast, and the upcoming Marvel Studios film will take bits and pieces of that varied history to come up with its own formula.

The upcoming movie will be an entryway for new fans to become acquainted with Captain Marvel, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t something to be gained from seeing where things all started. You’ll pick up plenty of hints and Easter eggs by knowing a few key stories before grabbing your popcorn and witnessing Captain Marvel on the big screen, and we’re here to give you a handy-dandy guide to the points you might want to hit at your local comic store or online.

Before we get started though, let’s go over some of the basics. The character of Carol Danvers was created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan in 1968, where she would star alongside Captain Marvel in his ongoing title. Eventually, Marvel shifted gears and wanted a big-time female superhero, so Danvers, now going by Ms. Marvel, was given her own series, a book that launched thanks to the help of Gerry Conway, John Buscema, and Chris Claremont. Carol would then go on to become Ms. Marvel for quite some time, with a few changes in between, until ultimately accepting the mantle of Captain Marvel and becoming the hero we know today.

Now, one thing we’re doing in this list is not necessarily going with the most obvious choices, like Ms. Marvel’s original ’60s series, because honestly there are better books later on that sum up those events, and some of those pieces of history have been changed recently anyway.

If you want a bigger deep dive into the character’s history, you can check out our 101 guide with everything you need to know about her. If not, sit back, relax, and check out the stories we recommend you read before seeing Captain Marvel hit the big screen!

Who Is Mar-Vell?

The good news is you don’t need to read all of the original Captain Marvel’s stories to get a handle on things regarding Carol, but you should touch on a few stories to get you acquainted with the concept.

Nothing too deep mind you, just an acquaintance with the players and concepts will suffice. So for that, you should check out Captain Marvel #1 (1969), which focuses on the Kree soldier Mar-Vell. Mar-Vell was actually his real name, but when he first stopped Yon-Rogg on Earth, people heard Marvel, not Mar-Vell, and so coined him with the name Captain Marvel. Now, this isn’t his first appearance, but you’ll get the gist of him by the time the issue ends.

This issue also introduces you to Yon-Rogg, and if you want a better idea of him you can also check out Captain Marvel #1 – 3. These issues will also introduce you to Walter Lawson, the human identity Mar-Vell took on after Yon-Rogg killed the original Lawson. It’s through living Lawson’s life that Mar-Vell gets to know Carol Danvers, and thus the two start a friendship and eventually more.

Speaking of Danvers, you’ll also want to check out Captain Marvel #18, which features the moment when a fight between Mar-Vell and Yon-Rogg ended up resulting in Carol having her genetic structure changed and given powers, though as we’ll learn later on that wasn’t the entire story.

WHAT TO READ:

Captain Marvel #1 – #3 (1969)

Captain Marvel Masterworks Vol. 1 TPB (2017)

Captain Marvel #18 (1969)

Captain Marvel Masterworks Vol. 2 TPB (2017)

The Life Of Captain Marvel

Now let’s tackle the origin of how Carol Danvers got her powers in the first place. As discussed on the previous slide, the original origin had Danvers’ exposure to the radiation rays of the Psyche-Magnitron and Mar-Vell’s own DNA altering hers, but as we learned in The Life of Captain Marvel (1-5), that was not completely the case.

In this 2018 series, Marvel reveals that Carol’s mother isn’t human at all, but is, in fact, a Kree warrior — a fact that surfaces thanks to a Kree bounty hunter coming after her after her beacon is reactivated accidentally by Carol. It’s explained that Carol’s full lineage is all Kree, and that her DNA wasn’t restructured or changed after the incident with the Psyche-Magnitron, only awakened.

So, the powers she has were there all the time but weren’t triggered until her encounter with Mar-Vell and Yon-Rogg. This was part of an effort to streamline Carol’s rather convoluted origins, so we expect aspects of this will be used in the movie, but honestly, the film might divert a great deal from it too. Either way, it’s good to understand where the character is now in the comics, and how her origins will be referred to in the future outside of the MCU.

WHAT TO READ:

The Life of Captain Marvel #1 – #5 (2018)

The Life of Captain Marvel TPB (2019)

Kree/Skrull War

Both the Kree and the Skrulls have long histories in the Marvel Universe, but thankfully to understand where the basis of Captain Marvel‘s take on the conflict you only have to go to one series of issues.

The Skrulls were around first, but were eventually joined by the Kree civilization in the comics. They would grow to dislike each other a great deal, and their conflict would grow to include Earth, though not for the reason you think. The Skrulls wanted to utilize the Earth as a front in their war against the Kree, and so Earth’s Avengers and Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) would battle to try and turn the tide, all the while with the Kree attempting to push their agenda as well.

While this event spun out many things for both civilizations in future comics, you can check out this main conflict in Avengers #89 – #97, and you can now find this in collected editions as well.

WHAT TO READ:

Avengers #89 – #97 (1971)

Avengers: Kree/Skrull War TPB (2012)

Monica Rambeau

Mar-Vell and Carol Danvers were not the only ones to use the Captain Marvel name, as between them the character of Monica Rambeau held the mantle.

Monica is one of Carol’s longtime friends in the comics, though we wouldn’t say they are best friends any longer as that would be reserved for Jessica Drew these days. Monica was created by Roger Stern and John Romita Jr. in 1982, and while the movie focuses on Monica’s mother, Maria, we think that some of Monica’s history will be used for Maria, even though Monica is in the movie as Maria’s daughter.

In any case, in the books, Monica held the title for a bit, becoming the second Captain Marvel in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual. She would go on to use this moniker for some time until Genis-Vell took the name, then changing her name to Photon. Ironically she would change it again thanks to Genis-Vell taking her Photon moniker, and as we learned in Captain Marvel #7, she is just as annoyed with Carol after finding out she had taken the Captain Marvel name.

This story shows the two friends together after some time apart, and after a hilarious exchange about code names and who should’ve called who, we get to see the two back in action. Who knows, maybe by the end we’ll also see Maria Rambeau sporting some powers of her own.

WHAT TO READ:

The Amazing Spider-Man Annual (1982)

Captain Marvel #7 (2012)

Captain Marvel: Monica Rambeau TPB (2019)

Family

While The Life of Captain Marvel changes up some dynamics between Carol and her family, you still need to understand the original rocky nature between them and how it began, and for needed context look no further than this fantastic one-issue read.

This issue also serves as the perfect primer on what happened between Rogue and Carol, though it doesn’t go into as much detail as other stories. Thing is, you honestly shouldn’t need that anyway until a possible movie sequel, and we’ll get you all prepared that eventuality as well, so worry not.

In any case, Brian Reed shows the more personal and heartbreaking nature of what Rogue did to Carol. When the two fought, Rogue was a villain at the time, and so went to drain Carol’s powers when she touched her. Unfortunately, she didn’t just draw out Carol’s powers, but also her memories and, even more importantly, her emotions tied to those memories.

During a reunion with her mother and her father as well as her brother, we see the extent of the damage that really caused. While Professor Xavier was able to get her memories back and the Brood of all people gave her her powers back, her emotional ties to those memories remained severed. She knows who her parents were and even former loves of hers, but she didn’t feel anything towards them, and that hasn’t been easy for her family.

It’s dysfunction at its finest, but it’s not truly Carol or her mother’s fault, and at times the gap between them is heartbreaking. Seriously, we couldn’t recommend it more.

WHAT TO READ:

Ms. Marvel #31 Vol. 2 (2006)

Captain Marvel: Carol Danvers – The Ms. Marvel Years Vol. 2 TPB (2018)

A Furry Introduction

This one isn’t the most vital to be sure, but it’s an enjoyable adventure that teams Ms. Marvel with Doctor Strange and reveals a certain name that we all love: Chewie.

While the movie has renamed her Goose, in the books Carol’s cat is named Chewie, and this adventure is what really makes that story stick. The cat had been around previously and even used as a weapon against Warren Traveller (literally, she threw her at him), but by issue’s end we see how much of an adorable nerd Carol is, and her world would never be the same.

Plus it’s really fun, with Brian Reed at his best and name delivering some great visuals. This team was quite the pair, and we kind of wish they had done more together.

WHAT TO READ:

Ms. Marvel Vol. 2 #4 – #5 (2006)

Captain Marvel: Carol Danvers – The Ms. Marvel Years Vol. 1 TPB (2018)

A Human Hero

There are several elements of Carol Danvers that we adore, but one of them is just how human she can be. Her flaws and mistakes are what make her incredibly relatable, as is her quest to right past wrongs when she ultimately comes to terms with them. For a prime example of that, look no further than the original Civil War event.

As opposed to the dumpster fire that was Civil War II, the first Civil War featured a wealth of understandable grey, where heroes had to make choices they didn’t want to make but for a cause you could at least comprehend. As we see in Ms. Marvel #6 – 8, Carol sided with Tony Stark and the pro-registration movement and ultimately has to arrest a few friends, including Julia Carpenter.

Carol struggles several times with her lot in all this, believing that Stark’s pre-registration is good for the country but is blind to nuance, and perhaps going too far in its goal to rein in vigilantism. This goes past the superficial hero vs. hero aspect and dives into the personal lives behind the masks, showing a conflicted Carol arrest Carpenter in front of her own daughter, and the fight that ensues leaves everyone looking horrified, casting doubt on Carol even more.

Carol acknowledges that Carpenter had her own part to play, but also realizes she handled this the wrong way, and another adventure in Ms. Marvel #14 goes about setting that right. Our hero doesn’t always do the right thing, just like all of us, but when she does make a mistake, she does everything she can to make it right, and seeing that process in real time is definitely one of the many reasons Captain Marvel is one of our favorites.

Granted, none of this will (probably) make it into the movie, but it will give you a sense of who this character really is.

WHAT TO READ:

Ms. Marvel Vol. 2 #6 – 8  (2006)

Ms. Marvel Vol. 2 #14 (2006)

Captain Marvel: Carol Danvers – The Ms. Marvel Years Vol. 1 TPB (2018)

Higher, Further, Faster, More

Now this one is probably the series most are familiar with, which is understandable since it also happens to be the tagline for the film. Kelly Sue DeConnick’s run on the character is what most associate with Carol’s time as Captain Marvel, and if you want a sense of the tone this film is most likely going for, look no further.

The laid-back charm of Carol Danvers is at its highest here, and though the character has also never been more confident, there is still a vulnerability and endearing self-deprecating humor to her that continues from the previous series. This series also brings in many of the space elements that we feel are going to be strong elements going forward in the films, so it’s something to pay attention to.

Beyond just being a fun space adventure, we see Captain Marvel interact with the Guardians of the Galaxy and even meet a new ally named Tic, who we would love to see introduced somewhere in the film. We also see more of Tracy Burke, another supporting character that meant a great deal to Carol’s world in recent years that we would love to see on the big screen.

Oh, and we couldn’t help but mention the hilarious scene between Rocket Raccoon and Chewie, which is worth reading this arc for alone.

WHAT TO READ:

Captain Marvel #1 – #6 (2014)

Captain Marvel Vol. 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More TPB (2014)

The Flerken

If you are looking for more Chewie, then Captain Marvel #7 – #8 are the issues for you. It’s here that Rocket Racoon’s claims about Chewie being an alien Flerken are realized, and it turns out that Chewie is now a proud mama.

So, now there’s an army of Flerken running around a ship that is being invaded, resulting in an amazing team-up between Rocket and Chewie that shows off just what the adorable cat/alien can do. Chewie then gets kidnapped by some mercenaries called the Haffensye, who shackle her and put a muzzle on her.

We did see this reflected on one of the Captain Marvel action figures, so there is a thought that this could make its way into the movie at some point, as could the Haffensye. Plus, it’s a fun story, so what better reason to take a look.

WHAT TO READ:

Captain Marvel #7 – #8 (2014)

Captain Marvel Vol. 2: Stay Fly TPB (2014)

Captain Marvel #12 (2014)

Captain Marvel Vol. 3: Alis Volat Propriis TPB (2014)