BEFORE YOU SEE BLACK WIDOW watch these movies!!

Marvel Studios‘ attempt at a modern day spy thriller hit theaters and streaming today! Black Widow is a very fun action-packed thrill ride with great new characters and emotional story beats that pull it all together in one excellent Marvel movie package.

BUT, it’s not the first Marvel movie that ANYONE should see. If you’re a newcomer, haven’t caught all the MCU films or don’t really remember some important story beats along the way, you’ll want to brush up on your Marvel Movies. Even though this is the 24th Marvel movie, don’t think you have to go back and watch 23 films just for this 1 flick. And the good news: they’re all streaming no on Disney+.

Here’s the movies you’ll either want to see and revisit before you watch Black Widow…

Avengers (2012) – Natasha Romanov aka the Black Widow was actually introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe back in Iron Man 2. But, there’s nothing you learn from that movie that you don’t get from The Avengers. Black Widow’s introduction in the film shows off her prowess as an international super spy for S.H.I.E.L.D. and establishes he membership as one of the Avengers. This is a great entry point for anyone new to Marvel movies and especially for those who want to learn about Black Widow.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) – “But wait…” I hear you saying, “That’s the second Captain America movie!” Yes, but again, Avengers serves as a great intro many Avengers characters including the Super Soldier from the 1940s. More importantly, we get to see Black Widow develop as a character as well as her relationship with Cap and S.H.I.E.L.D. Winter Soldier is the MCU movie most like the new Black Widow movie, also being a superhero/spy thriller. Get to like Nat more in this movie.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) – More character development for Nat as we find she has developed a relationship with Bruce Banner and his alter ego, The Hulk. We also see great scenes where she shows her integration in this team that includes an armored tech genius and space god. Most important to this Black Widow binge, Age of Ultron serves as a very important link to the following and last movie in this list….

Captain America: Civil War (2016) – This movie sees the consequences of the last two films of this list as the Avengers team is divided and Black Widow takes a side. The end of this movie changes everything to this point and lays the groundwork for this movie. You will feel some confusion if you skip this one, so if there’s ONE movie to see on this list, it’s Civil War.

Okay, so you’re all set for the new Black Widow Movie… Except the end credits.

These last entries to this list enter SPOILER TERRITORY, so if you want zero hints to what happens, DO NOT SCROLL DOWN. I will not reveal what happens, I’m just going to list what additional Marvel media you must watch for this scene to make sense.

You’ve been warned…