Thanos War Reading Order

Iron Man issues are from the Vol. 1 series
Captain Marvel issues are from the Vol. 1 series
Marvel Feature issues are from the Vol. 1 series
Daredevil issues are from the Vol. 1 series
Avengers issues are from the Vol. 1 series

Overview

Thanos War is a moderately sized comic book crossover event centered around the Captain Marvel series. The event mostly follows Captain Marvel and a few other heroes as they attempt to stop Thanos from taking over Earth and the universe as a whole. The event is notable for introducing Thanos and Drax the Destroyer and for expanding the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe

The main story from this event is told in the Captain Marvel series. Tie-in issues from other comic books either explain what is taking place in the background during this event or explain the history behind characters related to this event. 

Before Reading

The main character in Thanos War is Captain Mar-Vell of the Kree. His history plays a part in the narrative of this event but is almost always summarized before it is fully expanded upon. In this way, reading about his past is helpful but not altogether necessary. Readers interested in experiencing Captain Marvel's history beforehand should read Marvel Masterworks: Captain Marvel Vol. 1 (Review), Vol. 2 (Review), and the "Kree-Skrull War" portions of Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 10 (Review).

The rest of the main characters here are mostly introduced within the event itself. Thanos, Drax the Destroyer, and Moondragon make their comic debuts here and, thus, have no prior reading attached to them. Readers can jump in comfortably with no knowledge of these characters. 

After Reading

Since Thanos War is primarily centered around the Captain Marvel series, its aftermath is also centered around that series. The adventures of Mar-Vell and Rick Jones pick back up again in Captain Marvel #44, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Captain Marvel Vol. 4 (Review).

In addition, the story of Thanos continues on in the Warlock series. His role there starts in Warlock #9, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Adam Warlock Vol. 2.

Notes

1. This issue explains what Iron Man does after the events of Captain Marvel #30. It has little to no impact on the story as a whole.
2. These issues detail the background surrounding Moondragon. Reading them helps make her appearance in this event feel less sudden.
3. This issue shows the Avenger's role in this event. It is directly related to what is going on and is even mentioned by Thanos and Captain Marvel. However, it does not have a huge impact on the outcome of this event.

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