What to Watch Before Avengers: Doomsday
Updated
Doomsday picks up fourteen months after Thunderbolts*, with the multiverse collapsing and heroes from three universes (the Avengers and New Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and Fox’s X-Men) facing Doctor Doom. In August 2026 Marvel published its own 15-title “Need to Watch” list on Disney+ (about 42 hours). This guide follows that list, explains why each title is on it, and adds the one recent release it leaves out.
17 titles · about 42h 53m · in the order we’d watch them
Pick a pace to see if you’ll make it.
Catch up before you watch Avengers: Doomsday
- Released
- December 18, 2026
- Where to watch
- In theaters, then on Disney+ a few months later
- This catch-up list
- 17 titles · about 42.9h
Want a day-by-day schedule? The marathon planner builds one, and the tracker keeps your place.
The 17 titles to watch, in order
- 1
X-Men
Why it mattersOn Marvel’s official list. Doomsday’s X-Men come from the Fox universe, and this is where Professor X, Magneto, Cyclops and Mystique start.
- 2
X2
Why it mattersOn Marvel’s official list. The best of the original X-Men films, and Nightcrawler’s debut.
- 3
Captain America: The First Avenger
Why it mattersOn Marvel’s official list. Steve Rogers’ origin and Peggy Carter. Both are back in Doomsday.
- 4
Marvel's The Avengers
Why it mattersOn Marvel’s official list. The original team, and the first time Loki and the Avengers clash.
- 5
Avengers: Infinity War
Why it mattersOn Marvel’s official list. Wakanda, Thor, and the last crossover on this scale.
- 6
Avengers: Endgame
Why it mattersOn Marvel’s official list. The end of the Infinity Saga, and the time-travel heist that leads straight into Loki.
- 7
Loki: Season 1
Why it mattersOn Marvel’s official list, the only Disney+ series on it. Introduces the TVA, variants and the branching multiverse.
- 8
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Why it mattersOn Marvel’s official list. Shang-Chi is in the Doomsday cast, and the Ten Rings are still an open question.
- 9
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Why it mattersOn Marvel’s official list. Shows what happens when universes start leaking into each other.
- 10
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Why it mattersOn Marvel’s official list. Explains incursions: universes colliding and destroying each other, the threat Doomsday is built on.
- 11
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Why it mattersOn Marvel’s official list. Wakanda after T’Challa, plus Namor and Talokan, who are back in Doomsday.
- 12
Loki: Season 2
Why it mattersOn Marvel’s official list (as part of Loki). Picks up the TVA story where Season 1 leaves it; Tom Hiddleston is back in Doomsday.
- 13
Deadpool & Wolverine
Why it mattersOn Marvel’s official list. The TVA, a dying Fox universe, and first contact with Fox’s mutants.
- 14
Captain America: Brave New World
Why it mattersOn Marvel’s official list. Sam Wilson’s first film as Captain America, and the push to rebuild the Avengers.
- 15
Thunderbolts*
Why it mattersOn Marvel’s official list. Yelena’s team-up, and an end-credit scene that leads into Doomsday.
- 16
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Why it mattersOn Marvel’s official list. The Fantastic Four of Earth-828, and a mid-credit scene that introduces Doom.
- 17
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Why it mattersOur addition. It came out after the list was published, so it isn’t on it; not essential for Doomsday’s plot, but it’s the most recent MCU film.
Pick your path
Marvel’s list is solid but long. Here’s how it compares with a shorter and a longer option.
| Path | Titles | Time | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekend speed-run | 5 | about 13h 40m | You’ve seen Endgame and want the essentials since. |
| Marvel’s official list (above) | 15 (16 with Loki’s seasons split) | about 40h 28m | Most viewers. Marvel’s own picks, covering every Doomsday thread. |
| Full path | 27 | about 66h 48m | New to the MCU, or a proper rewatch. |
The weekend speed-run
- Avengers: Endgame
- Loki: Season 1
- Deadpool & Wolverine
- Thunderbolts*
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Endgame for where everyone landed, Loki for the TVA and variants, Deadpool & Wolverine for the Fox universe, Thunderbolts* for the New Avengers, and First Steps for the Fantastic Four and Doom. If you have one more evening, add Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The full path
Everything on the list above, plus the background that makes it land, in release order.
- Iron Man
- Thor
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Captain America: Civil War
- Doctor Strange
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Black Panther
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Season 1
Avengers: Endgame Encore: do you need it?
Endgame went back into theaters on September 25, 2026 as Avengers: Endgame Encore, with a new introduction, about two minutes of new footage and new credits scenes meant to bridge into Doomsday. Premium-format screenings add an exclusive look at Doomsday, another three to four minutes. It’s a nice extra if it’s still playing near you, but the regular Endgame tells the same story. Our Endgame Encore guide has the details.
A quick spoiler warning
Prep lists (Marvel’s included) can give away who turns up where. If you haven’t seen Spider-Man: No Way Home or Deadpool & Wolverine yet, watch them before you read cast lists or trailer breakdowns. Our title pages keep surprise cameos out of the summaries.
Common “do I need it?” questions
- Do I need the X-Men movies? Only X-Men and X2, really.
- Do I need the Thor movies? Ragnarok and Love and Thunder matter most.
- Do I need Loki? Yes, it’s the closest thing to required.
- Do I need Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? No.
Or follow the five character threads
Doomsday has a huge cast, but almost everyone in it belongs to one of five storylines. If you know where each group stands, you’ll follow the film.
1. Sam Wilson’s Avengers
Steve Rogers handed Sam the shield at the end of Endgame. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is where Sam decides to carry it, and Brave New World ends with him setting out to rebuild the Avengers. Joaquin Torres, the new Falcon, is with him.
2. Yelena’s New Avengers
Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, John Walker and the Sentry end Thunderbolts* rebranded by Valentina as the New Avengers, a team Sam never signed off on. Two teams calling themselves the Avengers is a problem Doomsday has to deal with. Yelena’s backstory is in Black Widow and Hawkeye.
3. Loki and the multiverse
The multiverse exists because of what happened in Loki. By the end of Season 2, Loki is holding the branching timelines together himself. Multiverse of Madness explains incursions, where universes collide and destroy each other, the kind of collapse Doomsday opens with. Our multiverse explainer and TVA explainer cover the rules.
4. The Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom
The Fantastic Four live on Earth-828, a retro-futurist world. First Steps is the one film to watch for them, and its mid-credit scene is your first real look at Doom. Robert Downey Jr. playing Doom is the big swing of the whole saga; Doctor Doom explained covers who he is in the comics.
5. The X-Men
Doomsday’s mutants come from the Fox universe: Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, Ian McKellen’s Magneto, James Marsden’s Cyclops, Kelsey Grammer’s Beast, Alan Cumming’s Nightcrawler, Rebecca Romijn’s Mystique and Channing Tatum’s Gambit. Deadpool & Wolverine shows that universe dying; X-Men and X2 remind you who these people were. The X-Men movies in order page has the rest.
Not sure about a specific title? Check do I need to watch it? or see the full Doomsday cast.
Track your prep with the MCU tracker or schedule it with the marathon planner.
Avengers: Doomsday prep FAQ
What is the minimum to watch before Avengers: Doomsday?
If you only have a weekend: Endgame, Loki Season 1, Deadpool & Wolverine, Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. That covers the TVA, the multiverse, the New Avengers, the Fantastic Four and Doom.
Do I need to watch the X-Men movies before Doomsday?
Not to follow the plot. But Doomsday’s returning X-Men are Fox’s, played by Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Alan Cumming and Kelsey Grammer, so X-Men and X2 add a lot of weight. Channing Tatum’s Gambit is the exception: he first played the role in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Is Loki required viewing before Doomsday?
It’s the closest thing to required. Loki explains the TVA, variants and the multiverse, and Tom Hiddleston is in the Doomsday cast.
Do I need to watch Ironheart, Agatha or the other Disney+ shows?
No. Loki is the only Disney+ series on Marvel’s official list. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier helps with Sam’s story but isn’t required.
When is Avengers: Doomsday released?
December 18, 2026 in the US. It runs about 2 hours 45 minutes, according to reports.
What is on Marvel’s official Doomsday watch list?
In August 2026 Disney+ added a “Need to Watch” list of 15 titles, about 42 hours in total: X-Men, X2, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Infinity War, Endgame, Loki, Shang-Chi, No Way Home, Wakanda Forever, Brave New World, Deadpool & Wolverine, Multiverse of Madness, Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
What did Marvel’s official list leave out?
Notably Civil War, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and The Marvels. None is required, but Civil War and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier explain a lot about where the Avengers stand.
Is there an official Marvel recap before Doomsday?
Yes. Marvel ran a five-episode official podcast, The Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday, from August 2026, and Avengers: Endgame returned to theaters in September 2026 as “Avengers: Endgame Encore.”