What should I watch before Avengers: Doomsday?
Marvel’s official watchlist on Disney+ names 15 titles, from Fox’s X-Men (2000) to The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Short on time? Watch Endgame, Loki, Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and the Endgame Encore re-release the Russo brothers call required. The comics below are optional.
Spoiler note: this guide mentions plot points from older MCU films, including Endgame. It has no Doomsday spoilers.
What is on Marvel’s official Doomsday watchlist?
Marvel gathered 15 titles on Disney+ under a “Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday” collection. Here they are in Marvel’s order, with the reason each one matters to this film. The reasons are ours.
| # | Title | Why it matters for Doomsday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | X-Men (2000) | Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, Ian McKellen’s Magneto, James Marsden’s Cyclops and Rebecca Romijn’s Mystique are all in the cast. |
| 2 | X2 (2003) | Alan Cumming’s Nightcrawler first appeared here, and he’s in the cast too. |
| 3 | Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) | Steve Rogers, Bucky and Peggy Carter start here. Chris Evans is back as Steve. |
| 4 | The Avengers (2012) | The original team, and Loki as the villain. |
| 5 | Avengers: Infinity War (2018) | The Russos’ last pair of Avengers films starts here. This one sets up the losses. |
| 6 | Avengers: Endgame (2019) | Tony Stark dies, and Steve hands the shield to Sam Wilson and goes back to live with Peggy. Doomsday builds on both. |
| 7 | Loki (2021 to 2023) | The multiverse rules and the Sacred Timeline. |
| 8 | Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) | Simu Liu returns as Shang-Chi. |
| 9 | Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) | The multiverse breaks open on screen. |
| 10 | Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) | More multiversal stakes, and what messing with them costs. |
| 11 | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) | Shuri carries the Black Panther mantle, and Namor makes his debut. Tenoch Huerta Mejía is in the cast. |
| 12 | Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) | Channing Tatum’s Gambit is in this one, and Evans appeared as Johnny Storm. |
| 13 | Captain America: Brave New World (2025) | Sam Wilson’s first film as Captain America. |
| 14 | Thunderbolts* (2025) | The New Avengers team, plus Lewis Pullman’s Sentry. |
| 15 | The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) | The Fantastic Four’s own universe, and Doctor Doom’s first appearance in a post-credits scene. |
Marvel skipped The Marvels, X-Men: Days of Future Past and the Guardians films, which is a choice worth noticing.
What’s the shortcut if I only have a weekend?
Our pick, not Marvel’s: these five carry most of the weight.
- Avengers: Endgame: it’s the direct predecessor, according to the Russos.
- Endgame Encore: Joe Russo called the re-release required viewing. Popverse reports about four minutes of new footage.
- Loki: the best single explanation of how this multiverse works.
- Thunderbolts*: it introduces the team Doomsday carries forward, and Sentry.
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps: it sets up Doom and the Earth-828 universe.
Skip the other ten if you must, and read the cast table in our Doomsday hub first.
Rumored: scooper MyTimeToShineHello claims a cut First Steps post-credits scene put Steve Rogers on the Fantastic Four’s Earth. Nothing official backs that up.
What isn’t on the official list, and does it matter?
Spider-Man: Brand New Day opened July 31, 2026 and is not on Marvel’s 15. Marvel hasn’t said it’s needed for Doomsday, so treat it as optional. Endgame Encore also falls outside the 15.
What comics should I read before Doomsday?
This is where we add something a watchlist can’t. Marvel hasn’t said which Doom version the film uses, so these show where each version comes from.
| Comic | Creators | Why read it |
|---|---|---|
| Fantastic Four #5 (1962) | Stan Lee, Jack Kirby | Doom’s first appearance |
| Fantastic Four #57-60 (1966) | Lee, Kirby | Doom steals the Silver Surfer’s power |
| Secret Wars (1984) | Jim Shooter and others | Doom takes the Beyonder’s power |
| Secret Wars (2015) | Jonathan Hickman | God Emperor Doom |
| Infamous Iron Man (2016) | Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev | Doom trying to be a hero |
| One World Under Doom (2025) | Ryan North, R.B. Silva | Doom rules the world |
Skip the rest of the Doom back catalog unless you want the full picture. Our Doctor Doom complete guide covers it all.
Avengers: Doomsday watch order FAQ
Do I need to watch all 38 Marvel movies? No. Marvel’s own list is 15 titles.
Do I have to watch the X-Men movies? They’re on Marvel’s list because the original X-Men actors are in the cast. Nothing confirms how much their films matter to the plot.
Is Spider-Man: Brand New Day required? It isn’t on the list. Treat it as optional.
Where can I stream the list? All 15 are on Disney+ per Marvel’s collection.
Updated October 23, 2026