What to Watch Before Avengers: Doomsday

Avengers: Doomsday is bringing together the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and heroes from across the wider Marvel multiverse.

That sounds like a lot of homework.

It does not have to be.

You do not need to restart the MCU from Iron Man, watch every Disney+ series or work your way through the entire X-Men franchise before heading to the cinema.

Geekorama breaks the road to Doomsday into three simple levels:

• Essential: The projects we think matter most.
• Recommended: Worth watching if you want more character and story context.
• Optional: Useful background, but not required for your Doomsday catch-up.

If you are seriously short on time, stick to Essential and come back for the rest later.

The Short Answer

If you only want the projects that give you the strongest foundation for Avengers: Doomsday, start with these seven:

• Avengers: Endgame
• Loki
• Deadpool & Wolverine
• X-Men
• X2
• Thunderbolts*
• The Fantastic Four: First Steps

That gives you the current state of the Avengers, the TVA and multiverse, the New Avengers, the Fantastic Four and the returning X-Men side of the story.

If you have more time, continue into the Recommended section afterwards.

Essential Viewing Before Avengers: Doomsday

Avengers: Endgame

Doomsday is the next Avengers movie after Endgame, so this is the clearest place to begin.

Endgame closes the Infinity Saga, reshapes the Avengers and establishes the world the newer generation of heroes inherited.

It is also important for Loki. The version of Loki followed in the Disney+ series exists because of the Avengers' time-travel mission during Endgame.

If it has been a while since you followed the main Avengers story, this is the movie to refresh first.

Why it matters: It establishes where the Avengers story currently stands and directly sets up the version of Loki who becomes central to the multiverse storyline.

Marvel Movie · 2019

Avengers: Endgame

Essential

Start here if it has been a while since you followed the main Avengers story.

View in Marvel Library

Loki

For Doomsday preparation, Loki is essential.

The series introduces the Time Variance Authority, branching timelines and the machinery behind the MCU's multiverse.

By the end of Season 2, Loki's relationship with those timelines has fundamentally changed, and the TVA has become one of the most important organisations in Marvel's multiverse story.

Recent official Doomsday material has made the TVA and collapsing timelines directly relevant to the new Avengers story.

If you remember the Infinity Saga but skipped most Marvel television, Loki is the show we would prioritise.

Why it matters: TVA, timelines, the multiverse and Loki himself.

Marvel Series · 2021

Loki

Essential

The most important MCU series for understanding the TVA and the multiverse before Doomsday.

View in Marvel Library

Deadpool & Wolverine

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the clearest bridges between the MCU and Marvel characters from outside its original continuity.

Its TVA connection makes it especially useful if you want to understand how Marvel now handles alternate universes, legacy characters and worlds that were once completely separate.

You do not need to understand every reference or cameo.

The important part is seeing how different Marvel universes can now cross into the same story.

Why it matters: It connects the MCU, the TVA and legacy Marvel universes.

Marvel Movie · 2024

Deadpool & Wolverine

Essential

A major bridge between the MCU, the TVA and Marvel's legacy film universes.

View in Marvel Library

X-Men

The original X-Men movie is now much more relevant than you might expect from a film released in 2000.

Several actors from the Fox X-Men films are returning for Avengers: Doomsday, including performers associated with Professor X, Magneto, Cyclops, Mystique, Beast and Nightcrawler.

X-Men gives you the core relationship between Charles Xavier and Magneto and establishes the mutant world many of those returning characters come from.

You do not need to watch the entire Fox X-Men franchise before Doomsday.

This is the best place to begin.

Why it matters: It introduces the returning X-Men generation and the Xavier-Magneto relationship.

Marvel Movie · 2000

X-Men

Essential

The fastest introduction to the returning Fox-era X-Men characters.

View in Marvel Library

X2

If you have time for a second classic X-Men movie, make it X2.

It expands the Xavier and Magneto dynamic, gives the established X-Men more room to develop and introduces Nightcrawler.

Alan Cumming is among the actors officially returning for Doomsday, which makes X2 particularly useful background.

Together, X-Men and X2 give you enough context for most of the returning mutant characters without requiring a full franchise marathon.

Why it matters: It expands the mutant world and gives you more context for several returning Doomsday characters.

Marvel Movie · 2003

X2

Essential

Watch after X-Men for more context on the returning Fox-era mutant team.

View in Marvel Library

Thunderbolts*

The MCU no longer has one obvious Avengers team waiting for the next global threat.

Thunderbolts* changes that.

The film brings together several existing characters and establishes a new team heading into the next Avengers story.

Characters from Thunderbolts* are part of the officially announced Doomsday cast, including Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen and Lewis Pullman.

You will get much more from those team dynamics in Doomsday if you already understand how they came together.

Why it matters: It establishes one of the major present-day teams entering Doomsday.

Marvel Movie · 2025

Thunderbolts*

Essential

Establishes the New Avengers and several characters returning in Doomsday.

View in Marvel Library

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

If there is one newer Marvel movie you should not skip, it is The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

It introduces Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm, along with their retro-futuristic alternate Earth.

The Fantastic Four are not simply making a cameo in Doomsday.

Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are all part of the officially announced cast, and Marvel has described Doomsday as bringing heroes from three distinct universes onto a collision course.

Disney's own Doomsday countdown also highlights The Fantastic Four: First Steps as part of the road to the film.

Why it matters: It introduces the Fantastic Four and their universe before they collide with the wider Marvel story.

Marvel Movie · 2025

The Fantastic 4: First Steps

Essential

Essential introduction to the Fantastic Four before their role in Doomsday.

View in Marvel Library

Recommended Viewing

Finished the essentials?

These projects add important context without being the first things we would tell a returning Marvel viewer to prioritise.

The Avengers

The original Avengers movie shows Earth's Mightiest Heroes coming together for the first time and establishes Loki's history with the team.

It is especially worthwhile if it has been years since you watched the Infinity Saga.

Marvel Movie · 2012

The Avengers

Recommended

Useful background for the original Avengers team and Loki's history with them.

View in Marvel Library

Avengers: Infinity War

Infinity War and Endgame work as one enormous finale.

You can refresh yourself with Endgame alone if time is tight, but Infinity War gives much more context to the relationships, losses and decisions that shaped everything afterwards.

Marvel Movie · 2018

Avengers: Infinity War

Recommended

Adds important context to Endgame and the end of the Infinity Saga.

View in Marvel Library

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

This is one of the MCU's most direct explorations of alternate universes and incursions.

Those ideas matter much more now that Doomsday is explicitly dealing with heroes from multiple universes colliding.

Marvel Movie · 2022

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Recommended

Useful multiverse and incursion background before Doomsday.

View in Marvel Library

Spider-Man: No Way Home

No Way Home showed what happens when characters from separate Marvel movie universes cross into the same story.

It is not required to understand Doomsday, but it is useful groundwork for the way Marvel now treats legacy characters and alternate realities.

Marvel Movie · 2021

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Recommended

Good multiverse groundwork, but not essential Doomsday preparation.

View in Marvel Library

Captain America: Brave New World

Sam Wilson is Captain America heading into Doomsday.

Brave New World gives you his current status and the political world surrounding the modern MCU.

Anthony Mackie is part of the officially announced Doomsday cast.

If you already know Sam's journey and are short on time, you can prioritise the Essential list first.

Marvel Movie · 2025

Captain America: Brave New World

Recommended

Recommended for Sam Wilson's current Captain America status before Doomsday.

View in Marvel Library

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Wakanda remains part of the wider Doomsday ensemble.

Wakanda Forever establishes the current state of the nation after T'Challa and introduces Namor and Talokan.

Letitia Wright, Winston Duke and Tenoch Huerta Mejía are among the actors confirmed for Doomsday.

Marvel Movie · 2022

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Recommended

Recommended background for Wakanda, Shuri, Namor and Talokan.

View in Marvel Library

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Brand New Day is one of the newest chapters in the MCU and continues Peter Parker's story after the world forgot his identity.

We currently rank it as Recommended rather than Essential because Spider-Man has not been included in the officially announced Doomsday cast as of October 2026.

That could change, but Geekorama's priority system is based on confirmed relevance rather than speculation.

Marvel Movie · 2026

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Recommended

Recommended as a recent MCU chapter, but not currently confirmed as essential Doomsday preparation.

View in Marvel Library

Optional Viewing

These projects add useful history and context, but we would not put them ahead of the Essential or Recommended lists if you are catching up under time pressure.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Steve Rogers remains fundamental to Avengers history, and understanding the original Captain America adds weight to where the team has been.

But if you already know Steve's story, you do not need another rewatch just to understand Doomsday.

Marvel Movie · 2011

Captain America: The First Avenger

Optional

Useful Avengers history, but not required for a focused Doomsday catch-up.

View in Marvel Library

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Shang-Chi is part of the newer generation of MCU heroes and Simu Liu is officially part of the Doomsday cast.

Even so, for a focused catch-up we would still prioritise the Fantastic Four, Loki, the X-Men and the current Avengers-related teams first.

Marvel Movie · 2021

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Optional

Useful context for Shang-Chi, but lower priority than the central Doomsday setup.

View in Marvel Library

Do You Need to Watch the X-Men Movies?

Not all of them.

If you have never watched the Fox X-Men movies, our recommendation is simple:

Watch X-Men and X2.

Those two movies introduce most of the relationships and characters you need to recognise the returning X-Men generation.

If you have more time, you can explore the wider franchise afterwards.

Several Fox-era X-Men actors are officially returning in Doomsday, including Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Alan Cumming and Kelsey Grammer.

Why Does Loki Matter So Much?

Because Doomsday is dealing with a multiverse in crisis.

Loki gives you the clearest understanding of the TVA, branching timelines and the larger structure behind the MCU's multiverse.

Disney's current Countdown to Doomsday collection specifically highlights Loki as part of the multiverse preparation for the movie.

You do not necessarily need to remember every detail of both seasons.

You do need to understand where Loki ends up and what happens to the timelines.

What About Doctor Doom?

Robert Downey Jr. is returning to Marvel as Victor von Doom, not Tony Stark. Marvel announced him in the role at San Diego Comic-Con, and Disney's current Doomsday material continues to describe him as Victor von Doom.

Doctor Doom is the monarch of Latveria and one of Marvel's most famous villains.

Disney describes him as a master of both sorcery and technology with an intellect capable of rivalling Reed Richards.

He also has a long history with the Fantastic Four.

That is enough to know before the movie.

We would avoid building your catch-up around theories about Tony Stark variants, secret identities or exactly how Doom connects to previous MCU events unless Marvel confirms those details.

Do You Need to Watch Every Marvel Movie Before Avengers: Doomsday?

No.

Even Disney's own Countdown to Doomsday guidance says you do not need to watch every Marvel movie before the film.

If you enjoy a complete MCU rewatch, go for it.

But it should not feel like homework.

Geekorama's recommendation is simple:

• Short on time: Watch the 7 Essential projects.
• Want the important context: Add Recommended.
• Completionist: Work through Optional and the wider Marvel Library.

When Does Avengers: Doomsday Come Out?

Avengers: Doomsday arrives in UK cinemas on 16 December 2026.

The US release follows on 18 December 2026.

That still gives you time to catch up without trying to binge the entire Marvel catalogue in a week.

Start Your Doomsday Catch-Up

You do not need to remember every post-credit scene, every cameo or every branch of the Marvel timeline.

Start with the stories that matter most and build outward if you have time.

Geekorama's Doomsday Mode lets you track what you have watched and see how ready you are for the next Avengers movie.