Movies to Watch Before Avengers: Doomsday |The Ultimate Watch Guide
Avengers: Doomsday is shaping up to be one of Marvel’s biggest crossover events, bringing together characters and worlds from different corners of Marvel history. The movie is currently scheduled for December 18, 2026, and recent promotional material has highlighted the involvement of the Avengers, Fantastic Four and returning X-Men characters.
The problem is that preparing for Doomsday can feel overwhelming. The MCU alone contains dozens of movies and series, while the movie also connects to the older X-Men universe, Deadpool & Wolverine, and the multiverse storyline.
The good news? You don’t need to watch the entire MCU.
This guide gives you a practical watchlist, starting with the movies you mentioned and separating the must-watch titles from optional ones.
Why You Should Prepare for Avengers: Doomsday
Avengers: Doomsday isn’t simply another Avengers sequel. It sits at the intersection of several Marvel storylines.
The movie follows the events of the Multiverse Saga while bringing together characters from different Marvel franchises. Recent footage has featured characters including Doctor Doom, Thor, the Fantastic Four, Professor X and other returning X-Men characters.
That means you can benefit from understanding three major storylines:
- The original Avengers/MCU storyline
- The Multiverse Saga
- The X-Men and Fox Marvel universe
1. Captain America: The First Avenger
⭐ Importance: 4/5
Start with Captain America: The First Avenger if you want some background on Steve Rogers.
The movie introduces Steve Rogers, his transformation into Captain America, his relationship with Bucky Barnes and the Tesseract. It establishes the character’s history that later becomes important throughout the Avengers storyline.
You don’t absolutely need it if you’ve already watched the major Avengers movies, but it’s worthwhile if you’re planning a complete rewatch.
2. X-Men
⭐ Importance: 4/5
If you’re interested in the X-Men side of Doomsday, X-Men (2000) is an excellent starting point.
It introduces the original live-action X-Men team and establishes characters such as:
- Professor X
- Magneto
- Wolverine
- Storm
- Cyclops
- Jean Grey
- Rogue
This becomes particularly useful because returning actors from the original X-Men films are part of the current Doomsday conversation.
3. X2: X-Men United
⭐ Importance: 3.5/5
X2 expands the original X-Men story and gives you more understanding of the relationships between Professor X, Magneto and the mutant characters.
If you’re watching the Fox X-Men universe before Doomsday, it’s worth including.
However, you don’t necessarily need to watch every old X-Men movie. Some watch guides recommend focusing on X-Men, X2, Days of Future Past and Deadpool & Wolverine rather than completing the entire Fox timeline.
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past
⭐ Importance: 5/5 for the X-Men storyline
I’d actually add this movie to your original list.
Days of Future Past is extremely useful because it deals directly with time travel and changing the X-Men timeline.
That’s important when you’re trying to understand why the Fox X-Men universe can contain different versions of characters and timelines.
You don’t have to watch every X-Men movie before it to appreciate it, although watching X-Men and X2 first gives you more context.
5. The Avengers
⭐ Importance: 5/5
The Avengers is one of the most important movies on your list.
It establishes the original Avengers team and brings together:
- Iron Man
- Captain America
- Thor
- Hulk
- Black Widow
- Hawkeye
It also establishes Loki’s importance to the larger Marvel story.
If you’re going to watch only a handful of older MCU movies, this should absolutely be one of them.
6. Avengers: Infinity War
⭐ Importance: 5/5
This is essential.
Infinity War introduces the Avengers’ biggest confrontation with Thanos and dramatically changes the MCU’s status quo.
It leads directly into Endgame, so these two movies should ideally be watched back-to-back.
7. Avengers: Endgame
⭐ Importance: 5/5
Endgame is arguably the most important previous Avengers movie to revisit.
It concludes the original Avengers era and establishes the post-Endgame status quo that the Multiverse Saga builds upon.
It also provides important context for characters such as Steve Rogers, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye and others.
8. Loki — Season 1
⭐ Importance: 5/5
If you’re preparing for Doomsday, Loki Season 1 should not be skipped.
The series dramatically expands Marvel’s concept of:
- Timelines
- Alternate realities
- The TVA
- Variants
- The Sacred Timeline
- Kang-related multiverse concepts
It is one of the most important pieces of the Multiverse Saga.
9. Loki — Season 2
⭐ Importance: 5/5
Watch Loki Season 2 immediately after Season 1.
The second season develops the multiverse storyline even further and gives Loki a completely different role within Marvel’s timeline structure.
If you’re trying to understand why different universes and timelines can interact in the current Marvel story, Loki is one of the most useful shows to watch.
10. Spider-Man: No Way Home
⭐ Importance: 5/5
This is another major multiverse movie.
Spider-Man: No Way Home introduces the idea of multiple Spider-Man universes colliding and brings together different versions of Spider-Man.
It helps establish the concept that characters from separate cinematic universes can coexist within Marvel’s broader multiverse.
That makes it especially useful before Doomsday.
11. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
⭐ Importance: 5/5
This is arguably the most obvious movie to watch for understanding the multiverse concept.
Doctor Strange encounters alternate universes and variants while dealing with Wanda Maximoff’s increasingly dangerous powers.
It builds directly on concepts that are important to the Multiverse Saga. Rotten Tomatoes’ current Doomsday guide also includes the movie among its essential MCU preparation titles.
12. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
⭐ Importance: 3/5
You included Shang-Chi, and I’d keep it.
It introduces Shang-Chi and establishes the Ten Rings, an important piece of the newer MCU.
It’s not as essential as Loki, No Way Home or Multiverse of Madness, but it’s relatively easy to fit into your watchlist.
13. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
⭐ Importance: 3.5/5
Wakanda Forever introduces Namor and develops Shuri’s journey as the new Black Panther.
It’s worth watching because the wider MCU is moving toward increasingly interconnected character groups.
It’s also included in current essential Doomsday watch guides.
14. Captain America: Brave New World
⭐ Importance: 3.5/5
This is important for understanding the new Captain America era.
The movie follows Sam Wilson as Captain America and develops the political and superhero landscape after Endgame.
If you’re interested in the Avengers’ current generation, don’t skip it.
15. Thunderbolts*
⭐ Importance: 5/5
Thunderbolts* should be near the top of your list.
Why?
Because the movie establishes the group that becomes known as the New Avengers.
That makes it particularly relevant to an Avengers movie arriving after it.
Current Doomsday guides also identify Thunderbolts as one of the key modern MCU movies to watch.
16. Deadpool & Wolverine
⭐ Importance: 5/5
This is one of the most important movies for the X-Men/multiverse side of Doomsday.
It brings Deadpool and Wolverine into the larger MCU while involving the TVA and characters from the Fox Marvel universe.
It effectively acts as a bridge between the Fox-era Marvel movies and the MCU.
If you’re particularly interested in seeing the returning X-Men characters in Doomsday, don’t skip this one.
17. The Fantastic Four: First Steps
⭐ Importance: 5/5
This is another movie I strongly recommend adding to your list.
Make sure you watch The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) rather than simply an older Fantastic Four movie.
The MCU’s Fantastic Four introduces:
- Reed Richards
- Sue Storm
- Johnny Storm
- Ben Grimm
- Their version of the Fantastic Four universe
The movie is particularly important because the Fantastic Four are directly connected to Doomsday. Current guides identify First Steps as one of the most important movies leading into the film.
🧬 What About the Other X-Men Movies?
You don’t need to watch the entire Fox X-Men franchise just to prepare for Doomsday.
A good shortened X-Men route is:
X-Men
↓
X2
↓
X-Men: Days of Future Past
↓
Deadpool & Wolverine
This gives you the basic history of the original X-Men characters, the timeline changes and the eventual multiverse connection.
If you’re a huge X-Men fan, you can expand the list with X-Men: First Class, X-Men: The Last Stand, Logan, etc., but they aren’t necessary for a streamlined Doomsday preparation.
🏆 My Final Watch Order for You
Based specifically on the movies and shows you mentioned, I’d watch them like this:
🧬 X-MEN / MULTIVERSE
- X-Men
- X2: X-Men United
- X-Men: Days of Future Past
- Deadpool & Wolverine
🛡️ MCU / AVENGERS
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- The Avengers
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Avengers: Endgame
🌌 MULTIVERSE SAGA
- Loki — Season 1
- Loki — Season 2
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
🌎 NEW MCU
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- Captain America: Brave New World
- Thunderbolts*
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps
🍿 THEN: AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY
⚡ If You Don’t Have Much Time
If you want the shortest possible preparation, I’d reduce everything to these:
The Avengers
↓
Avengers: Infinity War
↓
Avengers: Endgame
↓
Loki S1
↓
Loki S2
↓
Spider-Man: No Way Home
↓
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
↓
Deadpool & Wolverine
↓
Thunderbolts*
↓
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
That’s the route I’d recommend if your goal is understanding Doomsday rather than completing the entire MCU.
Current guides similarly emphasize Endgame, Loki, No Way Home, Multiverse of Madness, Deadpool & Wolverine, Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four: First Steps as particularly useful preparation.
Final Thoughts
You do not need to watch 30–40 Marvel projects before Avengers: Doomsday. The smartest approach is to follow the major storylines rather than attempting a complete MCU marathon.
For the Avengers story, focus on The Avengers, Infinity War and Endgame.
For the multiverse, prioritize Loki, No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
For the X-Men connection, watch X-Men, X2, Days of Future Past and Deadpool & Wolverine.
And for the new Avengers/Fantastic Four setup, watch Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
With those movies and shows, you’ll have a much stronger understanding of the characters, timelines and universes heading into Avengers: Doomsday, currently scheduled for December 18, 2026.
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