With Avengers: Doomsday landing in theaters on December 18, 2026, catching up on years of Marvel storylines can feel overwhelming — the MCU now spans dozens of movies and shows. The good news: you don’t need to rewatch everything. Disney+ has put together its own official watchlist of essential titles to prep for Doomsday, and we’ve broken it down here so you know exactly what to prioritize.
The Official Disney+ Watchlist
Disney+ recommends watching X-Men, X2, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Loki, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Captain America: Brave New World, Deadpool & Wolverine, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps ahead of Doomsday’s release. That’s 14 movies and one TV series — a lot, but far from the entire MCU catalogue.
Why This Specific List?
Avengers: Doomsday brings together several distinct groups of heroes — the Avengers, the Wakandans from Black Panther, the Thunderbolts (rebranded as the New Avengers), the Fantastic Four from an alternate Earth, and the original X-Men which explains why the watchlist pulls from such different corners of Marvel’s history.
The Foundation: Infinity Saga Essentials
You don’t need to rewatch the entire Infinity Saga. Skip the Iron Man movies entirely — just watch Captain America: The First Avenger and The Avengers from Phase One, then jump ahead to Infinity War and Endgame. These set up the team dynamics and stakes that Doomsday is expected to directly follow up on, with the Russo Brothers — who directed both Infinity War and Endgame — returning to helm Doomsday as well.
The X-Men Connection
This is the surprising part for casual fans: the original Fox X-Men team is confirmed for Doomsday, including Ian McKellen as Magneto and Patrick Stewart as Professor X — meaning you may need to look beyond the MCU entirely and revisit the classic 20th Century Fox X-Men films to understand who these characters are. X-Men and X2 cover the essential origin story for that team.
Recent MCU Movies You Can’t Skip
The most recent stretch of the MCU is where the heaviest lifting happens. Four of the final essential titles are the most recent Marvel movies before Spider-Man: Brand New Day — Captain America: Brave New World, Deadpool & Wolverine, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps — with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness tucked in between them.
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps is especially important — it’s the MCU debut of Marvel’s First Family (Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm) and features their fight against Galactus. It’s also the final MCU movie before Doomsday, making it essential viewing.
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever matters because it introduced Namor and the underwater kingdom of Talokan — elements expected to play into the wider multiverse story.
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Deadpool & Wolverine are on the list largely because of their heavy focus on the multiverse — a concept central to how Doomsday is expected to unfold.
The One TV Show on the List
Loki is the sole Disney+ series included on the official watchlist, and for good reason — the show is rooted in alternate timelines and realities, laying much of the groundwork for how the multiverse functions heading into Doomsday.
Bonus Recommendation: What If…?
Beyond Disney’s official list, several Marvel watch-order guides also point to What If…? Season 2 as a useful (if optional) watch, since it introduces a storyline considered adjacent to Doomsday’s plot.
How Much Time Should You Set Aside?
Realistically, working through the full Disney+ list is a significant time commitment — likely close to two full days of viewing if you watch everything back to back. You don’t have to marathon it all at once; spacing it out over a few weekends before December is a much more manageable approach.
The Bottom Line
If you only have time for a handful of titles, prioritize Avengers: Endgame, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Loki, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — together, they cover the emotional through-line from the last Avengers movie, the newest team joining the fight, and the multiverse rules that Doomsday is expected to lean on heavily.
