Your viewing guide
What to watch before Avengers: Doomsday
17 essentials · about 49 hours
Release order, split into three grades. Start with the essentials, then explore the recommended and optional titles for more context.
The homepage planner uses the same list. Check off what you have seen and fit the rest into your week.
Totals include estimates. Unknown runtimes are excluded from minute totals.
US theatrical release: . Disney release listing ↗ · Checked November 7, 2026.
These grades are our editorial priorities. Disney+ says newcomers can watch without seeing earlier films or shows.
Essentials
17 titles · about 49 hours
Our highest-priority picks for viewers who want more background before the film.
Captain America: The First Avenger
Steve Rogers' origin, and where his bonds with Peggy Carter and Bucky Barnes begin — all three are in Doomsday.
Also on Disney's countdown list.
The Avengers
The first Avengers team-up, with Steve Rogers, Thor and Loki at its centre — the team Doomsday's heroes descend from.
Also on Disney's countdown list.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Brings back Bucky Barnes and introduces Sam Wilson, Doomsday's Captain America, alongside Steve Rogers.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
The second Avengers team-up, featuring Thor and Steve Rogers, and Sam Wilson's first step toward joining the team.
Captain America: Civil War
The conflict that splits the Avengers, with Steve Rogers, Bucky, Sam Wilson and Scott Lang caught in the middle.
Thor: Ragnarok
Reinvents Thor and his relationship with Loki — the versions of both brothers that lead into Doomsday.
Avengers: Infinity War
Every Avenger faces Thanos at once — the core setup for nearly every hero who returns in Doomsday.
Also on Disney's countdown list.
Avengers: Endgame
Closes the Infinity Saga and sets where Steve Rogers, Thor, Sam Wilson, Bucky and Scott Lang stand before Doomsday.
Also on Disney's countdown list.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Season 1
Follows Sam Wilson and Bucky after Endgame and introduces John Walker and Joaquin Torres — all four are in Doomsday.
Loki, Season 1
Introduces the Time Variance Authority and the multiverse that Doomsday's story is built on.
Also on Disney's countdown list.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Puts Shuri at the centre and introduces Namor and Namora — Wakanda and Talokan both return in Doomsday.
Also on Disney's countdown list.
Loki, Season 2
Its ending defines the state of the multiverse — and Loki's place in it — going into Doomsday.
Also on Disney's countdown list.
Deadpool & Wolverine
The TVA, the fate of Fox's X-Men universe and the bridge that brings Fox-era heroes into the MCU — plus Gambit's only previous appearance.
Also on Disney's countdown list.
Captain America: Brave New World
Sam Wilson's first film as Captain America, with Joaquin Torres as the new Falcon, and the push to rebuild the Avengers.
Also on Disney's countdown list.
Thunderbolts*
Brings together Yelena, Bucky, Red Guardian, John Walker, Ghost and Bob Reynolds — six Doomsday cast members in one film.
Also on Disney's countdown list.
The Fantastic 4: First Steps
Introduces the Fantastic Four who join Doomsday, plus the first hint of Doctor Doom.
Also on Disney's countdown list.
Avengers: Endgame Encore
Endgame with new scenes that lead straight into Doomsday — if you've already seen Endgame, the new footage is what matters.
Recommended
15 titles · about 31 hours
Worth watching. These add returning characters and story, and they are not required.
X-Men
Introduces the original film X-Men — Professor X, Magneto, Cyclops and Mystique — played by the same actors who return in Doomsday.
Also on Disney's countdown list.
X2
The classic X-Men team's strongest outing, and Alan Cumming's only previous turn as Nightcrawler before Doomsday.
Also on Disney's countdown list.
X-Men: The Last Stand
Closes the original X-Men trilogy and gives Kelsey Grammer's Beast his first big-screen role before he returns in Doomsday.
Thor
Origin story for Thor and Loki, the two Asgardian brothers who both return in Doomsday.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
The last time Patrick Stewart's Xavier and Ian McKellen's Magneto lead an X-Men film together, in a story that reshapes their timeline.
Ant-Man
Introduces Scott Lang and his daughter Cassie, the father-daughter pair who both return in Doomsday.
Black Panther
Introduces Shuri, M'Baku and the Wakanda that Doomsday returns to.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Follows Scott Lang and introduces Ava Starr, the Ghost who returns in Doomsday by way of Thunderbolts*.
Black Widow
Introduces Yelena Belova and Red Guardian, two Thunderbolts in Doomsday's cast.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Shang-Chi's origin and only MCU film so far, before he joins the fight in Doomsday.
Also on Disney's countdown list.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
The MCU's first large-scale multiverse breakdown, and the fallout from it, set the stakes for the universes colliding in Doomsday.
Also on Disney's countdown list.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Spells out how multiverse incursions work and introduces another version of Charles Xavier — groundwork for Doomsday's clash of universes.
Also on Disney's countdown list.
Thor: Love and Thunder
Thor's most recent film, setting up where he is in life before Doomsday.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Scott and a grown-up Cassie Lang's most recent adventure, and their last appearance before Doomsday.
The Marvels
Its mid-credits scene is the first time the X-Men connect with the MCU — the bridge to the mutants who appear in Doomsday.
Optional
14 titles · about 42 hours
Background only. Skip these if you are short on time.
Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter
A short about Peggy Carter's life after the war; nice background on her, not needed for Doomsday.
Thor: The Dark World
Continues Thor and Loki's story, but very little of it carries into Doomsday.
Marvel's Agent Carter, Season 1
Peggy Carter's own 1946-set spy series; deepens her character but has no direct link to Doomsday.
Marvel's Agent Carter, Season 2
More of Peggy Carter's spy series; only for fans who want extra time with her before Doomsday.
Team Thor
A comedy short about Thor's downtime on Earth; pure fun, no story impact.
Team Thor: Part 2
A second comedy short about Thor's downtime on Earth; pure fun, no story impact.
Logan
A powerful final chapter for Patrick Stewart's Xavier in Fox's timeline, though how it connects to Doomsday's X-Men is unclear.
Team Darryl
A comedy short that continues the Team Thor gag; no story impact.
What If...?, Season 1
Animated alternate realities; its first episode's Captain Carter matters only if Doomsday's Peggy turns out to be her.
Hawkeye, Season 1
Yelena Belova's arc continues in the final episodes, between Black Widow and Thunderbolts*.
What If...?, Season 2
More animated alternate realities with several Doomsday characters; fun, not required.
What If...?, Season 3
The final season of the animated multiverse anthology; fun, not required for Doomsday.
Marvel Zombies, Season 1
An animated alternate-reality miniseries with Red Guardian and Shang-Chi; not connected to Doomsday's story.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Yelena Belova has a supporting role; her most recent appearance before Doomsday.