Marvel has released a new list of MCU movies you should watch before Avengers: Doomsday is released this December. They’ve done this before for various offerings, but this list is especially significant because it may confirm some theories about what or who may show up in Doomsday, characters that have not been announced. Some movies have zero announced characters in Doomsday at all, which is highly suspicious.
Here’s the list, along with explanations of why they are there, or why they might be.
X-Men (2000) – I mean, it’s the introduction to FOX X-Men
X2 (2003) – Arguably the best X-Men movie they made
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) – We know Steve and Peggy are in this, and they also have a child together.
The Avengers (2012) – It’s the first Avengers movie. This is an Avengers movie.
Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame (2018/2019) – The biggest pair of films in MCU history, and ones that contain key moments like Steve going back in time and passing the mantle to Sam, and of course, Tony Stark dying in the grand finale to save the universe.
Loki Seasons 1-2 (2021-2023) – The only show on this list, which is sort of saying something about D+ series’ relevancy to the larger MCU. Though ending on a somewhat perfect note, Loki is back with god-tier power. Interestingly, despite Thor being one of the biggest leads in Doomsday, there are no specific Thor movies on this list.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) – Well, this shows you who Shang-Chi is, given that he has not been seen at all since this movie was released and he’s a part of Doomsday.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) – Huh, well, this is interesting. We have zero confirmation of any Spider-Man in this movie. This movie is based around the multiverse, which is a concept of Doomsday, of course, but this could confirm some rumors that (maybe spoilers) Doom kills Tobey Maguire’s Spidey in the Raimi universe. Or that Tom Holland is showing up in some capacity.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) – Big members of the Wakanda crew, Shuri, M’Baku and Namor are in Doomsday, though we don’t know the breadth of their roles.
Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (2022) – Hmmm, another mystery. Yes, more multiverse, but Doctor Strange and rival Scarlet Witch are nowhere to be found in Doomsday. Or at least not publicly. There is now a theory that they are secretly serving as Doom’s masked allies, which have just been revealed ahead of release, and that will be a big reveal.
Deadpool and Wolverine (2024) – Their inclusion in Doomsday, or lack thereof, was a gag at D23, but if we’re meant to watch this, it could mean some surprise appearances. Almost everyone believes that Wolverine will show up in Secret Wars, at the very least.
Captain America: Brave New World (2025) – Oof. What a miss from Marvel, one of its only Rotten-scored movies ever. It felt like a Hulk movie that Sam’s Captain America was jammed into. I say skip this and watch the much better Falcon and the Winter Soldier instead, which also serves as an introduction to US Agent from Thunderbolts.
Thunderbolts (2025) – And yeah, well, Thunderbolts. The rag-tag team has been declared the New Avengers as what is effectively a PR campaign, but we know Florence Pugh’s Yelena, now officially called Black Widow in Brand New Day, is going to have a big part. Marvel loves her.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) – This was the only introduction to the Fantastic Four, a huge part of Doomsday, so obviously a must-watch.
Some fans are a little confused and would add some to the list, namely some of the Thor movies, Captain America: Civil War and X-Men: Days of Future Past. But this is the Marvel list, take it or leave it. That’s probably 50+ hours of content, including two entire seasons of Loki, so get watching, you have four months.
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