What to watch before Avengers: Doomsday - THE DEFINITIVE LIST
I’ve been a fan of the MCU since Iron Man came out, and I’m immensely excited for Avengers: Doomsday.
I love rewatching all the relevant projects leading up to any given MCU show/film, but I realize the universe has gotten very large (and very confusing).
Anytime I see people ask the question, “What should I watch before Avengers: Doomsday?” They’re usually met with comments like “everything.” Which is like, OK, yeah, sure.
But there’s a TON of content out there.
And honestly, not everything is going to be relevant.
So, I curated this list based on the actual cast that was announced on March 26th and not on rumors, cameos, or speculations. Personally, I don’t think we should be getting excited for potential cameos when there is a HUGE list of incredible actors playing incredible characters already. Ultimately, what makes these movies good is not gratuitous cameos but good writing and characters.
I believe this list will prepare you as well as possible for the upcoming X-Men vs. Avengers vs. Doctor Doom clash in DOOMSDAY.
DISCLAIMER 1: I don’t love all of these movies. I also don’t dislike some as much as others do. But when we’re talking about story and cohesion, I think these make the most sense.
DISCLAIMER 2: This is just my opinion. You can find plenty of other lists and recommendations on the internet, too.
***Part 1: X-Men - ESSENTIAL***
These movies will give you everything you need to know about the X-Men showing up in Doomsday. Don’t worry about the reboots. Important characters are Professor X, Cyclops, Magneto, Mystique, Nightcrawler, and Beast.
\-X-Men (2000)
\-X2 (2003)
\-X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
\-X-Men: First Class (2011)
\-X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
\-Logan (2017)
***Part 1.5: The Early Years - NOT ESSENTIAL***
These movies establish the MCU and introduce the characters Winter Soldier, Thor, Loki, Iron Man, Falcon, and Ant-Man. But we also see a ton of these characters later. All of these movies are VERY important for Infinity War + Endgame. I repeat: These are MUST WATCH if you’re doing an “Infinity Saga” rewatch, but this list is for Doomsday, so I’m marking these “nonessential” for now.
\-Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
\-Thor (2011)
\-The Avengers (2012)
\-Thor: The Dark World (2013)
\-Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
\-Ant-Man (2015)
***Part 2: Disassembled - ESSENTIAL FOR BACKSTORY***
This is the true starting point of our story. In addition to the characters in Part 1.5, we’re also introduced to Yelena, Alexei, Shuri, M’Baku, and Ghost.
\-Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
\-Captain America: Civil War (2016)
\-Black Widow (2021) - DO NOT WATCH THE POST CREDIT SCENE
\-Black Panther (2018)
\-Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
\-Ant-Man & The Wasp (2018)
\-Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
\-Avengers: Endgame (2019)
**STOP:** Here's where you get to choose your own journey. Parts 3 and 4 have little to no thematic or character connections. But they will both culminate in Avengers: Doomsday. So, I've grouped them in such a way that you can follow a more cohesive story from project to project. It really doesn't matter which one you watch first. However, I recommend that you start with the more grounded Part 3 first, which includes characters like Sam Wilson and Bucky, before diving into the Multiverse in Part 4.
***Part 3: The Next Generation - ESSENTIAL***
These projects are all tied together by a certain character (who will go unnamed for now) and culminate in the team-up movie, Thunderbolts\*. Most of the secondary characters take center stage here. Introductions to Joaquin Torres, John Walker, Namor, and Bob.
\-Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)
\-Hawkeye (2021)
\-Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
\-Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
\-Thunderbolts\* (2025)
***Part 4: Multiverse - ESSENTIAL***
Love it or hate it, the multiverse will play a huge role in Avengers: Doomsday. New characters here include Shang-Chi and the Fantastic Four.
\-Loki Seasons 1 - 2 (2021)
\-Shang-Chi (2021)
\-Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
\-Thor: Love & Thunder (2022)
\-Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
\-The Marvels (2023)
\-Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
\-Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
**Happy watching! All roads lead to Doom!**
I love rewatching all the relevant projects leading up to any given MCU show/film, but I realize the universe has gotten very large (and very confusing).
Anytime I see people ask the question, “What should I watch before Avengers: Doomsday?” They’re usually met with comments like “everything.” Which is like, OK, yeah, sure.
But there’s a TON of content out there.
And honestly, not everything is going to be relevant.
So, I curated this list based on the actual cast that was announced on March 26th and not on rumors, cameos, or speculations. Personally, I don’t think we should be getting excited for potential cameos when there is a HUGE list of incredible actors playing incredible characters already. Ultimately, what makes these movies good is not gratuitous cameos but good writing and characters.
I believe this list will prepare you as well as possible for the upcoming X-Men vs. Avengers vs. Doctor Doom clash in DOOMSDAY.
DISCLAIMER 1: I don’t love all of these movies. I also don’t dislike some as much as others do. But when we’re talking about story and cohesion, I think these make the most sense.
DISCLAIMER 2: This is just my opinion. You can find plenty of other lists and recommendations on the internet, too.
***Part 1: X-Men - ESSENTIAL***
These movies will give you everything you need to know about the X-Men showing up in Doomsday. Don’t worry about the reboots. Important characters are Professor X, Cyclops, Magneto, Mystique, Nightcrawler, and Beast.
\-X-Men (2000)
\-X2 (2003)
\-X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
\-X-Men: First Class (2011)
\-X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
\-Logan (2017)
***Part 1.5: The Early Years - NOT ESSENTIAL***
These movies establish the MCU and introduce the characters Winter Soldier, Thor, Loki, Iron Man, Falcon, and Ant-Man. But we also see a ton of these characters later. All of these movies are VERY important for Infinity War + Endgame. I repeat: These are MUST WATCH if you’re doing an “Infinity Saga” rewatch, but this list is for Doomsday, so I’m marking these “nonessential” for now.
\-Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
\-Thor (2011)
\-The Avengers (2012)
\-Thor: The Dark World (2013)
\-Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
\-Ant-Man (2015)
***Part 2: Disassembled - ESSENTIAL FOR BACKSTORY***
This is the true starting point of our story. In addition to the characters in Part 1.5, we’re also introduced to Yelena, Alexei, Shuri, M’Baku, and Ghost.
\-Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
\-Captain America: Civil War (2016)
\-Black Widow (2021) - DO NOT WATCH THE POST CREDIT SCENE
\-Black Panther (2018)
\-Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
\-Ant-Man & The Wasp (2018)
\-Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
\-Avengers: Endgame (2019)
**STOP:** Here's where you get to choose your own journey. Parts 3 and 4 have little to no thematic or character connections. But they will both culminate in Avengers: Doomsday. So, I've grouped them in such a way that you can follow a more cohesive story from project to project. It really doesn't matter which one you watch first. However, I recommend that you start with the more grounded Part 3 first, which includes characters like Sam Wilson and Bucky, before diving into the Multiverse in Part 4.
***Part 3: The Next Generation - ESSENTIAL***
These projects are all tied together by a certain character (who will go unnamed for now) and culminate in the team-up movie, Thunderbolts\*. Most of the secondary characters take center stage here. Introductions to Joaquin Torres, John Walker, Namor, and Bob.
\-Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)
\-Hawkeye (2021)
\-Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
\-Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
\-Thunderbolts\* (2025)
***Part 4: Multiverse - ESSENTIAL***
Love it or hate it, the multiverse will play a huge role in Avengers: Doomsday. New characters here include Shang-Chi and the Fantastic Four.
\-Loki Seasons 1 - 2 (2021)
\-Shang-Chi (2021)
\-Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
\-Thor: Love & Thunder (2022)
\-Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
\-The Marvels (2023)
\-Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
\-Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
**Happy watching! All roads lead to Doom!**
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