- Primary Subject: Essential Marvel movies and TV shows to watch before Avengers: Doomsday
- Key Update: Marvel Studios' upcoming crossover Avengers: Doomsday brings together storylines spanning the Infinity Saga, the Multiverse Saga, the Fox X-Men franchise, and Phase 6 releases into one massive collision.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: July 22, 2026
- Quick Answer: Key titles to watch before Avengers: Doomsday include Loki, Deadpool & Wolverine, Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
With Avengers: Doomsday preparing to bring Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom and a massive array of Marvel heroes together on the big screen, catching up on the MCU's tapestry can feel overwhelming.
Here is a guide to every essential film and series fans need to watch before entering the theater, detailing their vital cores to the plot that built up to Doomsday.
The Original Fox X-Men Trilogy
Legacy X-Men heroes and variants from the original Fox film franchise (2000's X-Men, 2003's X2, and 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand) play a major role in the multiversal collision unfolding in Phase 6.
Considering what the trailer teased about Professor X and the danger they're about to face, it is crucial that fans recognize the original histories and core dynamics before their returns in the current saga.
Avengers: Endgame
Following Thanos' devastating snap in Avengers: Infinity War, the surviving Avengers orchestrate a time heist across the MCU timeline to retrieve the Infinity Stones and restore half of all life in the universe.
Of course, this goes without saying: to understand Avengers: Endgame, fans would also have to have seen Avengers: Infinity War, too, as both set up the modern emotional baseline of the MCU, which includes the great sacrifice of Tony Stark, the original team's disbandment, and the disruptions that laid the foundation for multiversal incursions.
Loki (Seasons 1 & 2)
After escaping with the Tesseract in Endgame, Loki is apprehended by the Time Variance Authority (TVA), embarking on a journey that ends with him taking control of the Sacred Timeline to preserve the multiverse as the God of Stories.
Both seasons of Loki establish the core rules of the multiverse, the branches, variants, and time travel as the series introduces the concept of the TVA and how reality survives under multiversal threat.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness officially introduced "incursions" as two universes collide and destroy one another. Since incursions are the central threat driving Doctor Doom's arrival and the events of Doomsday, the Multiverse of Madness journeying across alternate dimensions provides essential context.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Peter Parker turns to Doctor Strange for a spell to make the world forget his secret identity, but a mishap cracks open the multiverse, pulling in villains and alternate Spider-Men from other realities. No Way Home was the MCU's first major live-action multiversal crossover, establishing how alternate legacy realities intertwine and what led to Parker being completely isolated in Earth-616.
The Marvels
Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Ms. Marvel find their powers entangled with one another, forcing them to team up to save the cosmos from a Kree revolutionary targeting alien worlds.
The climax of The Marvels features a tear in the fabric of space and time, stranding Monica Rambeau in an alternate universe where she meets Binary and Beast from the X-Men. This breach directly bridges Earth-616 with the long-awaited Fox mutant universe.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool & Wolverine officially integrated the Fox Marvel universe into the broader MCU web while highlighting the TVA's ongoing role in maintaining timeline stability.
As Wade Wilson is plucked from his quiet life by the TVA to team up with the broken Wolverine variant, they must work together to save their home universe from total destruction.
Thunderbolts*
They may not be Earth's mightiest heroes, but this ragtag team of antiheroes and former black-ops operatives, including Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, US Agent, and Red Guardian, are thrust into a covert mission that forces them to rely on one another in Thunderbolts*.
This grounded defense team leads into Phase 6 as the post-credits scene sets up the cosmic-level threats they must face and learn to work with the Fantastic Four to save the universe.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Set in a retro-futuristic 1960s alternate universe, Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing protect their world before being drawn into a wider multiversal crisis.
Marvel's First Family is fundamentally linked to Doctor Doom. Their debut establishes their universe, heroic origin, and their eventual transition to Earth-616 ahead of their expected showdown in Doomsday.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Releasing directly ahead of Avengers: Doomsday, this chapter re-establishes Peter Parker's emotional anchor and positioning within New York before he is drawn back into the global, multiversal spotlight.
Peter Parker balances his life as a full-time, street-level Spider-Man in New York City, balancing escalating demands and powerful new threats as he operates without the support network he once needed.
Plus, the mysterious post-credits scene that fans speculate may be the reason why he won't be making an appearance until Secret Wars.
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