- Primary Subject: Essential Marvel movies and TV shows to watch before Avengers: Doomsday
- Key Update: Disney+ released an official Avengers: Doomsday multiversal prep roadmap for old and new fans, confirming the key legacy Marvel films, Infinity Saga titles, and Multiverse Saga projects essential to understanding Doctor Doom's arrival.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: August 17, 2026
- Quick Answer: Disney+ confirmed essential Doomsday prep includes the Fox X-Men trilogy, The Avengers saga, Loki, Doctor Strange 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
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 contributions 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, fans should understand the history and core dynamics before their returns in the current saga.
Captain America: The First Avenger
The Phase 1 origin story introduces Steve Rogers, the Super Soldier Serum, and the Tesseract (Space Stone), laying the foundation for The Avengers in the MCU.
The Avengers
Earth's Mightiest Heroes assemble for the first time to defend New York from Loki and the Chitauri armada, putting the team on the global map as the original Avengers. Doomsday serves as a counter-mirror to this 2012 landmark, forming the team's legacy as fractured Earth's defense network ahead of Doctor Doom's arrival.
Avengers: Infinity War
Avengers: Infinity War sets the modern emotional baseline of the MCU, including Tony Stark's great sacrifice, the original team's disbandment, and the disruptions that laid the foundation for multiversal incursions.
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.
Loki (Seasons 1 & 2)
After escaping with the Tesseract in Endgame, Loki is apprehended by the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and embarks 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.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Shang-Chi confronts his father and the shadow organization known as the Ten Rings, discovering ancient power and realm-jumping weaponry. The mysterious beacon at the end of the film points to multiversal cosmic threats, directly connecting Shang-Chi to the incoming lineup of Earth's defenders.
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.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
In the wake of King T'Challa's passing, Wakanda fights to protect its nation from intervening global powers and Namor's underwater kingdom of Talokan. Wakanda, after all, remains the world's primary vibranium hub and technological superpower, making it a central strategic target for Doctor Doom's global conquest.
Captain America: Brave New World
Sam Wilson officially takes flight as Captain America, navigating international espionage, political power struggles, and the emergence of Adamantium on the global stage. Brave New World also establishes the newly reformed Avengers and the geopolitical landscape of Earth-616 right before Doom exploits the existing world conflicts.
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 destruction.
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.
The Marvels
Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Ms. Marvel find their powers entangled, 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.
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 position 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.
But the real kicker is the mysterious post-credits scene that fans speculate may be the reason he won't appear again until Secret Wars. Oh, and another certain webslinger might be coming to join the party, too.
Keep it locked on EpicStream, your go-to site for film, TV, and celebrity coverage!