(Photo by Disney / Courtesy Everett Collection. Deadpool and Wolverine)

The Essential Marvel Movies to Watch Before Avengers: Doomsday

Are you prepared for Doom?! No, not the apocalypse, but the other major event that’s definitely happening in 2026: Avengers: Doomsday. It’s been seven years since the Avengers finished off Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. Since then, A LOT has happened: Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) almost destroyed the multiverse (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), the Guardians of the Galaxy appointed Rocket Raccoon as their new leader in Vol. 3, and a ragtag group of baddies became the Thunderbolts (and then rebranded to become The New Avengers).

If you want to catch up before Doomsday, you don’t need to watch the entire MCU timeline (which now spans dozens of films and television shows). We’ve narrowed it down to the essential Marvel Studios movies and shows that directly set the stage for the next Avengers saga.

We’re excluding movies that weren’t produced by Marvel Studios, so Fox’s X-Men films aren’t included even though folks like James Marsden’s Cyclops, Ian McKellen’s Magneto, and Patrick Stewart’s Professor X are already confirmed to appear in Doomsday, as well as any other studio’s adaptation (Universal’s Hulk, Sony’s Sam Raimi-helmed Spider-Man, Fox’s Daredevil). You won’t get every easter egg, passing reference, or surprise appearance, like the history between Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin in Spider-Man: No Way Home, or why Jennifer Garner’s Elektra pops up and insults Ben Affleck’s Daredevil in Deadpool & Wolverine.

But if you follow this guide, you’ll head into theaters armed with the crucial info needed to jump right back into the MCU this December. Put these titles on your watchlist, and prepare to assemble! — Bryce Marrero

Looking for the full viewing timeline? See the complete MCU watch order guide.