Marvel Studios is making it easier for fans to prepare for Avengers: Doomsday without attempting to revisit the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Disney+ has released an official “Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday” watchlist featuring a curated selection of movies and series that Marvel believes are most relevant to the upcoming multiverse event.
The list is notable not only for what it includes, but also for what it leaves out. While major multiverse stories such as Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness make the cut, several seemingly important MCU projects are missing.
With Avengers: Doomsday scheduled to arrive on December 18, 2026, the Disney+ list offers fans a much shorter route into the story before the next Avengers movie. It also provides some clues about the characters, timelines and Marvel properties that could be particularly important to the Multiverse Saga.
Disney+ Picks 15 Marvel Titles for the ‘Doomsday’ Countdown
The official watchlist contains 15 movies and television seasons, bringing together MCU productions and selected films from the pre-MCU-era X-Men universe.
Several choices are straightforward. Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame are essential viewing for anyone wanting to understand the consequences of the Infinity Saga and the status of the MCU after the Blip.
The list also includes both seasons of Loki, one of the most important Disney+ series in the Multiverse Saga. The show significantly expanded Marvel’s explanation of branching timelines and the multiverse, making it an obvious inclusion ahead of a film expected to deal heavily with alternate realities.
Other major selections include:
- Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Thunderbolts*
- Deadpool & Wolverine
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- The Avengers
- Two of the original Fox X-Men films
The presence of Fantastic Four: First Steps is particularly significant because the film introduced Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr., in its mid-credits sequence. Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU as Doom is one of the biggest developments surrounding Avengers: Doomsday.
Why the X-Men Movies Are on the List
Perhaps the most unexpected part of Marvel’s selection is the inclusion of the first two Fox X-Men films.
The original X-Men and X2: X-Men United were produced before Marvel Studios established the modern MCU continuity. Their appearance on an official Doomsday watchlist therefore stands out.
The decision becomes more intriguing following the growing role of legacy Marvel characters in the Multiverse Saga.
Deadpool & Wolverine already brought several characters associated with Fox’s Marvel films into the MCU, demonstrating that Marvel Studios is willing to revisit characters and performances from earlier continuities.
The inclusion of the original X-Men films could therefore serve as a primer for audiences who may be unfamiliar with the franchise’s older characters and history.
Interestingly, however, Disney+ has not included every major X-Men film. The list reportedly leaves out titles such as X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Days of Future Past, despite their importance to the franchise’s later timeline.
That selective approach makes the watchlist even more interesting.
Doctor Strange and Spider-Man Get Important Spots
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Spider-Man: No Way Home are also part of the recommended viewing.
Both films are heavily connected to Marvel’s multiverse concept.
No Way Home famously brought together different cinematic versions of Spider-Man, while Multiverse of Madness explored alternate universes and introduced audiences to different versions of familiar characters.
Their inclusion does not necessarily confirm that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange or Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff will appear in Avengers: Doomsday. Marvel has not publicly confirmed every character who will feature in the film.
Still, their presence on the official watchlist suggests that Marvel considers the concepts established in these movies useful preparation for the next Avengers chapter.
The Missing MCU Movies Are Just as Interesting
The omissions may be more revealing than some of the inclusions.
For example, Disney+ has not created a comprehensive chronological list covering every MCU hero. Among the original Avengers, Captain America receives a prominent solo-film representation, while the first Avengers movie effectively serves as the introduction to the original team’s wider dynamic.
The absence of a broader selection of Thor films is particularly notable given Thor’s importance to the MCU’s original saga.
Similarly, fans might reasonably expect more entries from the MCU’s various Disney+ series, particularly projects that contributed to the Multiverse Saga.
Instead, Marvel appears to have deliberately avoided creating an exhaustive viewing order.
Why Marvel May Have Chosen a Shorter Watchlist
The strategy makes practical sense.
The MCU has expanded dramatically since Iron Man debuted in 2008. A new viewer attempting to watch every film and Disney+ series before Avengers: Doomsday would face an enormous time commitment.
The Multiverse Saga has also introduced numerous characters, timelines and realities across movies and television.
By publishing an official 15-title watchlist, Marvel can give casual viewers a manageable starting point while allowing longtime fans to explore the wider universe independently.
It also means Disney+ is effectively telling viewers which stories Marvel considers most useful before entering the next Avengers event.
‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Could Be Especially Important
Among the newer selections, Fantastic Four: First Steps could have a particularly direct connection to Avengers: Doomsday.
The film introduced Marvel’s version of the Fantastic Four and established Doctor Doom as a major part of the story moving forward.
Robert Downey Jr.’s casting as Doctor Doom has generated enormous interest because of his previous role as Tony Stark/Iron Man.
Although Doom and Stark are distinct Marvel characters, Downey Jr.’s presence naturally adds another layer of intrigue to the upcoming Avengers storyline.
For viewers who want to understand why Doom is central to the next phase of the MCU, Fantastic Four: First Steps is therefore an important starting point.
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Connects the MCU to Marvel’s Past
Another obvious bridge is Deadpool & Wolverine.
The film connected the modern MCU with characters and worlds associated with the earlier Fox Marvel movies. Its inclusion alongside the original X-Men films makes the broader strategy easier to understand.
Marvel appears interested in giving audiences some familiarity with the older Marvel movie universe before bringing more legacy characters into its current storyline.
That could become increasingly relevant as the Multiverse Saga moves toward Avengers: Doomsday and eventually Avengers: Secret Wars.
What About ‘Secret Wars’?
Avengers: Doomsday is expected to be followed by Avengers: Secret Wars, which is positioned as the next major culmination of Marvel’s Multiverse Saga.
That makes the current watchlist more than simply a collection of popular Marvel titles.
The selected movies establish several of the concepts that could potentially feed into the larger storyline: alternate realities, branching timelines, legacy characters, multiversal incursions and the return of characters from different Marvel continuities.
However, fans should be careful not to treat every inclusion as confirmation that a particular character will appear in Doomsday. A recommended watchlist is not the same thing as an official cast announcement.
Marvel’s ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Watchlist: What It Tells Us
The most important takeaway is that Marvel is attempting to simplify the viewing experience.
Rather than asking audiences to revisit the entire MCU, Disney+ has highlighted a relatively small group of projects covering the Infinity Saga, the multiverse, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Loki, the Fantastic Four, Deadpool and the legacy X-Men universe.
That combination is unusual, but it reflects where Marvel’s current storytelling appears to be heading.
For casual viewers, the list could provide a useful preparation guide. For longtime MCU fans, however, the omissions are likely to generate just as much discussion as the selections.
With Avengers: Doomsday approaching, Marvel has made one thing clear: the Multiverse Saga is increasingly bringing together different generations and versions of its cinematic universe.
And if the official watchlist is any indication, the road to Doomsday may involve considerably more than the familiar MCU timeline.
