If you stopped following Marvel after Avengers: Endgame, you are probably looking at Avengers: Doomsday and thinking, “Wait… who are all these people, and why is Doctor Doom fighting basically everyone?” And honestly, that is a fair question.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become enormous. What started with Iron Man has grown into dozens of movies and Disney+ shows, multiple universes, alternate timelines, mutants, variants, time travel and characters returning from older Marvel franchises. Trying to watch everything before Avengers: Doomsday would feel less like entertainment and more like preparing for an exam.
Thankfully, you don’t need to watch the entire MCU. Marvel’s own recommended preparation list is fairly extensive, but several titles stand out because they establish the multiverse, the returning X-Men characters, the Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom and the current state of the MCU.
So, if you want the most useful watchlist without spending weeks rewatching the MCU, here are the movies and shows I’d prioritize.
Also Read: The Story of Doctor Doom: Who He Is in Avengers, Fantastic Four, and Marvel Comics
1. Avengers: Endgame
Let’s start with the obvious one. If you haven’t watched Avengers: Endgame recently, this should be your first stop. Endgame is important not only because it was the last major Avengers movie, but because its time-travel storyline indirectly opens the door to the complicated multiverse story that follows. It also gives you the emotional ending of Tony Stark’s story.
And that matters even more now because Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom, rather than Iron Man.
Obviously, Doom is not Tony Stark. But seeing Tony’s final journey again makes Downey’s return in such a radically different role much more interesting. If you have time, watch Avengers: Infinity War immediately before Endgame. You don’t absolutely need it for Doomsday, but the two movies work brilliantly as a pair.
2. Loki — Season 1 and Season 2
Technically, this isn’t a movie. But if you are willing to watch only one Marvel series before Doomsday, make it Loki. This is probably the most important piece of multiverse homework Marvel has produced. The series introduces the TVA, variants, branching timelines and the larger rules behind the multiverse. It also introduces He Who Remains and explores the consequences of different timelines existing simultaneously.
Even though Marvel’s plans changed significantly from the original Kang-focused direction, Loki remains extremely useful because it explains the multiverse itself.
By the end of Season 2, Loki’s role in maintaining the branching timelines becomes incredibly important to the larger MCU. You don’t need to remember every little detail. Just understand the basic idea: the MCU is no longer one simple timeline. There are countless realities, and what happens to one universe can affect others. That concept is going to be extremely important in Doomsday.
3. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
If Loki teaches you how the multiverse works, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness shows you how dangerous it can become. This movie introduces the concept of incursions, where different universes can collide or threaten one another. That is a massive piece of information going into Doomsday.
The movie also gives you a better understanding of Doctor Strange’s relationship with the multiverse and introduces several alternate versions of familiar characters. It isn’t necessary to understand every character who appears, but the movie’s bigger idea is important: different universes aren’t just parallel playgrounds. Their existence can have catastrophic consequences.
That is exactly the kind of situation an Avengers-level movie can build upon.
4. Spider-Man: No Way Home
This one is almost impossible to skip. Spider-Man: No Way Home took the MCU’s multiverse concept and turned it into something mainstream audiences could immediately understand. Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man. Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. Classic villains returning from different universes.
More importantly, the movie establishes that characters from completely different realities can cross into the MCU. That becomes particularly relevant now that Marvel is bringing back characters and actors from outside the traditional MCU. If Doomsday
Also Read: Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) Should Watch It Or Skip?
5. Deadpool & Wolverine
If you haven’t seen Deadpool & Wolverine, put it near the top of your list. This movie is Marvel’s giant bridge between the MCU and the older Fox Marvel universe. Deadpool and Wolverine aren’t simply random new characters appearing in the MCU. Their movie plays directly with Marvel’s history, alternate realities and the previous X-Men films.
That’s particularly important because Avengers: Doomsday is expected to feature several major X-Men characters. You don’t need to watch every old Fox movie beforehand to enjoy Deadpool & Wolverine, although doing so will make many jokes and emotional moments hit harder.
For a quick preparation marathon, however, Deadpool & Wolverine is much more efficient.
6. The Fantastic Four: First Steps
This is arguably the single most important newer movie to watch before Doomsday. Why? Because the Fantastic Four are no longer just another superhero team sitting on the sidelines. They are directly connected to the upcoming Avengers story.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps establishes this version of Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm and introduces the world they inhabit. More importantly, it brings Doctor Doom into the MCU’s immediate orbit.
Since Doom is the central threat of Avengers: Doomsday, you really don’t want to walk into the theater without knowing anything about this version of the Fantastic Four. The movie also gives you important context for Reed Richards’ understanding of the multiverse. So if you’re looking for the movie that most directly prepares you for what is coming next, this is probably it.
7. X-Men: Days of Future Past
Now we’re moving outside the MCU. If Marvel is bringing back the original X-Men actors, X-Men: Days of Future Past is one of the smartest older movies to revisit.
The movie itself revolves heavily around changing timelines and different versions of the future, which makes it surprisingly appropriate preparation for a multiverse-heavy Avengers film. It also gives you valuable context for several of the returning X-Men characters.
You don’t necessarily have to watch the entire Fox X-Men saga, but if you’re excited about seeing the older X-Men return, this one is worth your time.
So, What Is the Shortest Watchlist?
If you absolutely don’t want to spend weeks catching up, I’d keep it simple.
Watch these first:
- Avengers: Endgame
- Loki — Seasons 1 & 2
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Deadpool & Wolverine
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps
That’s the core.
If you have additional time, add:
X-Men: Days of Future Past
And if you want the full nostalgia package, then go deeper into the original X-Men movies and older Marvel adaptations.
Do You Need to Watch Every MCU Movie?
Absolutely not. This is probably the most important thing to remember. You don’t need to rewatch Iron Man, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Thor: Ragnarok, Guardians of the Galaxy, Eternals, Shang-Chi, Moon Knight, Hawkeye and another twenty projects just because they are part of the MCU.
There are certainly connections and Easter eggs you might miss, but Doomsday is designed to bring together multiple corners of Marvel’s universe. Trying to consume everything beforehand can actually make the experience more exhausting than exciting.
Recent watchlists have varied considerably, with some recommending more than 30 movies and shows, while other guides have tried to narrow the preparation down to only a handful of truly important projects.
The better approach is to understand the big picture. You need to know that the MCU has become a multiverse. You need to understand that different versions of characters can exist. You need to know that characters from older Marvel universes can now cross into the MCU. You need to understand where the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom fit into the new story and you should know who the major Avengers and X-Men players are.
Once you have that foundation, you’re ready.
The Bottom Line
Avengers: Doomsday isn’t going to be a normal Marvel sequel. It’s shaping up to be a massive crossover between different generations and corners of Marvel, bringing together the Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men and other characters from across the multiverse.
That’s exactly why watching everything isn’t necessary.
If you only have time for a handful of titles, prioritize Endgame, Loki, No Way Home, Multiverse of Madness, Deadpool & Wolverine, Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Those movies and episodes give you most of the important building blocks.
And honestly, that’s probably the best way to approach Doomsday. Don’t turn Marvel into homework. Watch the stories that actually excite you, refresh your memory about the multiverse, and then sit back when the lights go down.
Because when Doctor Doom finally walks into that theater, you probably won’t want to be thinking about which obscure Disney+ episode you forgot.
You’ll want to enjoy the chaos.