Every MCU Movie & TV Show You NEED To Watch Before Avengers: Doomsday

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Okay, so Avengers: Doomsday is a huge deal for Marvel this year – Disney’s really counting on it to get things back on track. But here’s the thing: there’s a bit of a running joke that keeping up with the MCU feels like homework. Some fans feel like you need to watch everything that came before, but honestly, I think that’s often overblown. Most of these movies stand on their own pretty well. They usually do a good job of filling you in on anything you might have missed from previous films, so you’re not totally lost even if you haven’t seen everything. It’s definitely not as daunting as some make it out to be!

To get ready for the new movie, it helps to revisit some past Marvel films, especially for those who might be a little behind. For Avengers: Doomsday, there’s one Disney+ show you should definitely watch beforehand, and nine other movies contain clues and storylines that lead into it. While not required viewing, here’s a list of MCU projects that connect to the upcoming December release.

10) Spider-Man: No Way Home

With Spider-Man: No Way Home, the concept of the multiverse became central to the future of the Avengers storyline. The film demonstrated that heroes and villains from alternate universes – worlds quite different from the main Marvel Cinematic Universe – could interact with each other. This crossover, featuring Spider-Man characters from Sony, paved the way for the possibility of other beloved heroes, like the X-Men, joining the MCU. However, Doctor Strange also warned that opening pathways between these universes is incredibly risky and could lead to catastrophic events called incursions.

9) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

The concept of ‘incursions’ – the destruction of entire worlds – was first introduced in the movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The film showed Doctor Strange journeying across different universes to stop the Scarlet Witch, who was attacking alternate versions of Earth and trying to take the life of another version of herself. During his travels, Strange encountered a group called the Illuminati, who explained that incursions happen when changes across the multiverse become too extreme, often due to people traveling between worlds. This concept will be important in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday movie, even though the two stories aren’t directly connected. Multiverse of Madness provides helpful context for understanding what’s to come.

8) Thor: Love and Thunder

The initial trailers for Avengers: Doomsday feature several groups of heroes, including one with Thor and his adopted daughter, Love. If you haven’t seen Thor: Love and Thunder, this might be a bit puzzling. Although the events of Thor: Love and Thunder don’t directly connect to Avengers: Doomsday, that’s where fans learn how Thor became a father. Love is the daughter of Gorr the God Butcher, who sacrifices himself to save her at the end of the film, and Thor vows to care for her. Given the possibility that Doctor Doom will target the heroes’ children, understanding Thor’s connection to Love is crucial.

7) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

There are two main reasons to watch Black Panther: Wakanda Forever before Avengers: Doomsday, beyond just enjoying the story. First, it’s the first Black Panther film made after the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman, and it shows us how Shuri becomes the new Black Panther and why M’Baku takes over as king of Wakanda. Second, the movie introduces Namor to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Both Shuri, M’Baku, and Namor play significant roles in Avengers: Doomsday, and Wakanda Forever provides the necessary background to understand their importance.

6) Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

As a Marvel fan, I remember everyone saying Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was a huge setup for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Things changed, though – Marvel decided to go with Doctor Doom instead of focusing on Kang. Still, Quantumania is worth checking out. It’s where we first saw Kang planning this massive, universe-spanning attack with all his different versions. Even though Kang’s not the big bad anymore, this movie was meant to kick off that storyline. It’ll definitely help you understand what happened in Loki, which is way more important when it comes to the upcoming Avengers movie.

5) The Marvels

Although The Marvels is a good film that deserves more recognition, its main connection to the future Avengers: Doomsday storyline happens after the credits roll. During the movie, Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan worked to close a dimensional rift. Monica ultimately closed the rift by stepping through it, which transported her to a world inhabited by the X-Men. This is where she met Beast (Kelsey Grammer), officially starting the integration of the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

4) Loki Season 1 & 2

Before you see Avengers: Doomsday, you really should watch Loki – even with the story changes that replaced Kang with Doctor Doom. The series brings Loki back to life after the events of Avengers: Endgame using time travel, but he quickly becomes a target for the Time Variance Authority. They send him to the end of time, where he meets a version of Kang (He Who Remains) who’s been keeping reality stable. The core threat of ‘incursions’ – events that could destroy everything – is first introduced in Loki. Doomsday will show those incursions actually happening. While the end of time also appeared in Deadpool & Wolverine, it’s much more central to the plot of Loki.

3) Thunderbolts*

The movie Thunderbolts sets up some key events for future Marvel films, particularly Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Most importantly, it reveals that the Fantastic Four are traveling to Earth, hinting at a potential conflict with the Avengers, the Thunderbolts, and the X-Men. Additionally, Thunderbolts introduces the incredibly powerful character, Sentry, who is likely to be a major player in Avengers: Secret Wars. It’s crucial to pay attention to Sentry’s abilities in Thunderbolts to understand his potential impact.

2) The Fantastic Four: First Steps

If you’re looking forward to Avengers: Doomsday, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is essential viewing. It introduces Doctor Doom to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and establishes Reed Richards as a multiversal traveler. The film also lays the groundwork for the Fantastic Four to become major heroes and, crucially, shows Doctor Doom with Franklin Richards, hinting at the source of his future power and potential for victory.

1) Spider-Man: Brand New Day

It’s unclear how the new Spider-Man: Brand New Day movie will connect to the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday event. However, it’s the final Marvel film scheduled to release before Doomsday arrives in December. Considering Spider-Man’s actions with the multiverse kicked off the story leading to Doomsday, it makes sense this film would be the last one offering clues before everything changes. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is likely to be the only movie released in 2026 that provides any insight into the major events of the year’s biggest MCU film.

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2026-03-06 18:13