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Releases December 18, 2026

What to watch before Avengers: Doomsday

Disney+ published an official 15-title Avengers: Doomsday preparation order in August 2026. We reproduce that order below, recommend two additions, and add two alternative paths for people with more or less time. Pick one and start checking things off.

15 titles

The official list

1d 12h 45m. Marvel's own picks.

51 titles

Our essentials

5d 3h 16m. Nothing you can skip.

163 titles

Everything

27d 49m. The full run.

The official Disney+ prep order

These are the 15 titles in Disney+'s published Avengers: Doomsday preparation order. It is an official recommended rewatch, distinct from Marvel's in-universe MCU chronology. Runtime total: 1d 12h 45m.

  1. 1X-Men1h 44m
  2. 2X2: X-Men United2h 13m
  3. 3Captain America: The First Avenger2h 4m
  4. 4The Avengers2h 23m
  5. 5Avengers: Infinity War2h 29m
  6. 6Avengers: Endgame3h 2m
  7. 7Loki (Season 1)5h
  8. 8Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings2h 12m
  9. 9Spider-Man: No Way Home2h 28m
  10. 10Black Panther: Wakanda Forever2h 41m
  11. 11Captain America: Brave New World1h 58m
  12. 12Deadpool & Wolverine2h 8m
  13. 13Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness2h 6m
  14. 14Thunderbolts*2h 7m
  15. 15The Fantastic Four: First Steps2h 10m

Two additions we recommend

The Marvels is missing. Its ending strands Monica in a parallel universe alongside Binary and Beast, making it useful mutant and multiverse context. That is our editorial reason to add it; the film does not call the rupture an incursion.

X-Men: Days of Future Past is missing while X-Men and X2 made the cut. If the Fox timeline matters enough for two entries, the film that actually rewrites that timeline should be there. Also, Hugh Jackman's Wolverine arcs through it. That feels relevant to a Doomsday cast list.

Otherwise the list is surprisingly aggressive. Cutting Iron Man entirely, and every solo Spider-Man film except No Way Home, tells you Doomsday is not an origin story. It expects you know these people.

Our essentials path

51 titles, 5d 3h 16m. Same spine as the Disney+ collection plus Monica's unresolved multiverse thread and the Fox films Doomsday's cast implies. This is the list we would hand a friend who has seen "most of them, probably."

Show all 51 essentials
  1. 1Captain America: The First Avenger2h 4m
  2. 2Captain Marvel2h 4m
  3. 3Iron Man2h 6m
  4. 4The Incredible Hulk1h 52m
  5. 5Iron Man 22h 4m
  6. 6Iron Man 2 (Post-Credit Scene)2m
  7. 7Thor1h 55m
  8. 8Captain America: The First Avenger (Credits)2m
  9. 9Thor (Post-Credit Scene)2m
  10. 10The Avengers2h 23m
  11. 11Iron Man 32h 10m
  12. 12Thor: The Dark World1h 52m
  13. 13Captain America: The Winter Soldier2h 16m
  14. 14Guardians of the Galaxy2h 1m
  15. 15Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 22h 16m
  16. 16Avengers: Age of Ultron2h 21m
  17. 17Ant-Man1h 57m
  18. 18Captain America: Civil War2h 27m
  19. 19Black Widow2h 14m
  20. 20Black Panther2h 14m
  21. 21Spider-Man: Homecoming2h 13m
  22. 22Doctor Strange1h 55m
  23. 23Thor: Ragnarok2h 10m
  24. 24Ant-Man and the Wasp1h 58m
  25. 25Avengers: Infinity War2h 29m
  26. 26Ant-Man & The Wasp (All Credits)3m
  27. 27Captain Marvel (Post-Credits Scene)2m
  28. 28Avengers: Endgame3h 2m
  29. 29WandaVision (Season 1)6h
  30. 30WandaVision (Ep 9 Mid-Credit Scene)2m
  31. 31The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Season 1)5h
  32. 32Loki (Season 1)5h
  33. 33Spider-Man: Far From Home2h 9m
  34. 34Black Widow (Post-Credit Scene)3m
  35. 35Hawkeye (Season 1)5h
  36. 36Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings2h 12m
  37. 37Spider-Man: No Way Home2h 28m
  38. 38Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness2h 6m
  39. 39Ms. Marvel (Season 1)4h 30m
  40. 40Thor: Love and Thunder1h 59m
  41. 41Black Panther: Wakanda Forever2h 41m
  42. 42Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania2h 4m
  43. 43The Marvels1h 45m
  44. 44Loki (Season 2)5h
  45. 45Deadpool & Wolverine2h 8m
  46. 46Daredevil: Born Again (Season 1)8h 15m
  47. 47Captain America: Brave New World1h 58m
  48. 48Thunderbolts*2h 7m
  49. 49Daredevil: Born Again (Season 2)6h
  50. 50Spider-Man: Brand New Day2h 25m
  51. 51The Fantastic Four: First Steps2h 10m

The completionist run

All 163 titles released as of August 29, 2026, 27d 49m of viewing. At two titles a day you need to start by early October. The tracker's planner turns that into an exact daily number once you check off what you have already seen.

The full list is the complete watch order. Everything marked essential or recommended appears in the paths above; the rest is optional by design.

How much time do you have left?

The tracker does this arithmetic for you, but the raw numbers are: official list 1d 12h 45m, essentials 5d 3h 16m, everything 27d 49m. Days until release are on the homepage counter. Mid-October starts being tight for the full run.

Common questions

Is Marvel official watchlist for Doomsday out?

Yes. Disney+ published an official 15-title preparation order in August 2026. We reproduce its sequence above with runtimes.

Do I need to watch everything before Doomsday?

No. The Disney+ collection contains 15 titles. Our slightly longer essentials path adds The Marvels and Days of Future Past as editorial recommendations, not official requirements.

How many hours before Avengers: Doomsday?

The official 15-title path is 1d 12h 45m. Our essentials path is 5d 3h 16m. Everything released so far is 27d 49m.

Is Fantastic Four: First Steps required?

Marvel says yes, it is on the official list. Galactus and the Silver Surfer debut there and both feature in Doomsday marketing.