Avengers: Doomsday Watch Order
Doomsday releases December 18, 2026. Doom, the Russo brothers, and heroes from three separate universes: the main MCU, the Fantastic Four's, and the X-Men's.
Watch order below is release order, with the Fox X-Men films moved to positions 38–40 — they're a separate universe, and that's where they finally connect to everything else.
Full List
| # | Film / Series | Year | Required? | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iron Man | 2008 | Required | Where it all starts; Downey's Stark matters for the Doom casting |
| 2 | The Incredible Hulk | 2008 | Not required | The odd one out — Norton was replaced by Ruffalo and never referenced again |
| 3 | Iron Man 2 | 2010 | Not required | Mostly setup for The Avengers |
| 4 | Thor | 2011 | Required | Thor and Loki are both in Doomsday |
| 5 | Captain America: The First Avenger | 2011 | Required | Steve Rogers returns in Doomsday |
| 6 | The Avengers | 2012 | Required | The team forms |
| 7 | Iron Man 3 | 2013 | Not required | Self-contained |
| 8 | Thor: The Dark World | 2013 | Not required | Skippable; Ragnarok resets Thor anyway |
| 9 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier | 2014 | Required | Bucky and Sam, both in Doomsday |
| 10 | Guardians of the Galaxy | 2014 | Not required | Fun, but the Guardians aren't in Doomsday |
| 11 | Avengers: Age of Ultron | 2015 | Required | Wanda and Vision; sets up Civil War |
| 12 | Ant-Man | 2015 | Not required | Scott Lang's in Doomsday, but you'll get him from Civil War on |
| 13 | Captain America: Civil War | 2016 | Required | Fractures the team; core to Infinity War |
| 14 | Doctor Strange | 2016 | Required | Magic and dimensions groundwork |
| 15 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | 2017 | Not required | — |
| 16 | Spider-Man: Homecoming | 2017 | Not required | Needed only if you're doing the Spider-Man thread |
| 17 | Thor: Ragnarok | 2017 | Required | Thor and Loki's current dynamic |
| 18 | Black Panther | 2018 | Not required | Introduces Shuri and M'Baku, both in Doomsday |
| 19 | Avengers: Infinity War | 2018 | Required | — |
| 20 | Ant-Man and the Wasp | 2018 | Not required | Ghost's introduction |
| 21 | Captain Marvel | 2019 | Not required | — |
| 22 | Avengers: Endgame | 2019 | Required | The payoff; Loki S1 spins directly out of it |
| 23 | Spider-Man: Far From Home | 2019 | Not required | Spider-Man thread only |
| 24 | WandaVision | 2021 | Not required | Strongly recommended before Multiverse of Madness |
| 25 | The Falcon and the Winter Soldier | 2021 | Required | Sam becomes Cap; John Walker's introduction |
| 26 | Loki S1 | 2021 | Required | The TVA and the multiverse rules |
| 27 | Black Widow | 2021 | Required | Yelena and Alexei — Yelena reportedly has a big role in Doomsday |
| 28 | Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings | 2021 | Not required | His only solo film |
| 29 | Eternals | 2021 | Not required | Barely connected to any of this |
| 30 | Spider-Man: No Way Home | 2021 | Required | First real multiverse crossover |
| 31 | Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | 2022 | Required | Introduces incursions; Patrick Stewart's Xavier |
| 32 | Thor: Love and Thunder | 2022 | Not required | Thor's adopted daughter appears in Doomsday |
| 33 | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | 2022 | Not required | Shuri as Panther, plus Namor, Namora, Attuma |
| 34 | Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania | 2023 | Not required | Kang setup, largely superseded by the Doom pivot |
| 35 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | 2023 | Not required | — |
| 36 | Loki S2 | 2023 | Required | Pays off the multiverse structure |
| 37 | The Marvels | 2023 | Not required | — |
| 38 | X2 | 2003 | Required | Best snapshot of the returning Fox X-Men cast |
| 39 | X-Men | 2000 | Not required | Xavier/Magneto foundation |
| 40 | X-Men: Days of Future Past | 2014 | Not required | The Fox cast reunion |
| 41 | Deadpool & Wolverine | 2024 | Required | Connects the Fox universe to the TVA |
| 42 | Captain America: Brave New World | 2025 | Required | Sam as the current Cap |
| 43 | Thunderbolts* | 2025 | Required | Five Doomsday cast members carry over |
| 44 | The Fantastic Four: First Steps | 2025 | Required | Doom's origin rivals; the most direct thread in |
| 45 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day | 2026 | Recommended | In theaters now — catch it while you can |
Required-Only Checklist
About 55 hours total, including the three TV seasons. Across 19 weeks that's roughly three hours a week.
- Iron Man
- Thor
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- The Avengers
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Captain America: Civil War
- Doctor Strange
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Avengers: Endgame
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier — S1
- Loki — S1
- Black Widow
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Loki — S2
- X2
- Deadpool & Wolverine
- Captain America: Brave New World
- Thunderbolts*
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day — recommended, in theaters now
Notes
- Don't split Endgame → Loki S1. The series spins directly out of the time heist.
- Save First Steps for last. Doom is a Fantastic Four villain by origin, so it's the freshest thing in your head walking into the theater.
- If you need to trim, cut from positions 1–14. Endgame onward is where the actual Doomsday setup lives.
- Skipthe First Class trilogy — different actors, different continuity thread from the cast returning in Doomsday.