A Realistic List of Rewatches Before "Avengers: Doomsday" (For those of us with a life)

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X-Men

With the exciting announcement that, for the first time in decades, Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Magneto (Ian McKellen), Beast (Kelsey Grammer), Cyclops (James Mardsen), Mystique (Rebecca Romijn), and Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) will make appearances in the new film – it's important to revisit the original X-Men franchise. And if you don't have time to watch all of them, let the very first of the franchise be the one you prioritize.

X-Men introduces several characters who return in Avengers: Doomsday, including Cyclops and Mystique. As the first live-action X-Men film, it provides the foundation for understanding the original team and their ideological divide.

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Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were colossal hits back in 2018 and 2019. These two films are considered milestones within the MCU. Avengers: Doomsday will focus on its own storyline, while also having links to the events of Infinity War and Endgame, so being familiar with these two films will be useful, especially when it comes to where we last left off Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) and Captain America (Chris Evans).

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Loki Season One

The first season of Loki featuring Tom Hiddleston, lays important groundwork for our understanding of the multiverse and alternate timelines. Season one introduces variants of characters, the Time Variance Authority (TVA), and the idea that multiple timelines and realities exist at the same time in the MCU. It also introduces larger threats surrounding the multiverse, making it an important foundation for understanding the events leading up to Avengers: Doomsday.

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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduces Shuri (Letitia Wright) as the new Black Panther following T'Challa's (Chadwick Boseman) death and establishes her role among the MCU's next generation of superheroes. With the involvement of Wakanda's heroes in the MCU's future, this film helps provide important character and world-building context.

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Thor: Love and Thunder

Thor: Love and Thunder is important for understanding Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) post-Endgame character arc. It helps establish where Thor stands after losing so much of who he previously was. With his identity at a crossroads, this film provides context in regards to what we can expect from him as he enters another conflict (Avengers: Doomsday).

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Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is one of the most important films on the list. Quantumania introduces Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) to Kang the Conqueror as a multiversal threat, and it introduces us to the Quantum Realm. Overall, this movie offers an important understanding of the multiversal conflict and the scale of the threats the Avengers will be facing.

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Loki Season 2

Season 2 continues the multiverse storyline as Loki becomes more involved in trying to save the branching timelines, ultimately creating a new role and character arc for him in the multiverse. This season builds on everything that was established in season one, and provides context on how the MCU's timelines and realities function. Loki ultimately sacrifices himself — becoming the new Yggdrasil (World Tree), holding all branching timelines together with his own power. His sacrifice is the reason the multiverse is stable enough for Doomsday to happen at all. 

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Deadpool & Wolverine

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the more important bridges between the old Marvel movies and the MCU. Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) enters the multiverse and meets characters from the former Fox Marvel universe, more importantly, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). Since the original X-Men universe and its character are starting to merge with the larger MCU crossover – this film helps explain how these previously separate worlds can now intersect.

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Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America: The First Avenger introduces us to Captain America (Chris Evans), where Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) wakes him after 70 years of lying dormant (frozen). The disorientation that Steve Rogers experiences in this film is resolved in Endgame. Alongside other Avengers, Captain America is confirmed to return in Doomsday – making his backstory relevant.

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Thunderbolts 2025

Thunderbolts is the assembly of the new Avengers. Starring characters such as Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and other anti-heroes to combat The Void. This is the team we will see in Avengers: Doomsday.

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Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness

In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we are introduced to Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) concept of Incursions (Universe-collisions). This is a fundamental basis going into Doomsday, where universal collisions facilitate the merging of Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Junior), with the current marvel universe where the Avengers reside.

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Spider-Man: No Way Home

This specific Spider-Man film gives us additional context into what Doctor Strange is capable of, when Peter Parker (Tom Holland) asks Strange to make everyone forget that he is Spider-Man. Villains and other Peter Parkers from other universes ultimately merge with his own, showing us more examples of Incursions in the Marvel Universe, and reveal Doctor Strange's potential role in Doomsday.

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This list of Marvel Cinematic Universe films only scratches the surface of what you could watch in preparation for Avengers: Doomsday. You could essentially rewatch every film in the entire Marvel Universe and still feel like you could use more context. This is just a list of recommendations for where one could start, especially if you don't have the time or resources to watch 660+ hours of television.