The official cast announcement for Avengers: Doomsday has been revealed, and the news has huge implications for the upcoming Marvel epic. With actors such as Ian McKellen (Magneto) and Patrick Stewart (Professor X) announced alongside long-serving MCU stars like Chris Hemsworth (Thor), fans will have to go beyond the MCU and delve into 20th Century Fox’s X-Men series before watching Doomsday. If you want to watch find every movie you need to watch before Avengers: Doomsday, check our this streaming guide. We'll also let you know where to watch them on streaming services.
The original ‘X-Men’ series
One of the biggest surprises of the Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement was the presence of the original X-Men team from Fox’s X-Men series. For the first time in decades, Professor X (Sir Patrick Stewart), Magneto (Sir Ian McKellen), Beast (Kelsey Grammer), Cyclops (James Marsden), Mystique (Rebecca Romijn), and Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) will share the screen. To fully enjoy these cast members’ thrilling return, you can watch the entire original X-Men series in order. This means starting with X-Men, which kick-started the franchise back in 2000. You can then watch the iconic sequel, X2, which introduced Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler for the first time. Lastly, X-Men: The Last Stand completes the trilogy and notably includes Kelsey Grammer's debut appearance as Beast.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Since Avengers: Doomsday is bringing the original X-Men cast back together, it's still unclear if fans need to watch the X-Men prequels – with the exception of X-Men: Days of Future Past. While the movie is still technically a prequel, it includes actors from the original and prequel X-Men series, as Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) travels back in time to gain help from a young Professor X (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender). X-Men: Days of Future Past essentially changed the original trilogy’s ending, making it essential viewing before Avengers: Doomsday.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
One of the newest heroes appearing in Avengers: Doomsday is Simu Liu’s Xu Shang-Chi, who debuted in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The film is an introduction to his character and one of the first movies to launch the current Multiverse Saga in the MCU. In Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Shang-Chi finds himself confronted by the shadowy Ten Rings organization from his past. Meanwhile, the movie contains an ambiguous but crucial mid-credits scene that explains how Shang-Chi first connected with some of the Avengers and strongly hints that his Ten Rings will play a significant role in the MCU’s future.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is essential to watch before Avengers: Doomsday because it’s the first official introduction to the multiverse. Although the MCU's multiverse had been discussed in previous movies, this was the first time we saw a Marvel character explore it on-screen. It features Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) hopping through numerous worlds with America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez). Understanding the multiverse will likely be the key to understanding how the MCU and X-Men collide in Avengers: Doomsday. On top of that, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness marked the most recent appearance of Patrick Stewart as Professor X.
Thor: Love and Thunder
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is the only original Avengers member confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday, so it's important to rewatch his adventures throughout the Multiverse Saga. Thor last appeared in Thor: Love and Thunder, where he was pulled out of retirement by the arrival of Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) and the return of his ex-girlfriend, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). It’s unclear if the events of Thor: Love and Thunder will have an impact on Avengers: Doomsday, but it will explain where we last saw him in the MCU.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Avengers: Doomsday will mark the return of multiple characters from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, including the new Black Panther (Letitia Wright), mutant-hybride Namor (Tenoch Huerta), and Wakanda’s new king, M’Baku (Winston Duke). Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduces Namor as the leader of the Talokan, who clashes with Wakanda over the Vibranium race. The movie also explains the significant changes to Wakanda’s leadership and the Black Panther mantle. With Wakanda’s leaders confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday, you'll definitely want to revisit Black Panther: Wakanda Forever before the upcoming movie.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man is returning for Avengers: Doomsday, and the last time viewers saw him was in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. In the movie, Ant-Man and his loved ones – including Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), Cassie (Kathryn Newton) and Hope’s parents – get sucked into the Quantum Realm, where they meet Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). It is revealed that Kang is plotting his escape from the Quantum realm. Marvel have since dropped the Kang storyline, so most of the plot points tackled aren’t likely to figure into Avengers: Doomsday – but it still explains where Ant-Man currently is in the MCU.
Loki
The first two seasons of Loki are critical to understanding the Multiverse Saga because they delve into the technical side of the multiverse, explaining the Time Variance Authority, branching timelines, and variants. In the show, a variant of Loki (Tom Hiddleston) gets arrested by the TVA for his crimes against the “Sacred Timeline,” though the organization soon employs his help to combat a more significant threat to the multiverse. The series is especially relevant because Hiddleston’s Loki is confirmed to return in Avengers: Doomsday. With Loki’s close connection to the multiverse potentially playing into Avengers: Doomsday, Loki is a must-see.
The Marvels
Viewers will want to watch The Marvels before Avengers: Doomsday, mainly because of its mid-credits scene. The Marvels follows Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), who face a Kree villain when their powers become inexplicably entwined. Unfortunately, none of the Marvels are confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday. However, the film contains a crucial mid-credits scene featuring an important Doomsday cast member, which explains how the X-Men are already in the MCU.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool & Wolverine is another must-see because it's a major multiverse film introducing a key Avengers: Doomsday cast member. In the movie, the TVA recruits Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) to protect the multiverse, sending him on a multiversal adventure where he teams up with a Wolverine variant (Jackman). One of the film's most essential moments occurs in the Void, where Deadpool meets a Gambit variant (Channing Tatum). Although neither Wolverine nor Deadpool have been confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday, Tatum’s Gambit will return.
Captain America: Brave New World
With Captain America (Anthony Mackie) and his sidekick Falcon (Danny Ramirez) confirmed for Doomsday, viewers will want to catch up with them in Captain America: Brave New World. The film follows Sam Wilson as he officially takes up the mantle of Captain America and forms a shaky working relationship with President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford). Captain America: Brave New World is a reasonably self-contained film that doesn’t involve the multiverse. However, it’s necessary to understand the current status of Falcon and Captain America in the MCU.
Thunderbolts*
Even before Thunderbolts* premiered, almost the entire Thunderbolts team was confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday, including Yelena (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), and newcomer Sentry (Lewis Pullman). In the movie, the team of antiheroes is assembled for a secret mission under the leadership of the mysterious CIA director, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Given that the Thunderbolts are returning for Avengers: Doomsday, viewers won’t want to miss their MCU debut beforehand.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
The Fantastic Four and the team’s archenemy, Doctor Doom (Robert Downey, Jr.), are confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday. The team will make their MCU debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. In the upcoming movie, Marvel’s First Family–Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach)–come up against the cosmic entity, Galactus (Ralph Ineson). Given Doctor Doom’s close connection to the team in Marvel Comics, rumors suggest he could make his MCU debut in Fantastic Four: First Steps. Regardless of whether he does appear, the film is the final MCU movie before Avengers: Doomsday and is bound to be highly relevant.
