It feels like an eternity (or perhaps, an infinity) since the last Avengers team-up, and by the time we get to Avengers: Doomsday in 2026, it will have been seven years since we saw all of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes on the same battlefield.
The MCU has been through a tough time of it lately, with a few critical misses, but things seem to be back on track thanks to the positive reaction to Thunderbolts* and the hype around The Fantastic Four: First Steps later this year.
If you’re invested in the MCU to this point, then you’ll know that the Avengers: Doomsday cast is absolutely huge, and very, very exciting, too. With so many names in there, it’s important to understand where all the key characters are as we close in on the release of this massive event movie. So, here’s every movie you need to watch before Avengers: Doomsday, and details on where to stream them all.
Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame
OK, let’s go way back to that last team-up for all the Avengers, new and old. The double-bill of Avengers: Endgame will not only refresh your memory on the strength in numbers the superteam possesses, but it’s also just a great time to remind yourself just how amazing the MCU can be at its peak.
Plus, with Robert Downey Jr. back in the MCU, albeit as a very different character this time, it’s worth a look at how his time as Tony Stark AKA Iron Man came to a close back in 2019.
Thor: Love and Thunder
Chris Hemsworth is still going strong as our favourite Asgardian, and with four solo movies to his name, Thor is now the most prolific of the original Avengers team when it comes to MCU outings. His most recent, Thor: Love and Thunder, saw the God of Thunder team up with his ex-girlfriend, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) to take on Gorr the God Butcher, and by the end, he had a new, far younger teammate by his side.
It may not be a highlight in the MCU, but Thor: Love and Thunder is essential if you want to know what the mighty Mjolnir wielder is up to.
Captain America: Brave New World
With Steve Rogers now gone (but never forgotten), it’s up to Sam Wilson to take on the mantle of Captain America, and the former Falcon has not had an easy time of it in the early days of his tenure in the stars and stripes.
Captain America: Brave New World not only sees Sam (Anthony Mackie) ramp up his reputation as the new Cap by taking down President Ross’ Red Hulk, but also leads him to lay the foundations for the new Avengers team he’s putting together ahead of Avengers: Doomsday. Make no mistake, Sam will be a leading figure by the time Doom arrives next year.
Thunderbolts*
Before the release of this film, we had all imagined the likes of Red Guardian, Ghost, and US Agent would be very expendable. But, they’ll all be ing Yelena (Florence Pugh) for Avengers: Doomsday, and actually the team in Thunderbolts* have become far more important than we (or indeed, they) ever expected.
Not only do you need to know what’s going on with Sentry (Lewis Pullman) ahead of the next Avengers movie, but this whole band of misfits might just be the first team that Earth turns to when the next big threat bears down on the planet.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Even more crucial, though, will be the likes of Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) who, alongside Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) comprise the cast for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. And, as any comic book aficionado will tell you, you can’t have Doctor Doom without Marvel’s first family.
Of course, this one isn’t out just yet, but it’s just around the corner, and will be absolutely crucial viewing ahead of the Avengers: Doomsday release next year. Be sure to watch this one as soon as you can as the heroes mentioned above are likely to be the frontline in facing Doom.
The X-Men trilogy
By the time Avengers: Doomsday comes around next year, it will have been 20 years since many of the players from the original X-Men trilogy were last seen on screen. Of course some, like Patrick Stewart’s Professor Xavier, have popped up more recently, but with the likes of Mystique (Rebecca Romijn), Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming), and Cyclops (James Marsden) all set to reprise their roles for the new Avengers flick, you’d better refresh your memory on how things went down all those years ago.
It’s a three-for-one deal, this one, with X-Men: The Last Stand to catch up on.
The Marvels
Speaking of random mutants, you’ll have to watch The Marvels, too. That’s not a chore, though, as the team-up of Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Ms Marvel (Iman Vellani), and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) is actually a lot of fun. While it’s a largely self-contained story, we know the young Ms Marvel will be back for Avengers Doomsday at the very least, as will Kelsey Grammer’s X-Men character, Beast, who pops up in the end-credits scene here.
His presence in an alternative timeline alongside Rambeau, who is very much lost in space, could well be the key to bringing the various universes together in Avengers: Doomsday.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
With Chadwick Boseman sadly gone, it will be down to Letitia Wright’s Shuri to don the Black Panther costume and bear the responsibility of Wakanda’s input in the fight against Doctor Doom. She will be ed by Tenoch Huerta, who plays Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Again, comic book fans will know just how powerful Namor is, and he’s a key player in the Secret Wars arc, too, so don’t be surprised to see him have a big role to play in Avengers: Doomsday if Marvel are gearing up for a similar trajectory to the character’s journey in the source material.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
In many ways, we wouldn’t blame you for almost forgetting about Shang-Chi (Simu Liu). His solo movie came out back in 2021, and we’ve not seen him or heard him even mentioned in the MCU since then. But, we know the actor will be back for Avengers: Doomsday.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings features some brilliant fight choreography, and the titular artefacts that give our hero his powers could end up being very useful in stepping up the Avengers’ power levels when they face the might of Doctor Doom.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
One of the main surviving of the fight against Thanos, and arguably the most powerful Avenger still left on Earth in the lead-up to Avengers: Doomsday, Doctor Strange will have a massive role to play in the movie, one way or another.
In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the eponymous sorcerer is tasked with protecting America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) from Wanda Maximoff. In the process, though, Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) also practically breaks the multiverse, and the incursions mentioned in the movie will very likely be the open door Doom needs to bring havoc to Earth-616.
Deadpool & Wolverine
While neither Deadpool nor Wolverine have been announced for the Avengers: Doomsday cast, there is still plenty to take away from their anti-hero comic book movie to feed into what could occur in the big Marvel flick.
For a start, there’s a whole host of multiversal chaos in Deadpool & Wolverine, which ties in nicely with the events of the TV show, Loki, actually. There’s also the small fact that Channing Tatum’s Gambit, who makes his debut in this movie, is set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday. Get to know him while you can, and don’t be surprised if Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman follow him soon, too.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
The final film we’ll advise you to watch before Avengers: Doomsday is a bit of an odd one. That’s because the main focus of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is actually on setting up Kang as the MCU’s next big bad. But now, those plans have all been scrapped, and we’re not really expecting any of those breadcrumbs to be picked up at all.
Still, Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man will be part of the team for Avengers: Doomsday, so it’s worth catching up with his last moves at the very least. It’s not the best MCU movie, but you just never know what Marvel will carry into their next, epic Avengers team-up, so it’s best to cover all bases here.
Where to watch all the movies you need to see before Avengers: Doomsday and where they’re streaming online
To watch all of the most important flicks featuring the main players set for Avengers: Doomsday, we’ve got details on where their latest films are playing on streaming services like Amazon Prime Video.
