Clear your schedules and stock up on popcorn, because your official Marvel Cinematic Universe homework assignment has officially landed. With Avengers: Doomsday set to completely obliterate box office records when it hits theaters on December 18, 2026, Disney+ has rolled out its curated “Countdown to Doomsday” watchlist. Rather than expecting audiences to power through an exhausting catalog of 38 feature films and dozens of streaming series, Marvel Studios has trimmed the fat, spotlighting just 15 crucial projects across the Fox-Marvel era, the Infinity Saga, and the Multiverse Saga.
This curated list is designed to bring both casual viewers and hardcore nerds up to speed on the multiversal mechanics, legacy hero reunions, and world-shattering stakes surrounding Robert Downey Jr.’s earth-shaking return to Marvel—this time as the villainous Victor von Doom. Below is our complete, deep-dive guide analyzing each of the 15 official titles, including heavy fan speculation on how every single entry directly connects to Doctor Doom’s arrival.
X-Men (2000)
Bryan Singer’s original X-Men movie kicked off the modern superhero era by introducing Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier and Ian McKellen as Magneto. It established the core philosophical conflict between mutant integration and mutant supremacy that defined the Fox Marvel universe for two decades.
In Avengers: Doomsday, this classic timeline represents one of the primary Earths at risk of an incursion. Including the very first mutant film on the official watchlist suggests that Doctor Doom’s multiversal ambitions won’t just impact Earth-616, but will directly threaten the survival of the original Fox universe. Expect legacy mutants from this era to be forced into a desperate fight for survival as their reality collides with the main MCU.
X2: X-Men United (2003)
Widely regarded as one of the greatest comic book sequels of all time, X2 forced the X-Men and Magneto’s Brotherhood into a temporary alliance to defeat William Stryker, a human military threat aiming to eradicate all mutantkind using a makeshift Cerebro.
This theme of sworn enemies joining forces against a cataclysmic threat is the ultimate foreshadowing for Doomsday. Victor von Doom is a threat so immense that he will force Earth-616’s Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and Fox’s legacy mutants into an uneasy alliance. X2 serves as a narrative blueprint for how disparate, conflicting factions must set aside their rivalries when the fate of an entire species is on the line.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Steve Rogers’ origin story introduced audiences to the Super Soldier serum, the Hydra threat, and the Tesseract—which was later revealed to be the Space Stone. It grounded the MCU in a gritty, historic war aesthetic while highlighting the pure selflessness of a true hero.
Doctor Doom is the polar opposite of Steve Rogers. Where Captain America represents absolute self-sacrifice, Victor von Doom represents ultimate arrogance and authoritarian rule. Furthermore, Doom’s home nation of Latveria has deep historical roots in Eastern European politics. The First Avenger sets up the baseline political and military landscape of the MCU, establishing how dictator figures attempt to harness cosmic items to reshape global power dynamics.
The Avengers (2012)
Joss Whedon’s 2012 blockbuster proved that an ensemble crossover on a massive scale could actually work, bringing together Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye to battle Loki and the Chitauri during the Battle of New York.
Beyond establishing the team dynamic, The Avengers is crucial because of Robert Downey Jr.’s central role as Tony Stark. Doctor Doom’s physical appearance in Doomsday will reportedly shock the surviving heroes who remember Tony’s heroic sacrifice. Revisiting the 2012 team-up reminds us of the emotional bonds that made Tony Stark the heart of the universe—making Doom’s twisted, villainous presence feel like a personal tragedy for the heroes who loved Tony.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
The ultimate villain showcase, Infinity War allowed Thanos to take center stage as he successfully collected all six Infinity Stones, ending with the tragic snap that wiped out half of all life in the universe.
Doctor Doom is positioned to be a threat even greater than the Mad Titan. While Thanos sought balance through annihilation, Doom seeks total, absolute control over reality itself to “save” it from multiversal destruction. Infinity War demonstrates how Marvel handles a crossover where the villain actually wins—a narrative structure that Doomsday will likely mirror as Doom orchestrates the collapse of the multiverse heading into Avengers: Secret Wars.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
The epic conclusion to the Infinity Saga featured the Time Heist, quantum realm travel, the ultimate final battle against Thanos, and the devastating death of Tony Stark as he wielded the Infinity Stones to save reality.
Endgame is the single most important emotional anchor for Doomsday. Tony Stark’s death left an unfillable void in Earth-616’s defensive strategy. Victor von Doom—whether he is an alternate universe variant of Stark, a distinct Latverian ruler who happens to share his face, or a figure using multiversal illusion—will exploit that grief. Seeing RDJ back on screen in armor will psychologically shatter characters like Peter Parker and James Rhodes before a single punch is thrown.
Loki (Seasons 1 & 2)
As the only television series on Disney’s official watchlist, Tom Hiddleston’s solo outing established the Time Variance Authority (TVA), explained time-variants, introduced multiversal incursions, and concluded with Loki sacrificing his freedom to become the God of Stories, physically holding the branches of the multiverse together at the center of Yggdrasil.
Loki’s multiversal tree is the direct target for Doctor Doom. In Marvel Comics, Doom usurps the power of cosmic beings to rebuild reality in his own image (creating Battleworld). By controlling the branches of time, Doom will likely attempt to harvest or siphon Loki’s divine multiversal energy, causing the timelines to collapse inward and forcing the TVA into a full-scale war.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Destin Daniel Cretton’s martial-arts epic introduced Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi, the ancient Ta Lo dimension, and the powerful Ten Rings—mythic weapons that send a mysterious, beacon-like signal into deep space during the film’s end-credits scene.
Those Ten Rings aren’t just ancient artifacts; they are multiversal technology. Speculation suggests the signal originating from the rings was pulsing out across dimensions, acting as a homing beacon that draws cosmic threats directly toward Earth-616. Doctor Doom, an expert in both dark magic and advanced technology, will inevitably seek out the Ten Rings to harness their interdimensional power for his own machinery.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Doctor Strange’s botched memory spell ruptured the boundaries of the multiverse, pulling villains and Spider-Man variants from past Sony franchises into Earth-616 before ending with Peter Parker wiping his existence from everyone’s memory.
This film proved that multiversal tears have immediate, catastrophic consequences for Earth-616. More importantly, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is currently operating entirely alone without his former tech or Avengers support. When Peter eventually confronts Victor von Doom, the face under the mask will strike a devastating personal blow to a young man who already lost his mentor, Tony Stark.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Sam Raimi’s horror-infused adventure introduced the concept of “incursions”—the terrifying phenomenon where two parallel universes collide, destroying one or both entirely. It also showcased America Chavez’s unique ability to punch star-shaped portals through reality.
Incursions are the fundamental driving force behind Avengers: Doomsday. As parallel universes collide across the cosmos, Doctor Doom will position himself as the ultimate savior, arguing that the only way to prevent complete annihilation is under his singular, totalitarian rule. Furthermore, America Chavez’s dimension-hopping powers make her a high-value target for Doom’s grand plan.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Following the loss of King T’Challa, Wakanda faced international pressure over Vibranium, leading to a brutal war with Namor and the underwater kingdom of Talokan before Shuri assumed the mantle of Black Panther.
Latveria and Wakanda share a long, volatile history in Marvel Comics as competing technological superpowers. With Wakanda and Talokan currently holding a fragile peace, Victor von Doom’s debut will likely involve Latveria flexing its military might to seize global Vibranium reserves, asserting dominance over Earth-616’s surface nations before launching his multiversal campaign.
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
Wade Wilson and Logan teamed up to save Deadpool’s home universe from collapsing due to the death of its “Anchor Being” (Wolverine), taking down Cassandra Nova in the Void and returning to Earth-10005 under the watchful eye of the TVA.
This film firmly integrated the Fox X-Men timeline into the wider TVA ecosystem while establishing the concept of “Anchor Beings”—singular individuals whose existence holds an entire timeline together. If Doctor Doom targets Anchor Beings across various dimensions, he can systematically collapse entire realities, channeling their dying energy into the creation of his own unified world.
Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
Sam Wilson steps into his leadership role as Captain America, navigating global political friction involving President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, international fights over Adamantium harvested from the frozen Celestial Tiamut, and the emergence of Red Hulk.
Adamantium is the key geopolitical catalyst on Earth-616 heading into 2026. Victor von Doom is not just a sorcerer; he is an engineering genius who requires rare, indestructible metals to build his army of Doombots and reinforce his armor. Brave New World sets up the global military conflict that Doom will exploit to destabilize Earth’s governments.
Thunderbolts* (2025)
A team of anti-heroes and black-ops operatives—including Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, John Walker, and Taskmaster—is assembled under the government’s direction to execute morally gray covert missions when traditional Avengers are unavailable.
When Doctor Doom launches his attack, Earth-616 won’t have a traditional, unified Avengers lineup ready to fight. The Thunderbolts* team represents a fractured, militarized hero landscape. Bucky Barnes and Yelena Belova will be forced to lead ground-level defenses against Doom’s forces, highlighting how unprepared the world is for a cosmic, multiversal threat.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
Set in an alternate, retro-futuristic 1960s universe, this film introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm—as they battle Galactus before being drawn out of their home reality and into the main MCU.
This is the ultimate launching pad for Avengers: Doomsday. Victor von Doom is fundamentally tied to the Fantastic Four as Reed Richards’ supreme intellectual rival. Because Marvel’s First Family originates from a completely different universe, their eventual arrival on Earth-616 will trigger a massive incursion—bringing Doctor Doom right behind them to claim absolute dominion over the multiverse.
What’s Missing? The Shocking Omissions Leaving Fans Baffled
While this 15-project marathon provides an incredible runway, die-hard MCU fans immediately noticed major gaps in Disney’s selections.
Neither Thor: Ragnarok nor Thor: Love and Thunder made the list, despite Chris Hemsworth being confirmed for Doomsday. Scott Lang’s entire Ant-Man trilogy—which introduced Quantum Realm time-travel and multiversal incursions—was skipped entirely. On the streaming side, fan-favorite series like WandaVision (which introduced the Darkhold and Scarlet Witch’s multiversal breakdown) and Secret Invasion were left off, leaving Loki as the lone streaming representative.
Clear Your Calendars for December 2026!
Whether you follow Disney’s official 15-title watchlist strictly or add your own personal favorites to the list, one thing is certain: Marvel Studios is staging a multiversal event of unprecedented scale. By weaving together 26 years of live-action history, Joe and Anthony Russo are setting the stage for an unforgettable showdown.
All titles above can be streamed on Disney+.
Which of these 15 titles do you think is the most important to rewatch before Doomsday? How do you think Doctor Doom’s history with the Fantastic Four will play out on screen? Sound off in the comments below and let’s debate!
