Almost a decade and one global health crisis have gone by since Marvel Studios figuratively smashed its action figures together in 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War” and 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.” The Anthony and Joe Russo-directed films not only brought together virtually every major character featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s movies prior to that, it also marked the narrative culmination of what’s known as the Infinity Saga. It’s been one heck of a bumpy ride since then, but the House of Ideas is now gearing up for another two-part, Russos-helmed crossover extravaganza, starting with this year’s “Avengers: Doomsday.”
That brings us to the million dollar question: How the heck does one go about preparing for the penultimate chapter in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga? Besides serving as a direct continuation of everything that transpired before Josh Brolin’s Thanos infamously snapped away half of all life in existence, Marvel’s multiversal arc encompasses enough movies and Disney+ series to make your head spin. Not to mention, it managed to rope in a number of mutants from Fox’s “X-Men” films, most of whom are expected to be crucial to the plot of “Doomsday.”
Wisely, Disney has posted a list on Disney+ to get folks ready for “Doomsday,” and it trims down the massive collection of Marvel projects released to date to 15 must-watch titles (which, yes, is still a lot). Namely, Fox’s “X-Men” and the film’s first sequel, “X2,” along with the MCU movies “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “The Avengers,” “Infinity War,” “Endgame,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” “Thunderbolts*,” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” plus the “Loki” show. Why these specific installments? Let’s break it down.
Avengers: Doomsday will feature multiple Marvel superhero teams
It’s telling that most of the MCU’s biggest misfires didn’t make the cut here as Marvel Studios attempts to course-correct with “Avengers: Doomsday,” including the much-ridiculed “Secret Invasion” TV show and the box office disaster that was “The Marvels” (which I maintain is far more enjoyable than its reputation suggests). There’s also no mention of the Marvel Netflix series revival “Daredevil: Born Again,” although that’s not surprising, given its street-level heroes have always been too busy handling threats close to home to provide Earth’s Mightiest Heroes backup. Likewise, I just hope the lack of “Moon Knight” on this list means the series’ namesake is getting a much-needed mental health break.
However, while that Defenders reunion will have to wait until “Born Again” Season 3, there will be multiple superhero teams at play in “Avengers: Doomsday.” Besides the core X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants’ top-dogs from Fox’s “X-Men,” along with Alan Cumming’s Nightcrawler from “X2” and Channing Tatum’s Gambit from “Deadpool & Wolverine,” both the New Avengers from “Thunderbolts*” and the Fantastic Four from “First Steps” will be up to bat. Then you’ve got the still-active members of the MCU’s original Avengers team with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and an un-retired Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), plus Rogers’ successor as Captain America, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), the various Wakandans, and the magic ring-equipped martial artist Shang-Chi (Simu Liu).
Oddly, Kelsey Grammer’s Hank McCoy/Beast is part of the equation here as well despite not being introduced until Fox’s “X-Men: The Last Stand.” Then again, he kind of just showed up in that film and later cameoed in the end credits scene for “The Marvels,” so popping up with little to no explanation is really the X-Man’s modus operandi at this stage.
Get ready for even more multiversal shenanigans in Avengers: Doomsday
Kang who? With the MCU having pivoted away from Jonathan Majors’ antagonist since the actor was legally convicted of assault and harassment, that means it’s time for Robert Downey Jr. to make his grand entrance as Doctor Doom in “Avengers: Doomsday” (having only previously been filmed from behind in the “First Steps” credits). So, if you’re among those who decided to pass on the Kang-centric “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” after reading its reviews, consider this your lucky day. Nevertheless, you will need to know a little about how all this multiverse mayhem works.
The big one to familiarize yourself with in this regard is “Loki.” The show’s first season follows Tom Hiddleston’s titular God of Mischief as he winds up entangled in the business of the Time Variance Authority, itself an organization charged with upholding order across the multiverse and its infinite timelines. Season 2 then brings Kang and his assorted variants to the forefront as Loki scrambles to undo the mess he created in Season 1. Yet, fortuitously, the “Loki” series finale also made it easier for Marvel to replace Kang as the Multiverse Saga’s big bad in the process.
Multiversal shenanigans further drive the plots of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Deadpool & Wolverine,” and, obviously, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” which is the main factor (but not the only one) that makes them requisite viewing, too. As for why “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” got left out, that’s because the film is more about setting up the MCU’s future after the Multiverse Saga than anything. But given the truckloads of money it’s made at the box office, most people have probably already seen that one anyway.
“Avengers: Doomsday” hits theaters on December 18, 2026.
