Ever since Phase 4 kicked off in 2021, The Multiverse Saga has taken the audience across multiple universes and includes numerous variants along the way. While Robert Downey Jr. is coming back to the franchise this year, it won’t be as Iron Man, but instead in the role of Doctor Doom.
Avengers: Doomsday is getting closer to its theatrical release in just a couple of months, as the film was recently highlighted at big events like San Diego Comic-Con and, as of this week, D23 2026. However, Disney+ has now shared a watchlist of Marvel films and series for viewers to check out on the streaming platform before the ensemble feature this December. Check out the full breakdown below:
Marvel Movies & Shows To Watch Before Avengers: Doomsday Per Disney+
X-Men
X2
Captain America. The First Avenger
The Avengers
Avengers: Infinity War
Avengers: Endgame
Loki
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*
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
In total, Disney is referencing 14 movies and one MCU TV show, with Tom Hiddleston’s Loki being rooted in alternative timelines and realities. While the watchlist is bound to spark a lot of theories, titles like Captain America: Brave New World, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings aren’t too surprising, given how the lead characters in each project are major parts of the Avengers: Doomsday cast.
The first two X-Men movies from the Fox-Marvel era make sense, as several actors are reprising their roles in Joe and Anthony Russo’s ensemble. Since Hayley Atwell and Chris Evans are back for the 2026 entry, Captain America: The First Avenger’s inclusion isn’t too shocking either.
Other than Age of Ultron, it’s logical for the other three Avengers movies to be suggested for the watchlist, along with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, some of the other titles that Disney+ has included are bound to spark theories.
S.H.I.E.L.D. · Clearance Assessment How Well Do You Know The Avengers?
🌏OriginsAssembled
☠VillainsInevitable
⚡BattlesEndgame
🛡TeamInitiative
💫LegacyForever
01
The Avengers first assembled in Marvel Comics in 1963. In the original comic, the team formed to battle a villain who had been manipulated by his adopted brother. Which villain brought the original Avengers together?
✓ Correct! In Avengers #1 (September 1963), Loki manipulated the Hulk into going on a rampage, which led Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp to band together. They defeated Loki and decided to form a permanent team — the Avengers were born.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Loki. In the original 1963 comic, Loki tricked the Hulk into a rampage, which brought together Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp. Ultron came later, Thanos is a cosmic threat, and Kang is a time-traveling villain.
02
In the MCU, Tony Stark famously declared “I am Iron Man” at a press conference, breaking the superhero tradition of secret identities. In which year’s MCU film did Tony Stark first appear as Iron Man?
✓ Correct! Iron Man (2008) launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and starred Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. The film’s post-credits scene with Nick Fury teased the Avengers Initiative, kicking off the most successful film franchise in history.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is 2008. Iron Man premiered on May 2, 2008, directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr. It was the first film in the MCU and set the stage for everything that followed.
03
Thanos, the Mad Titan, sought to collect all six Infinity Stones to achieve his genocidal goal. In Avengers: Infinity War, he succeeded in his plan. What did Thanos do with the completed Infinity Gauntlet?
✓ Correct! With a single snap of his fingers, Thanos wiped out half of all living creatures in the universe. Known as “The Blip,” this devastating act erased trillions of lives and set the stage for the Avengers’ desperate time heist in Endgame to undo the damage.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is that Thanos snapped away half of all life in the universe. His twisted philosophy of “balance” drove him to commit universal genocide with a single snap, making it one of the most shocking moments in cinema history.
04
In Avengers: Endgame, Captain America proved worthy of wielding Thor’s enchanted hammer during the final battle against Thanos. What is the name of Thor’s hammer?
✓ Correct! Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star, bears the inscription “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” Captain America wielding it in Endgame was one of the most celebrated moments in MCU history.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Mjolnir. Stormbreaker is the axe Thor forged in Infinity War, Gungnir is Odin’s spear, and Jarnbjorn is an axe Thor used in the comics before Mjolnir. Mjolnir is the iconic enchanted hammer.
05
Black Widow, born Natasha Romanoff, is one of the founding MCU Avengers. Before joining S.H.I.E.L.D., she was trained as an assassin in a secret Soviet program. What is the name of this program?
✓ Correct! The Red Room was a covert Soviet training facility that turned young girls into elite spies and assassins known as Black Widows. Natasha was subjected to brutal conditioning and sterilization. Her escape and defection to S.H.I.E.L.D. was explored in the 2021 Black Widow film.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is The Red Room. HYDRA is a separate evil organization, the Winter Soldier Program created Bucky Barnes, and Department X is from the comics. The Red Room is the infamous Soviet program that forged Natasha into Black Widow.
06
The Hulk was created when Dr. Bruce Banner was exposed to massive amounts of radiation during a weapons test. What type of radiation transformed Banner into the Hulk?
✓ Correct! Dr. Bruce Banner was caught in the blast of a gamma bomb he designed, absorbing a massive dose of gamma radiation. This transformed him into the Hulk — a being of near-limitless strength whose power increases with his rage. Gamma radiation remains central to the Hulk’s mythology.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Gamma Radiation. Cosmic Rays gave the Fantastic Four their powers, Pym Particles are Ant-Man’s shrinking technology, and Terrigen Mist activates Inhuman abilities. Gamma radiation is what created the Incredible Hulk.
07
In the MCU, after Steve Rogers retired as Captain America, he passed his shield to a new hero to carry on the legacy. Who became the new Captain America?
✓ Correct! At the end of Avengers: Endgame, an elderly Steve Rogers chose Sam Wilson — the Falcon — to carry on the Captain America legacy. Sam’s journey to embrace the shield was explored in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, and he fully took up the mantle as Captain America.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Sam Wilson. While Bucky Barnes was Captain America in the comics, Steve chose Sam in the MCU. John Walker was temporarily given the shield by the government, and Isaiah Bradley was a forgotten super soldier from the past.
08
Ultron is an artificial intelligence who becomes one of the Avengers’ deadliest enemies. In the MCU’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, which Avenger inadvertently created Ultron?
✓ Correct! Tony Stark created the Ultron program as a global peacekeeping AI, using technology from Loki’s scepter (which contained the Mind Stone). The AI became sentient and immediately decided humanity needed to be eradicated. In the comics, Hank Pym created Ultron, but the MCU shifted this to Stark.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Tony Stark. While Hank Pym created Ultron in the comics, the MCU changed this to Tony Stark. Bruce Banner assisted but it was Tony’s initiative. Vision was actually created from Ultron’s technology, not the other way around.
Mission Debriefing Your Avengers Clearance Level
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Are you worthy of lifting Mjolnir — or still a S.H.I.E.L.D. trainee?
Even though Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds haven’t been announced to appear in the Avengers: Doomsday story, it’s still notable that 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine is included. The two actors had a fun video played at D23 2026, as Jackman “just wanted to check in totally unprompted…Just wondering if you might need some help rounding out the cast? I’d love to join. And I don’t know, I might be able to convince Ryan to appear in Avengers: Doomsday,” which has fueled speculation even further about their potential return this December.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is fascinating, given that there have been a lot of rumors that Tobey Maguire’s version of the web-slinger is set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, but that has not been confirmed by Marvel Studios. Since Brand New Day is still playing in theaters and won’t be on streaming for quite some time, there is no reason why Disney+ would suggest Tom Holland’s latest MCU installment ahead of the team-up project.
Whether it means anything bigger for Maguire, or even Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man, by having the 2021 movie on the Doomsday guide remains to be seen. However, despite 15 titles being featured, many are likely going to debate why certain projects, whether they are in or outside the MCU timeline, aren’t being referenced as required viewing.
Following the latest Avengers: Doomsday trailer being released, it’s not a secret that there are still massive details being kept under wraps, including characters who haven’t been formally announced to show up. But with only four months left to go, the world is closer than ever to finally witnessing what is in store for the Phase 6 adventure.
Avengers: Doomsday opens in theaters on December 18.
