Marvel's Doomsday Watchlist: 15 Films to Watch Before December

Marvel just dropped the official homework assignment for Avengers: Doomsday, and it's exactly as ambitious as you'd expect. The studio has curated a 15-film and TV watchlist designed to prep you for the December 18 release — and yes, some of these are deep cuts.

The essentials you already know you need: Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame sit at the core, because you can't understand where this story goes without them. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness makes the cut too, which tracks given the multiverse-reset nature of what's coming. Spider-Man: No Way Home is there, alongside Loki, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

But Marvel's also pulling from the recent slate: Captain America: Brave New World, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Thunderbolts are all flagged as essential viewing. The Fantastic Four: First Steps made the list too, signalling how foundational that team will be to the reset. And yes, the studio went deep enough to include X2 and X-Men — a signal that mutant history matters to what's about to happen.

Here's the full list:

1. X-Men
2. X2
3. Captain America: The First Avenger
4. The Avengers
5. Avengers: Infinity War
6. Avengers: Endgame
7. Loki
8. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
9. Spider-Man: No Way Home
10. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
11. Captain America: Brave New World
12. Deadpool & Wolverine
13. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
14. Thunderbolts
15. The Fantastic Four: First Steps

According to Marvel, this one resets the MCU to "Phase Zero," which is corporate-speak for a genuine hard restart. You need the context to understand what's being torn down and rebuilt.

If you've been waiting on this one, the message is clear: Marvel's not expecting casual viewers to show up cold. This is a story built on everything that came before it, and the studio wants you prepared. December 18 is the date. The watchlist is your map.

Source: IGN