Marvel Studios and Disney+ have confirmed a 15-title "homework" watchlist to complete before Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, 2026. The collection, called "Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday," went live on Disney+ on August 16, 2026, with a combined runtime of more than 41 hours.
The full 15-title watchlist
- X-Men (2000)
- X2 (2003)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
- The Avengers (2012)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- Loki (Seasons 1 and 2)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Deadpool & Wolverine
- Captain America: Brave New World
- Thunderbolts*
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps
According to Forbes and Inverse, the full list runs roughly 41 hours and 39 minutes, with the films alone accounting for about 31.5 hours and the two seasons of Loki adding more than 10 hours on their own.
Why the two Fox X-Men films made the cut
The most surprising inclusions are X-Men (2000) and X2 (2003), two films that predate the MCU entirely and originated under 20th Century Fox rather than Marvel Studios. Officially placing them on the required list confirms the mutant storyline Marvel has quietly been building, especially after the new X-Men cast was announced at D23 2026 just days before this list dropped.
What Marvel deliberately left off
The list skips Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. entirely, once a hit series long since dropped from official continuity, along with most Phase 4 and 5 content that isn't essential to the Doomsday storyline, like Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk or Secret Invasion. Notably, The Avengers (2012) and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) made the cut even though Endgame already recaps most of what they set up, suggesting Marvel wants audiences to remember the original Avengers lineup in full before they return.
OtaHub assessment
More than 41 hours of required viewing is clearly not for casual viewers, but it's also proof of just how large a "multiversal event" Avengers: Doomsday is aiming to be, pulling in characters from three separate timelines: the MCU, Fox's X-Men universe and Deadpool's own corner of the multiverse. If there isn't time to rewatch all 15 titles, prioritize Loki, Deadpool & Wolverine and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the three that most directly explain the multiverse mechanics the film is about to explore.
Official source: marvel.com.