Avengers: Doomsday will be here before we know it, and it's likely that fans may want to prepare themselves for the showdown between Earth's Mightiest Heroes with Robert Downey Jr.'s enigmatic Doctor Doom. Well, Marvel just dropped a watchlist filled with titles for fans to watch (or rewatch) to prepare for the highly anticipated team-up film. But what’s catching some fans’ attention right now isn’t what’s ON the list, but what’s been left OFF of it. And I can’t blame them for being surprised at this exclusion.
The list that's been released is being considered “essential” for fans ahead of Doomsday's release on the 2026 movie schedule. Pre-MCU films as well as some of the earlier installments in the sprawling franchise fill out this list as well as more recent multiverse-centric shows and movies. Check out what made the cut:
- X-Men
- X-Men 2
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- The Avengers
- Avengers Infinity War/Endgame
- 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 and the Multiverse of Madness
- Deadpool and Wolverine
- Captain America: Brave New World
- Thunderbolts*
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Truthfully, I wasn’t surprised with some of these choices, especially since the most recent MCU films have set up this epic new Avengers film in key ways. For instance, I don’t think anyone was shocked to see Deadpool & Wolverine to make the cut. I think it's possible that Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman will actually appear Doomsday. That recent “hostage video” of Hugh Jackman asking for a role in the film (on Reynolds' orders) feels like a marketing ploy.
Despite all the relevant titles, one that was surprisingly left off was 2023's The Marvels, which has an ending that overtly links to Doomsday. Check out what fans had to say on X:
- @michaelp93: It’s absolutely CRAZY that The Marvels isn’t here. That film truly deserved better.
- @undeniablydezzy: Soooo Monica is just stuck then or maybe even another retconned post credits scene that never gets explained? Ugh. I hope that’s not the case!
- @RedHood75: Leaving Days of Future Past and The Marvels out is crazy!
- @MCUPerfectGifs: I don’t get why The Marvels isn’t included on the list of essential projects to watch before Doomsday. Its post-credit scene is directly linked to the multiverse.
- @lil_krispi: Everyone saying “they weren’t needed” when Monica Rambeau is literally in the X-Men universe rn.
- @Sksj002: No The Marvels. No Thor Love and Thunder. No Ms. Marvel. No Moon Knight. The Kang era getting erased from history in real time.
This is a real head-scratcher. And, as can be seen above, what many fans are pointing to is the end of The Marvels, which sees Monica Rambeau waking up in another universe. Not only that, but said world is populated by the X-Men, including Kelsey Grammer's Beast and Binary (a variant of Monica's mother, Maria). It may have just been a small tag, but it's still weird not to include the film on this list.
The fan responses remind me of when Agents of SHIELD was always left out of MCU canon, despite following the timeline set by the films. Hopefully, the events of The Marvels don't ultimately translate into a wasted B storyline of this franchise.
And, while the Nia DaCosta-directed film is being highlighted, fans also pointed out other movies (and shows) left out on the list. Overall, some are worried that they mean Doomsday won't feature characters such as Monica Rambeau, Moon Knight’s Steven Grant/Mark Spector or Kamala Khan (a.k.a Ms. Marvel) again. Another project left out was the original Fantastic Four from 2005, which introduced the origins of Doctor Doom. (Ironically, Robert Downey Jr. was considered for the role then , before it went to the late Julian McMahon.)
It is possible that the events of unlisted films might come into play. Honestly, I just can't see a world where that Monica cliffhanger is left unresolved in Avengers: Doomsday, which includes Beast and other X-Men. We'll just have to wait and see how it all pans out when the movie hits theaters on December 18. In the meantime, prep by streaming the films on this list and more with a Disney+ subscription.
