What to Watch Before Avengers: Doomsday, and Is It in IMAX?
Marvel's own fifteen-title list, what each part of it sets up, and why the film opens on every premium screen except IMAX.
Disney+ lists fifteen films and series to watch before Avengers: Doomsday, from X-Men (2000) to The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Doomsday is not expected in US IMAX theaters on opening weekend, because Dune: Part Three holds IMAX screens for about three weeks by trade reports; no IMAX date has been announced. It opens December 18, 2026.
The short version: Disney+ has published a Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday collection of fifteen films and series, from X-Men (2000) to The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025). Disney does not rank them, and we have not seen the film, so this page does not pretend to know which ones it leans on hardest. As for IMAX: Dune: Part Three opens the same day and, according to trade reports, holds IMAX screens for about three weeks, so Doomsday is not expected in American IMAX theaters on opening weekend. No IMAX date for it has been announced.
Marvel's list, in its order
The Disney+ Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday collection, launched in August, lists these titles to watch or rewatch:
1. X-Men (2000) 2. X2 (2003) 3. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) 4. The Avengers (2012) 5. Avengers: Infinity War (2018) 6. Avengers: Endgame (2019) 7. Loki (series) 8. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) 9. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) 10. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) 11. Captain America: Brave New World (2025) 12. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) 13. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) 14. Thunderbolts* (2025) 15. The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
What the list itself tells you
Read the list against the announced cast and five strands appear. These are inferences from the list and the casting, not from the film.
The original Avengers. The First Avenger, The Avengers, Infinity War and Endgame. Marvel's own teaser is titled "Steve Rogers Will Return," and Robert Downey Jr., who played Iron Man for eleven years, returns as the villain, Doctor Doom.
The X-Men. X-Men and X2, the first two Fox films. Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming and Kelsey Grammer were announced in the cast, and those are the films that introduced them.
The multiverse. Loki, No Way Home, Multiverse of Madness and Deadpool & Wolverine are the stories that opened Marvel's other universes to each other.
The newest teams. Thunderbolts*, Brave New World and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Anthony Mackie, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby and Joseph Quinn are in the cast.
Wakanda and Shang-Chi. Wakanda Forever and Shang-Chi, with Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Tenoch Huerta Mejía and Simu Liu announced.
If you can only watch a few, the honest advice is to pick from the strands whose characters you care about. We will say which ones the film actually depends on after we have seen it.
These are inferences from the list and the casting, not from the film.
Can you see Avengers: Doomsday in IMAX?
Not in the United States on opening weekend, by every report so far. TheWrap reported that IMAX agreed to play Dune: Part Three worldwide for three weeks over the holidays, and coverage of Disney's chief financial officer's remarks in September described IMAX screening Dune exclusively in December. An earlier report, from IMAX's February investor presentation, said the exclusive covered the American opening weekend only and that Doomsday would play in IMAX in some international markets. Neither IMAX nor Disney has announced a date when Doomsday reaches IMAX screens. Dates circulating online are arithmetic from the reported three weeks, not announcements.
Disney's answer is Infinity Vision, a certification it announced in April for premium large-format screens rather than a new projection system. Theaters qualify by screen size, sound and brightness, and the named participants include Dolby Cinema at AMC, Cinemark XD, ScreenX, 4DX and D-Box. If you want the biggest presentation on opening weekend, those are the screens to look at.
How long is it, and what is it rated?
The Hollywood Reporter reported a runtime of 165 minutes, about two hours and 45 minutes, which could still change slightly. Avengers: Doomsday has no MPA rating yet. Joe and Anthony Russo, who directed Infinity War and Endgame, direct. For parents, our guide covers what the last Avengers films were rated for and what to ask before deciding.
What we will add after release
Avengers: Doomsday opens in the United States on December 18, 2026, and in the United Kingdom on December 16. We have not seen it. After it opens, this page will say which of the fifteen titles the film actually leans on, and the film will be scored on TVI's published methodology. Until then there is no TVI Score, and we will not guess at one.
The credibility layer for what to watch
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Common questions
Is Avengers: Doomsday in IMAX?
Not in the United States on opening weekend, by every report so far. Trade reports say IMAX will play Dune: Part Three for about three weeks over the holidays. Neither IMAX nor Disney has announced a date for Doomsday on IMAX screens.
What should I watch before Avengers: Doomsday?
Disney+ lists fifteen titles in its Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday collection, including X-Men, X2, The Avengers, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Loki, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Deadpool & Wolverine, Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Disney does not rank them.
How long is Avengers: Doomsday?
The Hollywood Reporter reported a runtime of 165 minutes, about two hours and 45 minutes, which could still change slightly before release.
When does Avengers: Doomsday come out?
It opens in US theaters on Friday, December 18, 2026, and in the United Kingdom on December 16.
Film: Avengers: Doomsday (2026), directed by Joe and Anthony Russo. Marvel Studios. Opens December 18, 2026.