Release · Dec 18, 2026

Avengers: Doomsday

Robert Downey Jr. returns as Victor von Doom. Three universes are colliding. The Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men have until December 18 to find each other.

Phase Six · 39th MCU film · Sequel to Avengers: Endgame · The Russo brothers · Set 14 months after Thunderbolts*

T-MINUS

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Start the plan The problem

7 steps · ≈12 hours · ≈17 weeks · personalized

T-MINUS · DOOMSDAY CLOCK

PHASE SIX · 39TH MCU FILM

01 · The Problem

What Doomsday is actually about

Four stakes, in plain language. Doomsday is not another planet-sized threat — it is the end of realities.

The Incursion

Universes are colliding

When two realities crash into each other, one of them is destroyed. Doomsday borrows from the comics’ “Time Runs Out” — Earths die, and only heroes willing to cross over can change it. Three universes have to work as one.

Also in the mix: Dr. Strange, Spider-Man, Hawkeye, Thor’s daughter Love, Attuma, Sentinels, and Latverian witches.

The Villain

Doctor Doom exists in the MCU now

Robert Downey Jr. played the MCU’s greatest hero. Now he plays its most iconic villain — Victor von Doom, not Iron Man. As Feige put it: “He played the most iconic hero. Let’s have him play the most iconic villain.” The threat is existential and multiversal, not just planetary.

The Division

The heroes are scattered

The Avengers disbanded after Endgame. The Fantastic Four and the X-Men have never met them. The trailer points at hero-versus-hero friction before unity — the 2012 “Avengers vs. X-Men” comics. Doom’s plan runs on that division. Chris Evans returns as Steve Rogers, lifting Mjolnir once more.

Part 1 of 2

Doomsday ends on a cliffhanger. It is the first half of the finale. Avengers: Secret Wars lands Dec 17, 2027, concludes Phase Six and the Multiverse Saga, and resolves the story. Watch Doomsday knowing it continues.

02 · The Watch Plan

Seven steps. One deadline.

Foundation → rules → the disaster → the three universes → the lead-in. Ordered for understanding, not by release date. ~12 hours total over 17 weeks. Tick steps off as you finish them; progress saves in this browser.

0 / 7 DONE · ≈12 hours total

Already covered

4 SEEN

Endgame2019

The Avengers undo the Snap via time heist; Tony dies; Rogers returns the stones and lives his life with Peggy. Doomsday continues Rogers’ story.

Wakanda Forever2022

Shuri becomes Black Panther; Namor and Talokanil join the MCU — Doomsday’s Wakandan Warriors.

WandaVision2021

Wanda’s grief and chaos magic — the seed of the Scarlet Witch thread tied to Doomsday’s speculated Latverian witches.

Iron Man2008

RDJ’s first MCU film. The callback: the actor who played Tony Stark now plays Doctor Doom.

01 Loki — S1E1 + S2E6 only2021–23 You saw it; refresh the two load-bearing episodes. S1E1 opens inside Endgame’s 2012 timeline damage (which you’ve seen); S2E6 leaves Loki holding the multiverse together. This is the multiverse’s state when Doomsday begins. REFRESH 2 eps (~2h) 02 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness2022 Incursions defined — colliding universes destroy both — and Strange ends the film having caused one. Doomsday’s central disaster, explained here. CORE 126 min 03 Spider-Man: No Way Home2021 The first visible breach of Earth-616 (Strange’s spell). Skippable — the rules are covered by steps 1–2. OPTIONAL 148 min 04 X-Men2000 Meet the third universe before the crossover: Xavier, Magneto, Cyclops, Mystique. OPTIONAL 104 min 05 Deadpool & Wolverine2024 How a Fox universe dies (anchor beings) and how survivors — including Gambit, who is in Doomsday — reach the MCU. OPTIONAL 128 min 06 The Marvels — post-credits only2023 Monica wakes beside Beast: the first Fox-X-Men bridge. One scene; skip the rest of the film. OPTIONAL ~2 min 07 The Fantastic Four: First Steps2025 Watch last. Earth-828 and Franklin Richards — its post-credits scene is what Doomsday’s teasers continue. The most direct lead-in. CORE 121 min

Why not more?

Captain America: Brave New World

Sam’s Cap and the new Falcon; the movie itself introduces them.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

He appears in Doomsday; his solo adds no causal thread.

Thunderbolts*

Doomsday is set 14 months after it, but its plot sets nothing up.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

The Kang thread was dropped.

Hawkeye

Barton color only; he appears in Doomsday.

Agatha All Along

witch speculation only.

What If...?

multiverse sampler, no impact.

03 · The Schedule

Five months, one movie

A gentle pace from August 15 to December 18 — foundation and rules first, the lead-in freshest for the theater.

CORE-ONLY steps 1–2 in August + step 7 in November = ~6 hours total if you skip the optionals.

AUGREST OF AUGUST

Step 1 · Loki S1E1 + S2E6 (2021–23) Step 2 · Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness (2022)

WHYFoundation and rules first — refresh Loki’s two load-bearing episodes, then the film that defines incursions.

SEPOPTIONAL MONTH

Step 3 · Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

WHYSkippable — the rules are already covered by steps 1–2, so take the month off if you need it.

OCTTHE THREE UNIVERSES

Step 4 · X-Men (2000) Step 5 · Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

WHYMeet the third universe before the crossover, then see how a Fox universe dies — and how survivors reach the MCU.

NOVTHE LEAD-IN

Step 6 · The Marvels post-credits (2023) Step 7 · The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

WHYThe first Fox-X-Men bridge, then the most direct lead-in — watched last so it is freshest for the theater.

DECDEC 1–18

The four teasers July 2026 trailer

WHYRe-watch the four teasers + the July 2026 trailer; book tickets (Dolby/ScreenX/4DX — no US IMAX first 3 weeks, Dune: Part Three holds it; Infinity Vision PLFs); go.

Theater · Dec 18

Tickets have been on sale since July 2026 — $16.5M in premium-format pre-sales in the first 24 hours, and many PLF screenings for Dec 17–18 are already sold out.
No US IMAX for the first 3+ weeks. Dune: Part Three opens the same day and holds IMAX exclusivity. IMAX is available in select international markets.
Book Dolby Vision, ScreenX, D-Box, or 4DX instead. Disney’s “Infinity Vision” certification marks the best PLF theaters.
Book early — premium formats go first.

04 · Before You Go

Four things between now and opening night

Rewatch the trailer

The July 20, 2026 trailer hit 503M views in 24 hours — the second most-viewed trailer in history. It is the best three-minute refresher before the theater.

Book premium-format tickets early

Dolby Vision, ScreenX, D-Box, or 4DX — no US IMAX for the first 3+ weeks. Premium formats sell out weeks ahead.

Expect the cliffhanger

Doomsday is Part 1 of the finale. Secret Wars lands Dec 17, 2027 and resolves the saga — this ending is a setup, not a payoff.

Go in clean

The internet will be loud before Dec 18. If you want to be surprised, mute the Marvel tags and skip the review sections.