Disney has released a list of "essential" Marvel movies to watch before Avengers: Doomsday, and fans are debating the most confusing omissions

Disney Plus has released a list of essential Marvel movies to watch ahead of Avengers: Doomsday... and there are definitely some glaring omissions.

At a glance, the full list, which can be viewed below (and also over on Disney Plus itself), makes perfect sense. However, it's interesting to me, and a few other fans, that both Captain Marvel and The Marvels are omitted from the list. Firstly, The Marvels does sort of lead directly into Avengers: Doomsday... Secondly, if we're going by the San Diego Comic-Con 2026 Marvel display of Doctor Doom's costume, Captain Marvel is definitely set to make some kind of surprise appearance in the upcoming film. Why? The costume has two distinct symbols on either shoulder: on the right, Thor's hammer etched into a gold circle, and on the right, the Captain Marvel logo.

There were also some color-changing Latverian witch costumes, which led us to think they were foreshadowing the return of Wanda Maximoff... though Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is indeed on the list.

That list, then:

• X-Men
• X2
• Captain America: The First Avenger
• The Avengers
• Avengers: Infinity War
• Avengers: Endgame
• Loki
• Shang-Chi
• Spider-Man: No Way Home
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Captain America: Brave New World
• Deadpool & Wolverine
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
• Thunderbolts
• The Fantastic Four: First Steps

There's a fan-made road map, which you can check out below, that recommends even watching X-Men: Days of Future Past... but that movie isn't in the same universe as the one featured in X-Men and X-2, which is the Fox-owned, pre-MCU Marvel universe. I can see why Disney Plus left that one off the list. The list also suggests watching Logan, which does serve as a precursor to the recommended Deadpool and Wolverine.

Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on December 18, 2026. All of the movies list above are streaming now on Disney Plus (even the ones that were omitted from the main list).

For more check out our guides to upcoming Marvel movies and shows as well as how to watch the Marvel movies in order.