The countdown to one of the most anticipated superhero films in recent memory has officially begun. On December 18, Marvel Studios will unleash Avengers: Doomsday upon audiences worldwide, marking what many industry analysts predict will be the studio’s most ambitious project since the record-breaking Avengers: Endgame in 2019. While official plot details remain tightly guarded by Marvel’s notoriously secretive marketing team, substantial evidence suggests that multiple universes will collide in a catastrophic event known as an incursion — a cosmic phenomenon where entire realities crash into each other, potentially resulting in the destruction of one or all universes involved. This multiversal chaos appears set to bring together the main Marvel Cinematic Universe (designated Earth-616) with the universe featured in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, along with elements from Fox’s beloved X-Men franchise, finally delivering the comic-accurate costumes fans have demanded for decades.

The concept of incursions originates from Jonathan Hickman’s celebrated comic book runs on Avengers and New Avengers from 2012 to 2015, where the Illuminati — a secret group of Marvel’s most brilliant heroes — discovered that universes across the multiverse were colliding and destroying each other. This storyline culminated in the massive Secret Wars event, which saw the destruction of nearly every universe in Marvel’s fictional multiverse. The MCU has been laying groundwork for this narrative since Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where the concept was first introduced to film audiences, and it has become increasingly central to Phase Five’s overarching story.

Disney’s Official Watchlist Raises Questions

In preparation for Doomsday’s release, Disney has published an official watchlist to help audiences prepare for the multiversal epic. However, eagle-eyed fans have noticed some glaring omissions from this curated viewing guide. At least three Marvel films that seem directly relevant to the upcoming storyline are conspicuously absent from Disney’s recommendations. These missing entries have sparked intense debate among the fan community about whether their exclusion is intentional misdirection, a simple oversight, or perhaps an indication that certain storylines won’t factor into Doomsday’s narrative as heavily as expected.

The practice of releasing preparatory watchlists has become standard for major franchise installments, particularly in the interconnected world of superhero cinema. Marvel Studios pioneered this approach with their meticulous attention to continuity and callbacks, rewarding dedicated viewers who catch references to previous films. However, these watchlists also serve a practical purpose: helping casual viewers understand essential plot points without requiring them to watch dozens of hours of content. The challenge for Marvel with Doomsday is unprecedented — the film apparently draws from not just the mainline MCU but also properties that existed outside Disney’s control until the 2019 Fox acquisition.

The Fox X-Men Legacy Complicates Matters

The integration of Fox’s X-Men universe presents unique challenges for Marvel’s continuity architects. When Disney acquired 21st Century Fox for $71.3 billion in 2019, it brought the X-Men and Fantastic Four film rights back under the same roof as the Avengers for the first time since Marvel sold those rights in the 1990s to avoid bankruptcy. The Fox X-Men franchise, which began with Bryan Singer’s groundbreaking X-Men in 2000, spanned thirteen films over nineteen years, creating its own complex timeline that was famously inconsistent even within its own continuity. Days of Future Past in 2014 attempted to resolve many of these contradictions by essentially rebooting the timeline, but questions remained about exactly which version of these characters might appear in the MCU.

Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the Marvel fold as Doctor Doom — after his iconic tenure as Iron Man concluded with his character’s death in Endgame — has only heightened expectations and confusion about Doomsday’s plot. The Russo Brothers, who directed Infinity War and Endgame, are returning to helm this new chapter, bringing their proven ability to juggle enormous ensemble casts and deliver emotionally satisfying conclusions to complex storylines. Their involvement suggests Marvel is treating Doomsday as a genuine event film rather than just another entry in their release schedule.

What This Means for Audiences

For viewers planning their marathon viewing sessions before December, the absence of certain films from Disney’s official list creates a dilemma. Should fans trust the studio’s guidance, or should they seek out the omitted titles to ensure they don’t miss crucial context? The history of Marvel’s interconnected storytelling suggests that even seemingly minor films can contain seeds that blossom into major plot points years later. The post-credits scene tradition alone has trained audiences to expect the unexpected, with brief teases often becoming central to subsequent films.

Industry observers note that Avengers: Doomsday arrives at a crucial moment for Marvel Studios. After the unprecedented success of the Infinity Saga, the Multiverse Saga has received a more mixed reception from both critics and audiences. Films like Eternals and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania underperformed expectations, while others like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Deadpool & Wolverine proved the brand still commands enormous audience loyalty when the execution lands. Doomsday represents an opportunity for Marvel to recapture the cultural dominance it enjoyed during its peak years, potentially setting up another decade of interconnected storytelling if successful.