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If you’re looking for comics that could inform Avengers: Doomsday, start with Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars (2015) and Jim Shooter’s Secret Wars (1984). Director Joe Russo has said the paired Avengers films will use both as “loose inspiration.” That is the clearest confirmed connection—but it is not confirmation that either film will adapt their plots. The other eight picks below are thematic companions, not announced sources.
Disney’s official listing describes heroes from three universes on a collision course and gives the film a theatrical release date of December 18, 2026. It does not name a comic storyline as its source. Russo’s comments on the comics and Disney’s film listing provide the firmest starting point for a reading list.
![Avengers: Secret Wars [Marvel Premier Collection]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41lK8kY4BRL._SL160_.jpg)
![Avengers: Time Runs Out [Marvel Premier Collection]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41NtLx5xTPL._SL160_.jpg)
Which comics are confirmed inspirations for Avengers: Doomsday?
Only the two Secret Wars stories are directly supported as inspirations in the cited public comments. Speaking to TechRadar about the relationship between the comics and the films, Joe Russo said, “Well, we always create our own version of the story,” and, “So, we use the comics as loose inspiration.” Russo also said he grew up on the original Secret Wars.
The two comics offer very different premises. In Shooter’s 1984–85 event, the Beyonder brings heroes and villains to Battleworld for a contest. Hickman’s 2015–16 event follows multiversal Incursions, destruction, and a remade Battleworld ruled by Doom. Neither premise should be treated as a scene-by-scene forecast of the films.
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10 comics to read before Avengers: Doomsday
This ranking puts the strongest stated connection first, then moves through useful lead-ins and character-focused alternatives. After the two Secret Wars runs, the order reflects editorial relevance to the announced multiverse and Doom setup—not evidence of adaptation.
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Secret Wars (2015), by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić
Read this for the Incursion crisis, the collapse of the multiverse, Battleworld, and Doom’s rule over its remade reality. It is one of the two comics Russo explicitly named as loose inspiration for the paired films, making it the most direct starting point for readers interested in the announced multiverse setup.
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Avengers: Time Runs Out, by Jonathan Hickman and collaborators
This lead-in follows the crisis as it escalates toward Secret Wars. It gives readers more context for the Incursions before the event itself. The Russos wrote a foreword for a 2026 Marvel Premier Collection release of the run, but that involvement is not evidence that its plot will appear in Doomsday.
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New Avengers (2013), by Jonathan Hickman and collaborators
For the choices and pressures behind the Incursion storyline, go back to Hickman’s New Avengers. Its Illuminati-focused narrative supplies background for Time Runs Out and Secret Wars; treat it as context for the comics, not a declared film source.
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Secret Wars (1984), by Jim Shooter, Mike Zeck, and Bob Layton
The original crossover is the other story Russo explicitly cited. Its engine is the Beyonder’s contest on Battleworld, rather than Hickman’s multiversal collapse. Read it for the classic crossover spectacle and the first version of the Battleworld concept.
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Fantastic Four: Books of Doom, by Ed Brubaker and Pablo Raimondi
This Doom-centered origin and character study is a useful companion if you want to understand the ruler behind the mask. Its connection to the film is thematic; it has not been identified as an adaptation source.
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Doctor Strange & Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment, by Roger Stern and Mike Mignola
This focused story explores Doom through magic, pride, and personal history. Choose it for character context rather than clues about the film’s plot.
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Emperor Doom, by David Michelinie and Bob Hall
For another take on Doom as a ruler, this classic offers a political premise distinct from the two Secret Wars events. It is a thematic comparison, not one of the comics Russo named.
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Doomwar, by Jonathan Maberry and Scot Eaton
This broader conflict puts Doom’s power and political ambition at the center. It is an optional read for seeing him beyond a multiverse event.
Rank #4
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Avengers vs. X-Men, by Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker, and Matt Fraction
Read this for large-scale ensemble conflict. Disney’s announced cast spans multiple Marvel franchises, which makes this a potentially interesting comparison—but the cast does not establish that this event is being adapted.
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Fantastic Four: Unthinkable, by Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo
This Doom and Fantastic Four rivalry story is a natural character-focused pick, particularly given the Fantastic Four’s inclusion in Disney’s cast list. That connection is thematic, not confirmation of an adaptation.
How the two Secret Wars comics differ
| Reading axis | Secret Wars (1984–85) | Secret Wars (2015–16) |
|---|---|---|
| Central trigger | The Beyonder assembles heroes and villains on Battleworld. | Incursions destroy universes; surviving fragments become Battleworld. |
| Doom’s role | Doom takes part in the cosmic contest. | Doom rules the remade Battleworld. |
| Best reason to read | Classic crossover spectacle and the original Battleworld concept. | Multiverse collapse, Doom’s authority, and the Hickman-era event. |
| Film connection | Joe Russo explicitly named it as loose inspiration. | Joe Russo explicitly named it as loose inspiration. |
The distinction matters: a shared title does not mean the two events tell the same kind of story. The 1984 series is built around a cosmic contest; the 2015 event is built around the destruction and reassembly of realities.
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What the film’s public details do—and do not—establish
Disney describes heroes from three distinct universes on a collision course and lists Anthony and Joe Russo as directors. Its cast list includes Robert Downey Jr., Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach; the page caption identifies Downey as Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom. Disney’s July 27, 2024 announcement introduced Downey in the Doom role and named the Russos to direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Those details make multiverse, Doom, and ensemble stories sensible reading-guide themes. They do not establish that any of the eight thematic recommendations above—or any particular sequence from the two Secret Wars events—will appear in the movie. The official listing gives a December 18, 2026 theatrical date, not a comic-by-comic adaptation plan.
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