Genome uncoating is essential for replication of most viruses. For poxviruses, the process is divided into two stages: removal of the envelope allowing early gene expression, and breaching of the core wall allowing DNA release, replication and late gene expression. Subsequent studies showed that the host proteasome and the viral D5 protein, which has an essential role in DNA replication, are required for vaccinia virus (VACV) genome uncoating. In a search for additional VACV uncoating proteins, we noted a report that described a defect in DNA replication and late expression when the gene encoding a 68 kDa ankyrin-repeat/F box protein (68k-ank), associated with the cellular SCF ubiquitin ligase complex, was deleted from the attenuated modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA). Here we showed that the formation of DNA pre-replication sites and degradation of viral cores were severely diminished indicating that the 68k-ank deletion mutant had a defect in genome uncoating as well as an additional independent defect in DNA synthesis. Deletion of the 68k-ank homolog of VACV strain WR, however, was without effect suggesting the existence of compensating genes. By inserting VACV genes into a MVA 68k-ank deletion mutant, we discovered that M2, a member of the Poxvirus Immune Evasion (PIE) domain superfamily and a regulator of NF-κB, and that C5, a member of the BTB/kelch superfamily associated with cullin-3-based ligase complexes, independently rescued the 68k-ank deletion phenotype. Thus, poxvirus uncoating and DNA replication are intertwined processes involving at least three viral proteins with mutually redundant functions in addition to D5.IMPORTANCE Poxviruses comprise a family of large DNA viruses that infect vertebrates and invertebrates and cause diseases of medical and zoological importance. Poxviruses, unlike most other DNA viruses, replicate in the cytoplasm and their large genomes usually encode 200 or more proteins with diverse functions. About 90 genes may be essential for chordopoxvirus replication based either on their conservation or individual gene deletion studies. However, this number may underestimate the true number of essential functions because of redundancy. Here we show that anyone of three seemingly unrelated and individually non-essential proteins are required for the incompletely understood processes of genome uncoating and DNA replication, an example of synthetic lethality. Thus, poxviruses appear to have a complex genetic interaction network that has not been fully appreciated and which will require multifactor deletion screens to assess.