When Avengers: Doomsday arrives, it will be essential to show that Doctor Doom has become the most powerful character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, look at the MCU movies since Avengers: Endgame, and it is obvious that the power level has changed so much that it might be hard to make Doctor Doom stand out. Marvel has had to keep making its heroes and villains stronger and stronger so each movie could outdo the last. However, it has reached a point where the power levels are so significant that it hurts the MCU’s attempts to make anyone new seem threatening.
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There are a few ways that Marvel can fix this power creep problem, but it might be too late with Avengers: Doomsday right around the corner.
The MCU Has Made Its Characters Too Powerful
Doctor Doom has to appear all-powerful, but the MCU has made it hard to make a man in armor seem any kind of threat after the past decade of movies. Looking at the films over the past few years, the MCU has introduced the Council of Kangs, the Celestials, Mephisto, and Galactus. For heroes, Carol Danvers is so overpowered that the MCU had to keep her off planet during Avengers: Infinity War. Hulk was so overpowered that the MCU nerfed him by making him smart, which takes away his unlimited strength.
Now, Sentry is in the MCU, and as anyone who reads Marvel Comics knows, he is one of the most powerful characters there is, and when Void takes over his mind, he has the power to destroy the world. When the Fantastic Four arrives, Franklin Richards will be with them, and he just showed he could bring someone back from the dead in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Add in names like Professor X and Jean Grey as The Phoenix, and the power level of Marvel heroes is astronomical.
How can Doctor Doom be taken seriously when Sentry could disintegrate him, Professor X could shut down his mind, or Franklin Richards could alter reality? That’s not even considering the powers of Doctor Strange or a soon-to-be-revived Scarlet Witch (if rumors are to be believed). Forget about Doctor Doom, as well. Once Avengers: Secret Wars ends, and the MCU reboots, how can any villain be taken seriously with superheroes of these power levels in the world?
The MCU Desperately Needs To Nerf Its Heroes To Level The Playing Field Again
The MCU needs to do something quick to nerf the powers of its most powerful characters. Hulk has already been nerfed by making him smart, but it might be time to take him off the table completely. Have him lose control and become a wanderer again, taking him out of the team aspects of the Avengers battles. Captain Marvel is easy enough to keep off the planet, so she isn’t around to disrupt villainous plans.
Things with characters like Sentry and Franklin Richards are a little more difficult. When only looking at Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, there is an easy way to take them off the board. If Doom uses Franklin to create Battleworld, he could keep control of the youngster for a while. As for Sentry, all Doctor Doom has to do is take advantage of his insecurities. It has happened in the comics, such as when Norman Osborn drafted him into the Dark Avengers. If Doom makes a promise to help Bob, he could keep him from ever using his powers as The Sentry.
However, what happens after Avengers: Secret Wars? If the MCU does what Marvel Comics has done for years, it would shut Sentry and Franklin down completely. If Franklin loses his powers or forgets he has them, he can get them back when needed, but he won’t be a world-threatening hero any other time. As for Sentry, if he remains scared to use his powers, he can just become a recluse and only show up when the stakes get too big (like he did in World War Hulk).
When it comes to the X-Men, it is even easier. Either don’t bring in Professor X at all, or have him only use his powers in a limited fashion, as he does in the comics. Have Jean Grey not have her Phoenix powers at all, and keep her as a high-level, but morally conscious psychic. Or, don’t have her at all and bring in lower-level mutants to keep the power creep from getting out of control again. Either way, the MCU has to get control of its overpowered heroes and villains, or there is no way anyone can find a threat in future movies worth caring about.
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