The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been desperately searching for a way to replace its greatest villain, Thanos. Kang, the first bad guy to step up to the plate after the Mad Titan’s defeat, never really had a chance to get going before behind-the-scenes issues forced Marvel Studios to cut ties with the man behind the time traveler, Jonathan Majors. Needing a sure thing to make up for the misstep, the powers that be reached out to the man who built the MCU, Robert Downey Jr. Rather than having the all-world performer portray an evil version of his original character, Iron Man, Avengers: Doomsday will see him bring Doctor Doom to life.
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Doom is a natural replacement for Thanos, as he’s one of Marvel’s oldest villains and one of its most formidable. Another notch on Doom’s belt is the relationships he has in the comics with characters already present in the MCU. There are sure to be staredowns between the villain and Black Panther and tension between him and Sue Storm. However, Doom’s most important rival is already filling the void left behind by his doppleganger, at least according to Marvel itself.
Marvel Already Knows Who the Next Face of the MCU Is
When looking at the future of the MCU, a couple of names stick out as characters that could step into the spotlight. The first, of course, is Spider-Man, a former mentee of Tony Stark’s. Peter Parker is one of the franchise’s most likable heroes, and he’s finally coming into his own after playing second fiddle for years. The only thing holding him back is that Sony still technically controls his future. If the MCU wants to one of its own to pick up the baton, it should look no further than Captain America, who’s currently putting together a new Avengers team. Sam Wilson is as noble as they come, and he’s more like Tony than he would probably like to admit, not having powers and relying on technology to do the heavy lifting.
Sam Wilson and Doom don’t have much beef in the source material, though, so, at least for now, Marvel is pushing another character’s agenda. In a recent tweet, the official Marvel X account compared two lines of dialogue, one from Tony and another from Reed Richards. Both geniuses are talking about getting ahead of threats that may harm them and their loved ones. That line of thinking gets Tony in trouble, namely during Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War. However, it may work out better for Reed because he’s undoubtedly going to have to make some tough choices during the impending conflict with Doom.
Doctor Doom Is Going to Test Mister Fantastic Right Out of the Gate
Tony becomes the face of the MCU right out of the gate, but it’s mostly smooth sailing for him until Age of Ultron, when Scarlet Witch shows him visions of a potential future where all of his friends die. From that moment on, Tony prepares for Thanos’ arrival, and when the time comes to put the Mad Titan down for good, he’s the one who makes the sacrifice play. Reed isn’t going to have to wait as long to look down the barrel because his worst nightmare is already here. In The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ post-credits scene, Doom comes after Reed and Sue’s son, Franklin Richards, wanting to use his power to help conquer the multiverse. That’s not going to sit right with Reed, who will surely pull out the big guns when Doomsday kicks off.
The MCU can’t afford to mess around with its latest Big Bad, given all the mistakes in the last couple of years. Fortunately, everyone appears to be on the same page when it comes to the Doom front. He’s going to put Reed and any other hero who gets in his way on their heels before ever showing his face. Then, once the mask comes off, a whole different can of worms will open, sending shockwaves through the franchise. If that doesn’t scream all-time villain, nothing ever will.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, 2026.
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