The MCU’s Ideal Replacement for Doctor Doom Has Never Faced Off With the Avengers

For better or worse, Marvel Studios is putting all of its eggs into the Doctor Doom basket. There really is no other choice because Kang isn’t walking back through the door, and even if he does, he doesn’t have the potential that the leader of Latveria does. And to ensure everything goes smoothly, the powers that be are placing their faith in someone who has already proven to have what it takes to lead a franchise: Robert Downey Jr. The former Iron Man actor will make his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers: Doomsday and is sure to play a role in its follow-up, Avengers: Secret Wars.

As great as it will be to have Downey Jr. back in the fold, it’s hard to imagine him sticking around for long. The MCU will eventually need to pivot and develop another villain to unite the entire franchise. Fortunately, there are plenty of great options, especially ones of the mutant variety, since the X-Men are about to steal the spotlight from the Avengers. However, the best candidate to follow Doctor Doom may be an underutilized villain who hasn’t crossed paths with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

The Assessor Is as Dangerous as Any Other Marvel Villain

Marvel Studios loves to pull villains from older comic books. Thanos, Ultron, and Loki all have long histories that provide creatives with plenty of material to pull from. Ignoring newer titles is a mistake, though, as some great characters have emerged from Marvel Comics over the past couple of decades. Miles Morales is a great example, with him pushing Peter Parker for the title of best Spider-Man. One of the knocks against Miles is that he doesn’t have as many iconic villains as his colleague. However, that narrative isn’t entirely accurate, as Miles faces formidable foes who have yet to reach their full potential, such as the Assessor.

In Saladin Ahmed and Javier Garrón’s Miles Morales: Spider-Man run, they introduce an artificial intelligence that villains can hire to test their target. Ultimatum orders the Assessor to learn more about Miles Morales, and they torture the young hero before letting him go free. All that time in captivity weighs on Miles, so he tells his mentor, Tony Stark, all about it. Iron Man hunts down the Assessor and captures them by forcing them into his suit. What Tony doesn’t realize is that the Assessor is ten steps ahead and creates a backup for themself, allowing them to reboot at another location. They continue their work and unleash a group of Miles clones to mess with the hero. Since then, the Assessor has been on the back burner, but the MCU could use a villain with their capabilities, especially since another evil AI is returning to the franchise.

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Ultron’s Return Could Pave the Way for the Assessor

There are plenty of question marks in the MCU these days, but there are none bigger than Vision Quest, the Disney+ series that will focus on the white version of Paul Bettany’s hero. While Vision’s journey in the show is anyone’s guess, he won’t be alone, as Ultron is going to appear in some way, shape, or form. Bringing the Avengers villain back opens up plenty of possibilities, including a second crack at the “Age of Ultron” storyline. However, the MCU would be better off using Ultron as a springboard to develop a new AI villain like the Assessor. Working behind the scenes, the villain can watch all of the MCU’s heroes and create contingency plans for all of them.

The MCU is going to be busy with Doctor Doom for a few years, and villains like Magneto are sure to garner attention when they come out of the ice. All that means is that there is plenty of time to start working on building a threat unlike anything the Avengers have ever seen before. By the time the Assesor finally shows their face, Miles might even be part of the franchise, and they can continue their comic book rivalry on the big screen for the whole world to see.

Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, 2026.

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