Marvel Studios recently made headlines at San Diego Comic-Con with an absolutely huge reveal – Fantastic four will be the first film in Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which will end with Avengers: Kang Dynasty and the sequel Avengers: Secret Warsthe latest film in the new brand name Multiverse Saga.
In the wake of this news, many fans expect one of Marvel Comics’ biggest villains, Doctor Doom, to make his MCU debut sooner or later. Not only is he the nemesis of the Fantastic Four and an old rival to Kang the Conqueror, he also served as the main antagonist of the Secret Wars comics. In fact, it’s very possible that Doom could turn out to be the real villain of the entire Multiverse Saga.
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1962 for Fantastic four #5, Doctor Doom is one of the most enduring, iconic villains in the Marvel Universe. Because FF essentially Marvel’s flagship title at the time, Doom quickly made a name for itself as Marvel’s greatest super-villain. As such, he quickly became an nemesis not just to the Fantastic Four, but to all of Marvel’s heroes, clashing with Spider-Man, the Avengers, and more. And while the FF has become less popular in real life over the years, Doctor Doom’s status as Earth-616’s biggest villain has never gone away.
For a perfect example of this, just look at the original 1984 Secret Wars miniseries, written by Jim Shooter. In this famous storyline, a cosmic being called the Beyonder transports Earth’s greatest heroes and villains to a patchwork planet called Battleworld. The Beyonder declares that whichever side wins will be rewarded with the desires of their hearts. But while the other villains are content with the Beyonder’s play, Doctor Doom refuses to be treated like a pawn. And so he carries out his boldest plan yet: steal the Beyonder’s power for himself. Cunning, technological genius and sheer willpower succeeds Doom’s plan, and the heroes are soon shocked to see that Doctor Doom has attained absolute power.
This wasn’t the first time Doom had stolen cosmic power from another creature either. Lee and Kirby had him do the same with the Silver Surfer in 1966 Fantastic four #57. However, the enormity and ambition of Doom’s plan in Secret Wars – not to mention that he actually succeeded – were so spectacular that they set the standard for Doom’s exploits for decades to come.
But despite his newfound omnipotence, Doctor Doom lacked the ability to fully control the Beyonder’s power. After all, despite his megalomaniac ego, Doom is only human. And deep down, Doom knows this – it’s his own doubt that ultimately causes his downfall. In the end, Doom loses control of his power, and the heroes are victorious. Despite his attempt to become a god, it is his own humanity that defeats him.
Doctor Doom would take an even bigger win in the 2015 Secret Wars miniseries by writer Jonathan Hickman. During the Incursion Crisis at Hickman’s avengers Running, Doom discovers that the collapse of the multiverse was engineered by the Beyonders – the same species as the original Beyonder, who was only a child by its kind. As Earth-616 is destroyed, Doom turns the Beyonders’ plan against them, killing them and once again stealing their power. Now able to master his vast cosmic power with the help of Molecule Man, Doom merges the shattered remnants of the multiverse into a new Battleworld.
Hickman’s Secret Wars presents Doctor Doom at its most complex and humanized, but also its most tyrannical. On the one hand, he is responsible for saving the reality from utter destruction, and he really wants to create peace for the people of Battleworld. However, Doom’s idea of protecting his subjects means that he rules them with an iron fist as God-emperor, setting himself up as an all-powerful deity to be worshiped by all. Even at his most benevolent, Doom is still a control-obsessed megalomaniac.
But even after becoming ruler of all reality, Doctor Doom can’t get rid of his suppressed insecurity. The reason he wanted absolute power in the first place is because he believes that it is his responsibility to create a perfect world through his rule. So if his Battleworld is still plagued with conflict and discontent, Doom secretly fears he’s to blame. As always, Doom’s fatal flaw is his inability to accept his own imperfection—to recognize that while a better world is possible, his control isn’t the way to get there. With Hickman’s brutal yet tragic characterization of Doom, it’s easy to see why he’s such a perfect fit for the MCU’s next great evil. He’s cut from the same cloth as Josh Brolin’s Thanos, likeable and ruthless in equal measure.
Both the 1984 and 2015 Secret Wars stories are crossovers involving the entire Marvel universe, but they are mostly Doctor Doom stories. So with Avengers: Secret Wars Coming in the fall of 2025, it probably won’t be long before fans finally see Doom enter the MCU. It is even widely believed that he will play a part in this November’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, possibly as a post-credits reveal. After all, Doom has a long history with both Black Panther and new antagonist Namor in the comics.
It is unclear what role Doom will play in Phase Five. He could plausibly appear in anything, from Loki until iron heart until Captain America: New World Order until Lightning strikes. However, he will almost certainly play a major role in Fantastic four. While previous adaptations have struggled to give Doom the limelight he deserves, using him in MCU projects will likely fix this problem. And of course, with the Multiverse Saga to culminate in Avengers: Secret Warsit would be a surprise if Doom wasn’t Phase Six’s ultimate villain.
Of course, this idea may seem strange, given that Kang already seems to be well established as the main villain of the Multiverse Saga, especially given the title of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. And while that may seem like the case here in phase four, remember that Thanos was only revealed at the end of phase one. It’s possible that Kang will eventually become the Loki to Doom’s Thanos – the Avengers’ first antagonist who ends up being chased by a bigger enemy. After all, if both Secret Wars comic show, Doctor Doom tends to steal the lead villain role from seemingly stronger threats.
Between its crucial role in the Secret Wars comics, his close ties to Kang and the Fantastic Four, his role as the general nemesis of the entire Marvel universe, and his possible appearance in Wakanda forever, it’s starting to look like Doctor Doom is the real villain of the Multiverse Saga. Of course, this is all speculation for now – there hasn’t even been any news about who will be playing the lord of Latveria on the big screen. Either way, one thing’s for sure: it won’t be long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe faces its demise.
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