Credit: Marvel StudiosLast week, the news of a complete rewrite of the upcoming Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe ended a period of Marvel Studios content that had run for the past three years.
Kevin Feige’s Marvel Cinematic Universe is at a turning point. Following a bout of troubled releases, including Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) and The Marvels (2023), which overshadowed the success of James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), the superhero studio has scored its first major win in a while.
Deadpool & Wolverine (2023) has already netted over half a billion at the global box office and looks set to be The Walt Disney Company and Marvel Studios’ first billion-dollar hit since Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).
Related: Marvel Abandons ‘Blade’ as New MCU Slate Revealed
With Ryan Reynolds’s (Wade Wilson/Deadpool) and Hugh Jackman’s (Logan/Wolverine) superhero epic now out in the world, the studio turned its attention to the franchise’s future —and big changes have been confirmed, starting with the complete rework of the upcoming Avengers movies: Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).
Doctor Doom Takes Over San Diego Comic-Con 2024
Shortly after confirming reports that the Russo Brothers–Anthony Russo and Joe Russo–would return to the MCU and helm the Phase Six Avengers movies in Hall H, the directors revealed that Robert Downey Jr. would return to the Marvel universe as Doctor Doom.
Robert Downey Jr. may be new to the role of Doom, but he certainly is not new to the franchise, and it will be interesting to see what direction Marvel Studios takes the character due to the actor starring as the prolific Iron Man since 2008.
Many see Downey Jr. as the franchise, considering he is the one who began it all 16 years ago in Jon Favreau’s Iron Man (2008). His role as the new Big Bad of the MCU came after rumors swirled about his future with the MCU–the Oscar-winner even said he would be up for coming back as Tony Stark sometime in the future.
Initial ideas posit that the MCU’s Doctor Doom could be a play on the Superior Iron Man or Infamous Iron Man storylines. Some fans have contested Downey Jr.’s casting considering Doctor Doom’s Romani heritage. And, of course, this won’t be the first time Doom has been present in Marvel live-action media.
In 20th Century Fox’s films, Julian McMahon played Doom in Fantastic Four (2005) and its sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007). Here, Doom is a CEO who finances the mission that gives the Fantastic Four their powers. Transformed into organic metal, he seeks revenge against the team. In the 2007 film, he aims to harness the Silver Surfer’s power.
Josh Trank’s 2015 reboot presents Victor Von Doom (Toby Kebbell) as a technician gaining telekinetic powers from an interdimensional accident, with plans to destroy Earth, thwarted by the Fantastic Four. The films emphasize Doom’s rivalry with Reed Richards (Miles Teller) and cosmic energy transformations, contrasting with the comics’ blend of science, sorcery, and complex motivations.
As for Downey Jr., he ended his run in the MCU five years ago in Avengers: Endgame (2019), which documented the end of Infinity Saga along with Jon Watts’ Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). His departure left a void in the franchise, which has struggled to find a new central figure.
Originally, Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) was set to replace Thanos (Josh Brolin) as the primary villain, but a poor reception last year, teamed with Majors’ significant legal issues, has seen the Kang storyline fizzle out.
Is Kang the Conqueror out of the MCU?
Kang the Conqueror, portrayed by Jonathan Majors, was introduced in the MCU in 2021 through the Disney+ series Loki as He Who Remains, a variant of Kang who controls the Sacred Timeline.
He revealed his backstory as a time-traveling adversary with multiple versions of himself across the Multiverse, setting the stage for his central role in the MCU’s future. After introducing another Variant in the form of Victor Timely in Loki Season 2 in 2023, Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief eventually took over guardianship of the many Multiverse timelines.
Kang’s character was further explored in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, battling Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) and emerging as the significant new threat to the Multiverse, with plans that span various timelines, posing a complex challenge for the heroes.
Initially intended to be the MCU’s next major villain following Thanos, Kang’s storyline was thrown into uncertainty due to Jonathan Majors’ legal issues. The rising star’s arrest in New York City following a domestic disturbance turned into a freefall of litigation, a subsequent guilty verdict in December 2023, and eventually resulted in his removal from the role–that hasn’t stopped him from fighting for his lost part, though.
This left Marvel Studios reconsidering their plans, including potential changes to the overarching narrative of the Multiverse Saga. Kang’s presence had been established as a pivotal element within the MCU, appearing in–and acting as the fulcrum–of both seasons of Michael Waldron’s Loki and as the focal point of the Ant-Man threequel.
The latter’s mid-credits scene even saw thousands of Kang Variants appear as the Council of Kangs, indicating even bigger things to come.
Related: “Avengers Assemble” Reboot Confirmed as Classic Squad Reunited at Marvel
The existence of Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania relied on the inclusion and storyline of Majors’ Kang.
This major setup, three years in the making, is now obsolete, considering the rename of Avengers 5 from The Kang Dynasty to Doomsday and the immediate and surprising shift to Doctor Doom—a villain that many fans hoped would get a genuine and thoughtful arc in the MCU, thanks to the character’s tenured history in the pages of comic books.
Doctor Doom, or Victor Von Doom, debuted in “Fantastic Four #5” (1962), created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Born in Latveria to a gypsy family, Doom’s mother, a witch, was killed by the demon Mephisto.
A genius in science and mysticism, a failed experiment scarred his face, leading Doom to Tibet, where he crafted his iconic armor and mask and became Latveria’s ruler. Master of both science and sorcery, Doom’s notable storylines include “Doomquest,” “Secret Wars,” and “Emperor Doom.”
What do you think about Marvel Studios’ switch from Kang to Doom? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!
Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps will all debut in 2025 ahead of Avengers: Doomsday.