New Information Comes To Light After 'Avengers 5' Plan Cancelled by Disney

As Marvel Studios pushes further into Phase Six—launched by The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) this past summer—attention has turned to the evolving future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

With Robert Downey Jr. officially set to return as Victor Von Doom, fans are once again asking what this shift means for the MCU’s former Multiversal villain: Kang the Conqueror.

Marvel Shifts From Kang to Doom

Following the announcement that Downey would portray Doom, speculation surged about Kang’s status after actor Jonathan Majors’ exit. While Kevin Feige has confirmed a creative pivot away from Kang, it now appears those discussions began long before Majors’ legal situation unfolded.

Since Avengers: Endgame (2019), Marvel has faced an uneven theatrical landscape. Films like Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) performed well, but more recent titles—including Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* (2025)—have struggled to meet franchise expectations.

Majors’ legal troubles, which included charges from his ex-partner Grace Jabbari, brought major disruptions to Marvel’s original Kang-centric plan. The studio responded by making significant changes, officially shelving Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and reorienting its next major crossover events.

During San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Feige confirmed that Anthony and Joe Russo would helm Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, arriving in December 2026 and 2027. The move marked a creative reset for the Multiverse Saga—one that put Doctor Doom at its core.

Robert Downey Jr. Takes on a New Role

Downey’s surprise reveal as Doom—fresh off his Oscar win for Oppenheimer (2023)—signaled a bold new phase for Marvel Studios. Though details remain closely guarded, Doom made his first appearance in a post-credits scene for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, teasing the villain’s larger role in the years ahead.

Still, questions lingered about whether Kang could ever return. The character last appeared as the Variant Victor Timely in Loki Season 2 and previously battled Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne/Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). For fans, the question isn’t just if Kang will return—but how.

Kevin Feige Confirms the Creative Pivot

Speaking to members of the press, Feige revealed that the studio had already started charting a new course before Majors’ legal challenges became public.

“We had started even before what had happened to the actor happened, we had started to realize that Kang wasn’t big enough, wasn’t Thanos, and that there was only one character that could be that, because he was that in the comics for decades and decades,” Feige said, per The Hollywood Reporter.

“Because of the Fox acquisition, we finally had it, and it was Dr. Doom. So we had started talking about Dr. Doom even before we officially pivoted from Kang,” he continued. “And in fact, I had started talking with Robert [Downey Jr.] about this audacious idea before Ant-Man 3 even came out. It was a long plan that we had, to take one of our greatest characters and utilize one of our greatest actors.”

However, not everyone agrees with that account. X-Men ’97 writer Beau DeMayo challenged Feige’s comments online, claiming the Kang storyline was still in play as recently as 2023.

“In 2023, I was working on Season 2 of #xmen97, [which] has Kang in it,” Mayo wrote on X. “Majors was definitely who would’ve voiced the character.”

“I remember seeing John Wick 4 in March 2023 with a top exec at Marvel at the Americana movie theater in Glendale the weekend the news broke about Majors legal trouble, discussing how Kang was def the gameplan and the studio was afraid,” he continued. “He is straight up lying. Also, and this should be obvious, Kang has massive connections to the #FantasticFour.”

Mayo added, “It actually makes far more sense both logically and emotionally for KANG to come back to kidnap Franklin Richards (his ancestor) than it does Doom. He was absolutely the endgame.”

The New Endgame May Steal From Kang Dynasty Plot

A new rumor hints that Marvel Studios may be replacing Kang the Conqueror’s Multiversal storyline with one centered on multiple versions of Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. According to The Direct, insider Daniel Richtman claims the upcoming film will feature several Doom variant–including female versions–effectively reworking the abandoned “Council of Kangs” idea from the original Avengers: The Kang Dynasty plan.

Reports suggest that, unlike Kang’s quest for domination, Doctor Doom’s motivation will be more nuanced. In Avengers: Doomsday, Doom is portrayed as viewing himself as a savior rather than a conqueror, determined to prevent the collapse of the Multiverse caused by dimensional incursions. This reimagining would make him both an adversary and a tragic antihero, offering a fresh take on one of Marvel’s most iconic villains.

The concept of multiple Dooms also opens the door for creative casting possibilities, with names like Mads Mikkelsen, Henry Cavill, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau floated in fan discussions as potential variants, per the report. If true, Marvel could be building a new Multiversal ensemble of Dooms, mirroring what was once planned for Kang while setting up a powerful foundation for Avengers: Secret Wars.

While none of this has been confirmed by Marvel Studios, the rumor suggests a major shift in direction for the MCU’s Multiverse Saga–one that trades an army of Kangs for an army of Dooms, potentially reshaping the future of the Avengers franchise.

Jonathan Majors Hints at a Possible Return

Months after leaving the MCU, Majors fueled speculation when asked if he might reprise his role. “I cannot say anything about that,” Majors told The Sun U.S. in September 2025. “Well, it’s a Multiverse, so there’s always that. Always a lot of opportunity for that.”

That tease was enough to ignite online debate. Given Marvel’s Multiverse setup, the door remains open for alternate versions of Kang—or even a recast. Majors expressed gratitude toward fans still interested in his portrayal and reflected fondly on his time with Marvel.

“Yeah, of course I say yes. Disney, Marvel Studios, I love them. Tom Hiddleston loved working with that guy. Loved working with Paul Rudd. Loved working with Gugu Mbatha-Raw,” Majors said earlier this year. While his return seems unlikely given the franchise’s new trajectory, the Multiverse makes anything possible.

With Doom taking center stage and Kang’s fate uncertain, Marvel appears ready to move forward with a reimagined vision for its Multiverse storyline. But as Majors himself teased, in a universe of infinite realities, nothing is ever truly final.

Doctor Doom in Live-Action So Far

Doctor Doom, one of Marvel’s most iconic villains, has appeared in several film adaptations of the Fantastic Four franchise, each reimagining the character with varying interpretations.

His first major cinematic appearance came in 2005’s Fantastic Four, where the late Julian McMahon portrayed Victor Von Doom as a power-hungry industrialist whose body is transformed into living metal after exposure to cosmic radiation during a space mission.

In this version, Doom gains the ability to manipulate electricity and metal, ultimately clashing with the Fantastic Four before being encased in his own armor and shipped away. McMahon reprised the role in the 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, which saw Doom revived and temporarily allying with the heroes before betraying them to steal the Power Cosmic from the Silver Surfer.

A darker reimagining followed in the 2015 reboot Fantastic Four, where Toby Kebbell portrayed Victor Domashev, a reclusive computer prodigy whose transformation on Planet Zero gives him destructive energy-based powers. This version of Doom returns to Earth seeking to annihilate humanity, only to be defeated by the newly formed Fantastic Four.

Despite these portrayals, none have captured the full depth of Doctor Doom’s comic book legacy as both a scientific genius and monarch of Latveria, leaving fans eager for Marvel Studios’ upcoming reboot to deliver the definitive cinematic version of the character.

How do you feel about the reported plot of Avengers: Doomsday? Do you think it will be enough to bank a billion at the box office? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!