The Marvel Cinematic Universe is cooking up a stacked final chapter for the Multiverse Saga. The current storyline has been a bit more divisive for the franchise, seeing a number of critical duds and commercial underperformances (two things that the MCU was seemingly immune to in its beloved Infinity Saga), so it goes without saying that Marvel Studios is pulling out all the stops to make Phase Six the strongest portion of the story.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is already opening the phase on a strong note, and now upcoming titles like Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Daredevil: Born Again season 2 look to continue the upward trajectory. However, it's all about the Avengers double act that will bring the multiversal chapter to a close for the MCU. Doomsday and Secret Wars promise the biggest, most epic team-up imaginable as the franchise's heroes unite once again to save the multiverse from an incursion (or many of them).
With that many characters in the movie, there has been much debate about who the main character of Avengers: Doomsday might be, with multiple conflicting reports about who will hold that title. It turns out, however, that the answer is so simple it might even surprise you.
Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom expected to be the main character of Avengers: Doomsday
Industry insider Alex Perez recently discussed the MCU with fans via his monthly Q&A (published on The Cosmic Circus) and, as always, the topic of Avengers: Doomsday came up. When asked about the various characters appearing in the movie and the extent of the roles that they might have, he revealed that the main character, or "hero", of the movie will be Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, who will play a similar role to that of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War.
On paper, the idea of Doctor Doom playing the lead role in a movie that is literally named after him shouldn't be all that surprising. But it is, particularly because of the various reports that claimed specific members of the Avengers would play the main role. Don't get us wrong, it's pretty clear that Downey Jr. will get top billing, both due to his importance to the MCU franchise but also because of Doom's importance to the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga, but that didn't necessarily mean the movie was going to be his vehicle.
But, honestly, we should have seen a main role for Victor von Doom coming, because the Avengers: Infinity War / Avengers: Doomsday comparison has been made plenty already and the latter movie hasn't even been released yet. Just like Infinity War, Doomsday is the Part 1 of its respective saga's concluding Avengers double-header. It will set the stage for a major cliffhanger that will no doubt have fans eagerly anticipating the second installment (in this case, Secret Wars) from the moment that the credits roll.
In order for that to happen effectively, it would make sense for the film to be told through Doom's perspective, portraying him as the hero of the story as he seeks to carry out his mission to ensure an incursion does not destroy the multiverse. And what could that mission look like for Doctor Doom? Well, according to Perez, he sees those incursions happening throughout the multiverse as a threat and he wants to use Franklin Richards' immeasurable powers to stop it. The insider adds that Doom will indeed see himself as the hero of the story. Knowing what we know about villains, he will probably use that thought process to attempt to justify some heinous actions.
Doom's main character energy upends recent debate about Avengers leader taking center stage
Doom's placement at the center of a movie like Avengers: Doomsday makes sense considering both Downey Jr.'s star power and the importance of the character to the Marvel Comics, but it does come as something of a surprise considering how many reports have surfaced over the past year claiming that the leader of the Avengers would be taking center stage.
Earlier rumors claimed that Captain Marvel would be the new leader of the Avengers considering that she is one of the most powerful beings in the MCU (and she stayed aligned and connected with the remaining heroes of the team after the events of Avengers: Endgame) but actress Brie Larson is not currently listed among the returnees for the upcoming movie. The same can be said for the report that claimed Doctor Strange would be the new leader, too. Another, more persistent rumor claimed that Anthony Mackie's Captain America would be taking center stage considering the importance of the shield to the MCU and the events of Captain America: Brave New World certainly leaned into this (as Sam decided to restart the Avengers).
Meanwhile, Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova has now become the leader of the New Avengers, a.k.a. the heroes formerly known as the Thunderbolts. While it's clear that her team will clash with Sam's official Avengers, they will inevitably end up joining forces to stop what's coming, so fans wondered if Yelena would play one of the main roles of the movie (and, honestly, she probably will). And, finally, a more recent report claimed that Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic would play the lead role after the success of The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
While the title of the leader of the full team of Avengers is still seemingly up for grabs and any one of those characters would be great in that role, it appears that they will be losing the main role of the movie to Doctor Doom after all. Let's hope that this is the only battle the heroes will lose, because the Multiverse needs them.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in movie theaters on December 18, 2026.
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