Doctor Doom has been tearing up the pages of Marvel Comics for decades, which has made fans extremely eager to see him make his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, but he was replaced in his most recent role by something of an unexpected character. Naturally, this has led fans to speculate as to whether he might experience a similar fate to the same character when he arrives in MCU for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Victor von Doom is one of the smartest, most notorious threats any team of heroes have ever faced - that includes the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and the X-Men - but Marvel's decision to give him a brand new role last year in One World Under Doom ultimately resulted in his downfall. And that aforementioned replacement just so happens to be the character that Marvel fans have been longing to see back on the big screen. Could it be a sign?
Marvel Comics replaced Doctor Doom as Sorcerer Supreme with the Scarlet Witch
All throughout last year, Doctor Doom has reshaped the Marvel Comics Universe in his image. It very much seemed like he might be trying to do good, bringing countries together to achieve what appeared to be world peace. And as long as he did that, the heroes couldn't stand up to him. After all, how do you stand against someone who achieved genuine world peace? But, as always with Doom, Victor had other motives, which eventually led to his downfall.
When Doom used his powers as Sorcerer Supreme to fix his eternal victory into the timeline, his goddaughter Valeria Richards was killed in the crossfire. Unable to reverse the locked timeline, made a deal with the Living Tribunal to resurrect her if he stood down as Sorcerer Supreme, relinquished his throne, and ultimately his own life, too. The Doom that defeated the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men also defeated himself. A classic tale of Victor von Doom's biggest weakness: His own hubris.
So, who took over the mantle of the Sorcerer Supreme? There were multiple claims for the title, but the one person who heard the ancient artifacts associated with the mantle calling to her - and took it by force - was none other than the Scarlet Witch herself, Wanda Maximoff. And from there, a war started to decide the true Master of the Mystic Arts, as the Vishanti claimed the mantle rightfully belonged to Agatha Harkness, anointing her as their chosen Sorcerer Supreme.
The battle has continued to get messy, with other potential candidates for the title being Wanda's own magical son Billy Kaplan, a.k.a. Wiccan, Chthon, and even the Sorcerer Supreme of the Quantum Realm vying for the title. This has all been taking place in Steve Orlando and Bernard Chang's ongoing Sorcerer Supreme series, which has had readers on the edges of their seats.
Who would have thought that the gripping One World Under Doom series would lead to this battle for the title of Sorcerer Supreme. All of the candidates are mystical and magical powerhouses who would be worthy of the title, but it's hard to bet against the Scarlet Witch. Wanda Maximoff's chaos magic is legendary, and her reputation as one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe precedes her; the question is: Will it lead her to officially staking her claim as the unchallenged Sorcerer Supreme?
Moreover, could this be a sign of things to come from Doom's arrival in the MCU?
Could history repeat itself when Doctor Doom arrives in Avengers: Doomsday?
With Marvel Comics spotlighting such a decisive defeat of Doctor Doom in recent months - one that ultimately led to the resurfacing of the Scarlet Witch - there is speculation that the character's live-action debut could have something of a similar trajectory. Robert Downey Jr. is set to make his triumphant return to the franchise in the coming months to bring Doctor Doom to the MCU franchise for the first time ever. After an uncredited cameo appearance in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the stage has been set for a major role across the next two Avengers movies. And, by the sounds of things, he might have some similar mighty claims to that of his comic book counterpart.
Avengers: Doomsday will serve as the opening act of the MCU's Multiverse Saga's conclusion. That conclusion is set to entail the incursions of multiple universes, throwing the multiverse itself into danger. Rumor has it that Doom might show up to seek the Avengers' help, claiming to be a good guy with good intentions - just as he did in the One World Under Doom comic books. And, just like that Marvel Comics storyline, he is expected to have a hidden agenda that will help him reshape the multiverse in his image.
This will ultimately lead to a showdown in which the Avengers, New Avengers (formerly the Thunderbolts), the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men from the classic Fox movie series attempt to stop him. But, as Chris Hemsworth's Thor tells us in the first trailer for Avengers: Doomsday, this threat scares him far greater than any other. And that alone should tell us how terrible Victor von Doom really is.
There are, however, multiple characters absent from the Avengers: Doomsday line-up. Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange and Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff - two characters who were integral to one of the Multiverse Saga's most important movies (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness). Strange is the former Sorcerer Supreme and Wanda, momentarily corrupted by the Darkhold, seemingly sacrificed herself to cease the dark magic's existence in the multiverse.
These are two characters who are seemingly capable of stopping someone as powerful as Doom, so it's quite possible - likely, even - that both are being saved until 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars, which will see the heroes achieve overall victory over the villain. Could the former Sorcerer Supreme defeat Doom? Could his apparent absence in Avengers: Doomsday be down to Doom? Could the same be said for Wanda?
We know that Doctor Doom will have Latverian Witches to support his agenda, and all those will sport similar metallic masks to his. If Doom has taken Wanda or another witch prisoner, this would allow Marvel to include the characters without billing Olsen or any other actor in the main cast - effectively saving their returns as big surprises throughout the movies.
We'll have to wait and see if Doctor Doom's reign of terror will have a similar end to that of his Marvel Comics reign in One World Under Doom, but the pieces are place for Marvel Studios to pay tribute to the source material's recent storyline involving the character. We know Doctor Strange is expected to have some kind of involvement in the movies, and we know that Olsen has been rumored to make her long-awaited return as the Scarlet Witch in these movies too. It might only be a matter of time until the two characters powerful enough to challenge Doom make their presence felt on the MCU all over again.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in movie theaters on December 18, 2026.
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