Avengers: Doomsday should use nostalgia to end the multiverse
It’s no secret that 2025 is set to be a big year for Marvel and the MCU, with three films for the big screen on the docket and several TV shows on the way to Disney Plus. It’s safe to say that The Multiverse Saga has been a bit of a mixed bag on the whole. Disney and Marvel wanted to establish the villainous Kang, so they began to construct a long-running story spanning several versions of Earth throughout the multiverse.
After putting their money on Jonathon Majors as Kang, then having to pivot after his criminal conviction, it threw a spanner in the works for the future of the MCU. In order to close the book on this saga, Marvel is going all-in on Doctor Doom, played by a returning Robert Downey Jr., sparking several theories on how the Iron Man actor will step in as one of Marvel’s most iconic villains.
Way back when it was announced that RDJ would play Doom, I was incredibly sceptical. You could even say I hated the idea. However, over recent months, seeing the direction Marvel Studios seems to be going, it feels like a nostalgic hit is the perfect way to end this saga and move onto fresher characters and stories.
I’ve been concerned about the MCU for a while; the idea that we have an Avengers film coming in the next couple of years seems baffling. After all, we don’t even know who our Avengers are. We’re sure to see Anthony Mackie’s Captain America in the team, with possibly Hulk and Hawkeye, but very few characters have been established to step into the team. The fact that we only have a couple of years to get everyone in position is a bit concerning.
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However, it feels like the name ‘Avengers’ is merely a marketing tool at this point and all it really signifies is a team-up event where heroes from across the MCU will come together to fight a ‘big bad.’ It’s easier to call it Avengers: DOOMSDAY and Avengers: Secret Wars, because to just use the sub-heading would confuse potential cinema goers. Shoving Avengers into the title instantly sells tickets to those who want big budget superhero action.
With this looser use of the Avengers name, I feel a little more comfortable with where the MCU is, currently. There’s also a big theory about how this saga will all tie together, which was revealed via a plot leak for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and if it’s real, it could be quite encouraging.
Many fans have wondered just how Robert Downey Jr. is going to play Doctor Doom after playing Tony Stark, wondering if he’s simply a variant in the multiverse, and I think this is the idea. In the supposed leaked plot for The Fantastic Four, it’s said that the family come from Earth-616, where the MCU is set, and are lost in a multiverse world. There’s an idea that Galactus arrives and follows the team back to their home world, and I think it’s here where Doctor Doom comes in.
Let’s say that this world, where The Fantastic Four are currently living, is the same world in which the Avengers were wiped out, or Thanos’ snap happened and wasn’t rectified, leaving only Tony Stark. This Stark variant could quite easily have fallen to a twisted mindset that has corrupted his world view after seeing his friends and family die. This could push him into following Galactus over to Earth-616, in a desperate hope to save his loved ones and merge the multiverse as the ultimate act of control. We know what grief does to a person, we witnessed what it did to Wanda, so there’s no reason that Tony couldn’t go down a similar path.
A big complaint I’ve seen across social media and message boards is the idea that Doom isn’t getting any kind of build up, but aside from the infinity stones showing up throughout the films, Thanos only appeared a few times in small scenes before Avengers: Infinity War.
We have to remember, Avengers: DOOMSDAY could just be establishing the character of Doctor Doom, with it ending as he sets up a merged world for the final battle that takes place in the next film. With a few post-credit stings and that film, it should be enough time to set up his motivations and threat. Even the films between the two Avengers projects could feature Doom to establish the threat even further.
There have been plenty of stars signing on to the two Avengers films, and it will give us a big hit of nostalgia before we wave goodbye to the multiverse and the rumoured Mutant Saga is introduced. We know that Chris Evans is seemingly coming back, so having him appear to try and talk down a now ‘evil’ Tony Stark would make for a great scene, and it wouldn’t tarnish the ending he got in Avengers: Endgame.
This leaves the future beyond Secret Wars one without a multiverse, and it’s here that I believe the entire MCU will get a reboot. Aside from Spider-Man, and the younger heroes introduced over the past few years, this would give Marvel the chance to recast classic heroes. It’s done in comic books all the time, and with actors aging out of roles or wanting to move on, a merged multiverse gives the Marvel creatives a chance to bring in a new Iron Man or Captain America without ruining what came before.
To do this, chances have to be taken in Secret Wars to set up the fallout felt by audiences when their favourite characters are recast. Marvel isn’t going anywhere, and they’re going to want to explore more stories from characters who have already had a run in the MCU. This last nostalgia hit is a great send off for the MCU as we know it.