It’s no secret that two of the most anticipated upcoming Marvel movies for many fans are Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, which will be for The Multiverse Saga what Infinity War and Endgame were for The Infinity Saga. For years, the plan had been for Jonathan Majors’ King the Conqueror to be the big bad for this chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s history, but now that slot has been filled by Doctor Doom, who will be played by Robert Downey Jr. Now there’s a rumor shedding light on Doom’s motivations for his actions in the next two Avengers movies, and it involves beef with one of the Kang variants.
According to information supplied over at The Cosmic Circus, Downey’s Doom is looking to stop the incursions that have been threatening to collapse the Marvel multiverse. This all stems from the events of the Loki series (stream it with your Disney+ subscription if you need a refresher), which saw infinite timelines branching out from The Sacred Timeline following He Who Remains’ death. By the end of Season 2, Tom Hiddleston’s Loki had rejuvenating these dying timelines and committed himself to ensure their survival of the multiverse at the End of Time.
The problem, per this rumor, is that Doctor Doom is angry at He Who Remains for having prioritized the Sacred Timeline and “silencing” all those other realities. So with the multiverse in danger once again, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to save his universe, even if it means every other universe dies. As it’s specifically worded, he wants nothing more than to “take the reins of his timeline and win his freedom.” In his eyes, as well as those of his followers, he’s the hero of the story.
It remains to be seen which universe Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom hails from, although since the character is most well known as the Fantastic Four’s arch-nemesis in the comics, then the reality where The Fantastic Four: First Steps takes place is a good bet. Regardless, he won’t be the only one with this kind of single-minded goal on the mind. There will be various heroes fighting to save their realities, unconcerned about what happens to the others.
It’s also mentioned in the article that Loki will be the “Macguffin” of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, as the “race against Doomsday will be a race to see who gets to Loki first.” It remains to be seen how Kang’s absence will be addressed given that the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania mid-credits scene showed the Council of Kangs plotting their invasion of Earth-616. A rumor last summer alleged that the Time Variance Authority will have pruned all the Kang variants, but I honestly would be surprised if Doom just wiped them all out given the axe he had to grind with He Who Remains.
Avengers: Doomsday opens in theaters on May 1, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027. Hopefully though, we’ll learn sometime this year if Doctor Doom’s motivations do indeed line up with the information shared here. I’m also still crossing my fingers he’ll make a surprise appearance in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which hits the 2025 movies schedule on July 25.
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