I'm Convinced Avengers: Doomsday Is Already Setting Up A Cancelled Multiverse Saga Plot

Published Oct 12, 2026, 11:39 PM EDT

Since 2019, Kevin Erdmann has been one of Screen Rant's Senior Staff Writers, covering all kinds of Superhero and Star Wars media with Easter egg breakdowns, theory pieces, breaking news, and more. A huge Star Wars & MCU fan, Kevin also loves Batman (because he's Batman), but could talk for hours about why Nightwing is DC's greatest hero. 

With 8 years of total experience covering entertainment and pop culture, Kevin has gotten the chance to interview top creatives and talent, and has also attended major media events like Disney's D23 convention.

Majoring in Cinema Studies with a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife, adorable dog, and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.

Although Marvel Studios pivoted from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to Avengers: Doomsday, I can't help but wonder if Marvel Studios has secretly reworked some of its original plans for Kang the Conqueror for Doctor Doom instead, especially after the major villain's most recent MCU appearance.

Originally, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty was supposed to bring the threat of Kang and his countless variants to the forefront, paying off storylines established in both seasons of Loki, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and more. Instead, Marvel made the switch to Avengers: Doomsday, bringing Robert Downey Jr. back to the MCU in the very different role of Victor von Doom. That said, I have a feeling Doom's tactics in the upcoming crossover may share crucial DNA with what was initially planned for Kang.

When looking at Doctor Doom's initial MCU appearances and depictions in trailers, a surprising trend becomes clear. Between The Fantastic Four: First Steps post-credits scene, Doomsday's trailers, and the brand-new footage added to Avengers: Endgame Encore, it's been rare to see the same Doctor Doom twice. As such, I have a theory that Marvel Studios is hinting at a much bigger storyline involving RDJ's Doom, one carrying much of the spirit of the original plans for Avengers 5.

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Avengers 5 Was Originally Going To Feature The Council of Kangs

Avengers: The Kang Dynasty was designed to make Kang the central threat of the Multiverse Saga. After all, Jonathan Majors first appeared as He Who Remains in Loki's first season, revealing that a multiversal war between variants of himself nearly destroyed the entire multiverse itself. After he was murdered by Sylvie, branching timelines were unleashed, setting the stage for more Kangs to emerge.

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Likewise, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania introduced Kang the Conqueror as an exiled variant in the Quantum Realm seeking vengeance upon his own variants just as dangerous as himself. Sure enough, the film's mid-credits scene debuted a triumvirate including the major Kang variants Immortus, Rama-Tut, and the Scarlet Centurion, shown assembling countless more variants as the comic-accurate Council of Kangs ahead of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

However, Marvel's plans drastically changed following issues with Majors and major delays involving the writers' and actors' strikes. The studio ultimately chose to move away from Kang and embrace Doctor Doom, renaming the movie, bringing back the Russos to direct, and confirming Robert Downey Jr.'s casting as Victor von Doom in 2024. Although the Council of Kangs hasn't received a fully definitive resolution beyond the TVA looking out for more variants in the wake of Loki season 2, Doctor Doom may fulfill a similar narrative role as the multiverse is set to imminently collapse.

The MCU's Doctor Doom Has Been Seen Wearing Multiple Masks & Costumes

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The biggest reason I'm wondering whether Avengers: Doomsday is setting up a similar multiversal Doom plot is all the different versions of his mask and armor Marvel Studios has shown us ahead of the upcoming MCU crossover. Firstly, The Fantastic Four: First Steps post-credits scene introduced Doom in a brief encounter with Franklin Richards, while Doomsday's trailers have offered additional glimpses of Downey's villain with a completely different mask and costume. Additionally, Avengers: Endgame Encore and one of its new post-credits scenes saw Doom forging a completely different mask than the one seen previously.

Across these appearances, Doom's masks and costumes haven't been entirely identical. On the one hand, this could be reflecting the passage of time and different stages of Doctor Doom's life. However, the multiverse offers more significant alternative explanations that should also be considered. What if these appearances aren't showing the same Doom at different points in time, but instead various variants of Victor who are possibly allied together, not unlike the Council of Kangs?

At the time of writing, there hasn't yet been any confirmation from Marvel Studios, and multiple costumes alone aren't enough evidence to suggest multiple Doom variants. However, it still feels worth talking about, especially when you remember that RDJ was first announced as Doctor Doom at SDCC amid a whole legion of masked Doctor Dooms.

Will There Be More Than One Variant of Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday?

The real question is whether Avengers: Doomsday will feature multiple Doctor Doom variants or keep Downey's version as the sole central antagonist. Marvel's comics provide plenty of inspiration for the former possibility, including stories involving the Council of Reeds and the multiverse-spanning conflicts of 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars. A Parliament of Dooms would be a different concept, but the idea of multiple versions of the same brilliant, power-hungry villain working together—or fighting over supremacy—could fit the Multiverse Saga perfectly.

Another possibility is that Downey's Doom could take control of other variants rather than simply recruiting them. After all, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness established dreamwalking as a way to possess alternate variants of oneself, with Wanda Maximoff's Scarlet Witch using the ability to inhabit another Wanda's body. Strange also confronted the consequences of variants pursuing their own goals across realities. Doom could conceivably exploit similar multiversal mechanics to manipulate alternate versions of himself, although there's no evidence that he will use dreamwalking specifically (yet).

That approach would also give Marvel a way to preserve the scale of the original Kang storyline. Rather than having countless Kangs threaten the multiverse, a single Doom could potentially command multiple versions of himself, turning the villain into a multiversal army of one. It would also reinforce Doom's defining arrogance: why would he trust anyone else to rule reality when he could make sure every version of himself answers to him?

For the time being, these simply remain theories, not confirmed plot details for Avengers: Doomsday. Marvel may simply be showing Doom's evolving armor, and Doomsday could indeed be focused entirely on one version of the character seeking to bring "balance" to the multiverse. However, with the Council of Kangs still unresolved and the Multiverse Saga approaching its conclusion, I wouldn't be surprised if Marvel Studios perhaps found a way to repurpose some of its abandoned Kang the Conqueror plans for the MCU's new Doctor Doom.

If that happens, it would mean that Marvel Studios is attempting to turn one of its biggest course corrections into a new advantage. Kang's story may have been cancelled, but the multiversal threat he represented may have been reworked for Doctor Doom in more ways than one.

Avengers: Doomsday releases in theaters on December 18th from Marvel Studios.

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  Victor von Doom

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  Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic

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  Thor

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  Vanessa Kirby

  Sue Storm / Invisible Woman

Avengers: Doomsday is the fifth Avengers film and kicks off Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A stacked cast of heroes both new and old to the MCU — including members of the X-Men — will face off against Victor von Doom, revealed at San Diego Comic-Con in 2024 to be played by a returning Robert Downey Jr.