I’m Still Oddly Compelled By These 8 Truly Unhinged Avengers: Doomsday Theories Even Though They’re Absolutely Wild

I’m not surprised that Avengers: Doomsday theories have been running rampant in MCU fan communities online recently, but I find several to be particularly convincing, despite how wild they are. Although it is still largely shrouded in mystery, recent announcements have confirmed several cast members for Avengers: Doomsday, several months after it was revealed that Robert Downey Jr. would be portraying the тιтular arch-villain, Doctor Doom. These developments have offered ample information with which to formulate some incredible theories about what might transpire.

The surprise Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement confirmed that the movie would star the тιтular Avengers, the New Avengers, mutants from Fox’s X-Men franchise, and the Fantastic Four, who are due to make their MCU debut in July’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. This already promises to make it one of the most consequential installments of the MCU, which is reflected in many Avengers: Doomsday theories. Even if not all the following examples are vindicated when Avengers: Doomsday releases, I hope that at least one or two come to fruition.

8

Harley Keener Becomes The MCU’s Doctor Doom

One Theory Suggests Harley Keener Will Follow A Similar But Darker Path To His Mentor

Harley Keener debuted in Iron Man 3 as the тιтular hero’s unexpected protégé after Iron Man stumbled upon Harley’s home, and briefly appeared in Avengers: Endgame while paying his respects at Tony’s funeral. This theory helps to continue Harley’s MCU story in the most sinister way, by having him use the tech that Tony Stark left behind to follow in his footsteps, only down a much darker path. As for how Harley Keener would wind up looking identical to his late mentor, I can imagine Keener developing some kind of material or tech to make him resemble Tony Stark.

This leans into the glaring similarities between Doctor Doom and Iron Man while fleshing out Harley Keener’s arc. The fact that Doom is somehow tied to the MCU’s Iron Man is inescapable now that RDJ is portraying the character, and I can see this being a poignant and tidy way of tying Doom’s arc to Tony’s. It’s certainly farfetched, but it isn’t as if Marvel Studios is averse to significantly altering traditional origin stories in the MCU, and it’s fair to say that Doctor Doom’s comic book origins will probably be changed somewhat.

7

Avengers: Doomsday Also Adapts Marvel’s Secret Empire Story

Steve Rogers Could Return As The Villainous Hydra Supreme

Another habit of Marvel is to mesh two or more comic book stories into one. This theory elaborates on the possibility that Chris Evans will follow RDJ’s lead and return as a villainous Steve Rogers in a dark subversion of their MCU legacies in Avengers: Doomsday. In the comics “Avengers: Standoff!” and “Secret Empire,” Steve Rogers’ memory is manipulated by the Red Skull and the sentient Cosmic Cube (which became the Tesseract in the MCU), Kobic, into recalling himself to be a Hydra sleeper agent, culminating in him adopting the Hydra Supreme mantle and attempting to bring about Hydra’s global domination.

A simpler version of this theory suggests that a Hydra Supreme Steve Rogers will come from another universe as a variant.

I like the idea that Red Skull has been sitting on this plan for all the years he has spent on Vormir. He is already intimately connected with at least one of the Infinity Stones, and a little narrative magic is all it takes for him to imbue these new memories in Steve when they are reacquainted during Steve’s mission to return the Infinity Stones. It would additionally deliver the elaboration for which fans have been clamoring about Steve’s mission and his activities since Avengers: Endgame.

6

Avengers: Doomsday Will Be An X-Men Vs Avengers Movie

If Both Teams Fight For Survival, They Could Be Pitted Against One Another

In Marvel Comics, the Avengers and X-Men don’t always see eye-to-eye, despite both being superhero teams. Given Avengers: Doomsday is already confirmed to star both groups, this theory suggests that Marvel Studios is about to adapt a version of this recurring match-up. The groundwork has already been laid for why they would come to blows, given that incursions could threaten both their universes and force them to fight to save their own.

While it would be heartbreaking to see both iconic teams fight one another, especially if there are casualties, there’s no denying that it would be a spectacle.

The Captain America: Brave New World post-credits scene fueled this theory when the Leader spoke to Sam Wilson about the threat of “the others,” specifically referring to them as heroes. While it would be heartbreaking to see both iconic teams fight one another, especially if there are casualties, there’s no denying that it would be a spectacle. It would also hammer home the desperation of the surrounding circumstances, with both teams now forced to make impossible decisions for the sake of survival.

5

Doctor Doom Kills The Avengers

Doctor Doom Could Kill Variant Avengers To Establish His Power

Avengers: Infinity War ended with Thanos’ victory over the Avengers, and this has led many to believe that Avengers: Doomsday, the Multiverse Saga’s own penultimate Avengers movie, will follow suit. It’s hard to see how Doctor Doom could outshine killing half of the universe (and many Avengers along with it), but wiping out the Avengers would certainly pack a punch. That’s why this theory suggests that Avengers: Doomsday will open with Doctor Doom’s mᴀssacre of Avengers like Spider-Man, Thor, and Doctor Strange, only for it to be revealed that these were the Avengers of another universe.

There’s a lot to like about this theory. It would immediately establish Doctor Doom’s threat levels while spotlighting the multiverse, as it is hard to imagine why Earth-616’s Avengers would inherently fare better than those in other universes. At the same time, it shields the team from having their character arcs obliterated while also going some way to deliver the same shock value as Thanos’ Snap in Avengers: Infinity War. Then again, with many suspecting that Doom will succeed in becoming God Emperor in Avengers: Secret Wars, I don’t expect all the Avengers to come out unscathed.

4

Tony Stark Is A Doctor Doom Variant (Not The Other Way Around)

Tony Stark Might Have Been Adopted In The MCU

When Robert Downey Jr. was announced to be portraying Doctor Doom in the Multiverse Saga, reactions were mixed. The prevailing (and entirely reasonable) theory is that the MCU’s Doctor Doom will be a variant of Tony Stark, which is the simplest way of explaining why the two characters look identical. Another popular theory, however, suggests that it is the other way around, and that Tony Stark was always a variant of Victor von Doom, thereby preserving Doom’s more sacrosanct origins in Marvel Comics.

While this admittedly risks undermining Tony Stark’s MCU legacy, I have faith that Marvel can tactfully reveal this truth.

This fits with Marvel Comics precedent, after all, because Tony Stark is adopted. This was never adapted into the MCU, but Marvel hasn’t written itself into a corner, either. Leaning into this comic-accurate portrayal of Tony Stark could explain how Doom and Stark share the “same task,” as they are technically the same person, except one grew up to be Victor Von Doom, King of Latveria, and the other was adopted by an American family. While this admittedly risks undermining Tony Stark’s MCU legacy, I have faith that Marvel can tactfully reveal this truth.

3

Doctor Doom Mᴀssacres The Council Of Kangs

It Could Effectively Tie Up This Loose End

Avengers: Doomsday was officially revealed as the тιтle of Avengers 5 after it had been initially marketed as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, which had been directly set up by the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania post-credits scene featuring the Council of Kangs. This theory addresses how Marvel Studios intends to tackle this unfortunate narrative obstacle, as supplanting the Council of Kangs with Doom means the former will need to be somehow retconned. According to this theory, all it would take is to have Avengers: Doomsday open with Doom laying waste to the Council of Kangs in short order.

Like with Doom killing Avengers variants, this would immediately help to establish Doom’s power levels. After years of building Kang up to be an Avengers-level threat, having the new big bad of the franchise destroy thousands of his variants would immediately justify why the Avengers, New Avengers, X-Men, and Wakandans would need to rally together against this particular threat. It would also feel like a tongue-in-cheek nod to the audience, as the controversies surrounding Kang are swiftly dealt with in one fell swoop in-universe.

2

The Avengers Fight Themselves

Two Teams Of Avengers Are Already Antagonistic Towards Each Other

Sam Wilson and New Avengers Poster Custom MCU Image — Custom Image by Kevin Erdmann

Warning! This entry contains SPOILERS for Thunderbolts*Thunderbolts* finally explained the conspicuous asterisk in its тιтle at the end of the movie, when Valentina Allegra de Fontaine announced the team to be the New Avengers. The Thunderbolts* post-credits scene then depicted a 14-month time-jump in which the New Avengers were well-established but also at loggerheads with Sam Wilson and his team of Avengers, with Wilson litigating against the newer team. This suggests that their relationship is fraught, which could culminate in a full-on brawl between the Avengers teams in Avengers: Doomsday.

Another theory suggests that the Avengers might fight themselves more literally as they go up against variants from alternate universes.

I don’t expect this to be as consequential as the fight in Captain America, but it would be entertaining to see this breakdown in allegiances play out again. This would additionally help to increase the stakes in the fight against Doctor Doom, as Avengers: Infinity War already proved that a fractured team of superheroes provides a significant opening for the arch-villain to exploit and ultimately emerge victorious. After all, it is hard to see how even Doctor Doom could hope to fare against a тιԍнт-knit team comprising such immensely powerful MCU heroes as Sentry, Captain Marvel, and Doctor Strange.

1

Doctor Doom Dreamwalks Into Tony Stark’s Corpse

Doctor Doom Might Find A Reason To Use This Method Introduced In Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was one of the most consequential movies in the Multiverse Saga as it elaborated on the implications of the multiverse and incursions. It also introduced dreamwalking, a method through which powerful magic users can occupy the bodies of their variants through dreams. Whether that body is alive is irrelevant, as Doctor Strange himself dreamwalks into his own corpse to face down the Scarlet Witch in the movie’s final act. This theory, therefore, suggests that Doctor Doom will do the same with Earth-616’s Tony Stark.

This would be a morbid route for the MCU to take, but it immediately helps to explain why Robert Downey Jr. is returning as Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. I’m also won over by the fact that it capitalizes on a previously established MacGuffin, helping to tie an otherwise quite disparate Multiverse Saga together. Depending on the stage of decomposition that Tony Stark’s body is in, it could also give Doom a reason to wear his iconic mask even when occupying another person’s body.