Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are set to shake up the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with the potential to feature evil variants of heroes like Iron Man and Captain America, but it could also be a chance for one of the newest heroes to unveil their dark side.

Marvel movies have come a long way since Iron Man debuted in 2008. Since then, dozens of heroes have debuted, and close to 40 feature films have come out, expanding the world of the MCU. On the heels of the Infinity Saga, Marvel began to explore the multiverse, and the potential for variants in these stories.

Now, the Multiverse Saga is almost at an end – but before it resolves in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, Marvel Studios is chasing one of the most ambitious goals it’s ever faced, as it sets up a story with various heroes and villains from across the Multiverse.

The MCU’s Evil Iron Man & Captain America Theory Seems Very Possible For The Upcoming Avengers Movies

Ever since Loki, the reality of variants in the MCU has been confirmed. The term variants refers to different multiversal versions of a character, who often have minor or major differences. In the case of Loki, many of his variants looked the same, but some were older, younger, a different species, or a different gender, as was the case with Sylvie.

In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Stephen Strange learns about various versions of himself from across the multiverse, and despite his heroic and good nature, many of his variants appear to fall along a darker path. Ultimately, it seems this may also be true for all the other familiar heroes from the MCU.

For instance, Tony Stark started his life as an enтιтled and selfish man whose greatest contributions to society were weapons of mᴀss destruction that were being sold to both sides of a war. As such, it’s conceivable that an evil version of this character exists in another timeline.

Meanwhile, the more noble and courageous Steve Rogers is the epitome of selflessness at the start of his hero’s journey, but according to comics, variants of Steve who joined HYDRA exist. With both of these in mind, the theories that an evil Iron Man and Captain America are set to appear soon do make sense.

This would be jarring and shocking, but it’s also an exciting and compelling way to set up the new generation of heroes, as they overcome evil versions of their idols and old friends who look just like the original leaders of the Avengers.

Vanessa Kirby’s Evil Sue Storm Hopes Are Entirely Possible If The Villain Theory Comes True

If the MCU is to bring in villainous variants, it would stand to reason to also include some newer heroes. With the reality of the multiverse already established, and its mulтιтude of variants having been laid out, Marvel Studios has an opportunity to do some things that they may never get a chance to repeat in future stories.

This is especially interesting given that, according to Vanessa Kirby – who plays The Invisible Woman in The Fantastic Four: First Steps – it’s a dream of hers to explore the darker side of her character, Sue Storm (via Variety).

There’s something about meeting the hardest parts of yourself in Malice that felt extremely poignant to me. I’m really hopeful I might be allowed to be Malice at some point for her.

Malice is a version of Sue Storm that is largely consumed by her own darkness, and gives in to the violent and brutal nature of her abilities. After all, Sue could easily use her force fields in a lethal way, creating bubbles inside her rivals and expanding them to literally obliterate the compeтιтion.

Malice seems like a far cry from the Sue Storm that appeared in First Steps, and her comic book origins suggest that several tragedies and interference from characters like Psycho-Man push Sue over the edge before she becomes this character. As such, adapting a villainous variant may be the only way for the MCU to use this storyline.

Why Having An Evil Sue Storm Would Make Sense For Avengers: Doomsday Or Avengers: Secret Wars

Sue Storm’s full history hasn’t been laid out in the MCU, but her diplomacy, level-headed approach to challenging situations, and her maternal instincts have all been shown in great detail. And, all things considered, it doesn’t feel like this version of Sue is on the verge of blowing her enemies up.

However, the Fantastic Four and Franklin are set to be a pivotal part of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, which suggests the lines between worlds like Earth-616 and Earth-828 may be blurred, and variants from different timelines may end up gathered together.

This all makes sense when considering the likelihood of a Battleworld scenario in the upcoming Avengers movies, where variants of heroes and villains will be forced to compete together and against one another. As such, Kirby may well have her dreams come true, and get a sH๏τ at playing a less noble version of Sue Storm.

This would likely be Malice – following a similar track to what plays out in the comics – but it could also be an original variant created for the film, helping the new age of heroes explore the brightest and darkest sides of themselves ahead of some multiversal reset.

Whatever the situation turns out to be, now is the most appropriate time to introduce these variants of familiar heroes, old and new, before closing the door on the Multiverse Saga. With this in mind, it seems Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are the perfect places for a major spot of villain spectacle before the next saga begins.