Avengers: Doomsday will focus on Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom, but before the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie arrives in theaters, it seems like the studio has already confirmed that the villain defeated Thanos. Many of the best MCU movies come from the Infinity Saga. It is widely known that Marvel was at the top of its game, box office-wise and in scope.

Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame are the two biggest movies the MCU has had thus far, and they showcased how Thanos was the perfect villain to serve as the reason why heroes from all over the franchise had to band together. The combined might of the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and more was not even able to defeat Thanos at first.

It took time travel for the heroes to finally undo the Mad тιтan’s actions and defeat Thanos. That was accomplished by Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man. Now, the actor returns to the MCU’s upcoming Avengers movies not as their main hero, but as Doctor Doom, their villain. While that is a major change, it seems like Downey continues to leave Thanos in the dust.

Avengers: Doomsday’s Lightshow Secretly Shows Doctor Doom’s Greatest Victory

Although Marvel has become known for keeping story elements and castings a secret for as long as possible, with MCU actors always noting the franchise’s secretive nature in interviews, Marvel Studios has been especially тιԍнт-lipped when it comes to the next Avengers movie’s story. Until recently, the only official peek at Downey’s Doctor Doom had been in The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ post-credits scene.

There, the character’s costume was revealed, though key details were hidden by shadows. Now, Marvel has released a new official look at Downey’s Doctor Doom before he takes over the big screen in Avengers: Doomsday. The reveal came through a light show for the next Avengers movie at the Walt Disney Studios Marketing Expo in Shanghai (via Culture Crave/X), which included a major surprise.

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The Avengers: Doomsday light show goes on for a few minutes, showing MCU team logos, Doctor Doom sitting on a throne, and more. However, its biggest moment is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it scene. The light show flickers with several Doctor Doom images in rapid succession, which include a moment taken from the pages of the comics, precisely Doom killing Thanos in Secret Wars.

In Marvel Comics, the all-powerful God Emperor Doom easily kills Thanos by just ripping his spine right out of him. As can be seen in the Avengers: Doomsday light show, Doctor Doom’s silhouette, with the villain holding someone’s skeleton, including their skull, is a clear nod to Doom killing Thanos in the comics. This teases that the MCU’s Doom has done the same.

Does Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday Image Hint At Doctor Doom’s MCU Origin?

While Doctor Doom killing Thanos in the MCU might be the biggest surprise out of the Avengers: Doomsday light show, it is not the only one. It appears as though Marvel Studios could be making the fans’ biggest theory about the MCU Doctor Doom’s origin true. After Robert Downey Jr. was cast as Victor von Doom, Iron Man theories started.

Given that the actor was the face of the MCU for over a decade as Tony Stark, and with the multiverse allowing for many stories about variants of a character, the theory that Doctor Doom would be revealed as an Iron Man variant in Avengers: Doomsday started to gain strength. Well, while it is not confirmed, the light show might have teased just that.

In the same sH๏τ where Doctor Doom can be seen with Thanos’ spine, it looks like the MCU villain could be wearing Iron Man’s armor, given what appears to be a repulsor beam in one hand and reddish armor. While Iron Man eventually killed Thanos in the MCU, that ended with his death in Avengers: Endgame.

Before that, he lost in a direct fight in Avengers: Infinity War. If Downey’s Doctor Doom is truly wearing Iron Man armor in the Avengers: Doomsday light show, it would be possible for the character to be a version of the MCU hero who actually defeated Thanos when they first fought. That would create a clear divide between the two characters.

The MCU’s Doctor Doom Is Officially Far More Powerful Than Thanos

Whether Doctor Doom is connected to Iron Man or not might remain to be seen in the MCU. However, what the new Avengers: Doomsday light show makes certain is the fact that Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom is stronger than Josh Brolin’s Thanos. After all, if he had the power to simply remove Thanos’ spine, the Mad тιтan was no match for Doom.

If Thanos won against the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and more MCU heroes and was still easily killed by Doctor Doom, then that shows why Marvel is adding so many teams to Avengers: Doomsday, including the likes of Fox’s original X-Men. The MCU is making sure Doctor Doom feels worthy of the Multiverse Saga’s main villain role.

As Marvel had to drop its Kang the Conqueror storyline late into planning, the studio has to hit the ground running with Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. By confirming he is more powerful than Thanos, the franchise’s biggest villain thus far, it seems like the MCU is headed in the right direction. More details will be revealed when Avengers: Doomsday‘s trailer eventually releases.