Summary
Avengers: Secret Warsmay have to replace Kang because of Jonathan Majors' exit, and one Marvel fan outlined the best method for replacing Kang with Doctor Doom as the central villain.
Reports onAvengers:Secret Warsclaim that even before Majors' legal troubles, the studio was already making moves to minimize the Kang character due to the underperformance ofAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniaat the box office. With doubts about Kang’s future viability, Marvel Studios is now getting a new title for their 2026Avengersfilm to remove his name from it. This massive shift leaves questions about who couldreplace Kang as theAvengersvillainof the Multiverse Saga.
A Reddit user by the handle ofScarletSpiderForeverstarted a discussion thread asking how the MCU could potentially bring in Doctor Doom as the main antagonist forthe upcomingAvengers: Secret Warsstoryline. The user explained that with Doctor Doom not yet introduced in the MCU despite Phase 5 already underway, the films would need to properly establish his background and importance in a way that matches his complexity in the comics. ScarletSpiderForever suggested quickly giving Doctor Doom a solo origin film as one possibility, arguing he is one of the few villains who could carry an entire movie himself. Another idea they proposed was to retroactively insert Doctor Doom into past MCU events to make it seem like he had been a hidden mastermind manipulating things all along. This could help better set him up as the next big threat similar to how Mysterio was handled.
Another Redditor named shaggycal proposed showing that Doctor Doom was present in Sokovia during the events ofAvengers: Age of Ultron, which inspires him to gain more knowledge to protect his home country of Latveria. On this journey, he becomes apprenticed to Mordo for a time before breaking away and gathering mystical powers during the Blip. AfterEndgame, Doctor Doom uses his advanced science and magic to build an empire in Latveria. But experiments with time travel technology accidentally send him back to 1960s New York, whereDoctor Doom crosses paths with The Fantastic Four. This potential background story could nicely establish Doctor Doom’s motivations while linking him to key past events in the Infinity Saga.
It is clear Marvel Studios now faces major story implications with the need tominimize Kang after Majors' exitgoing forward. While Doctor Doom has the potential to fill the void as the next prominent adversary inAvengers: Secret Wars, introducing him smoothly this late in the Multiverse Saga poses challenges. One fresh scenario not yet suggested would be establishing that Doctor Doom was an ally of T’Challa in secret Wakandan outreach to Latveria. After T’Challa’s death, Doctor Doom offers tech aid to Shuri which enables his quiet infiltration. Once embedded, he instigates a coup from within. Alternatively, Doctor Doom could be woven into the Quantum Realm storylines by revealing he helped create key technologies like the Quantum Tunnel. When Scott Lang interacts with his variant inQuantumania, it alerts Doctor Doom monitors through the multiverse. This prompts Doctor Doom’s incursion into the prime reality.
Introducing him suddenly as the puppet master of the Thunderbolts could also surprise audiences. Each of these routes could successfully position Doctor Doom for the long game while explaining his absence up to this point. If written as a menacing mastermind with conviction in his cause, Victor Von Doom could challenge Earth’s heroes in complex ideological ways Thanos never could.
Avengers: Secret Warsis scheduled to be released on June 24, 2025.
The Avengers
The Avengers is a group of comic book characters consisting of some of the world’s most iconic superheroes, such as The Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor.The Avengers have been a powerful force in Hollywood for over a decade now, ollectively and individually. The group has also starred in video games, such as LEGO Marvel’s Avengers and Marvel’s Avengers by Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix.
