The MCU would be pretty boring if every hero were available for every potential world-ending disaster. Superhero movies work best when the chips are down. And they seem especially out of reach in Avengers: Doomsday. Marvel Studios' next team-up movie doesn't feature all the heavyweights the MCU has at its disposal. In fact, arguably the franchise's strongest hero, Captain Marvel, is sitting this one out, albeit for a good reason.
Carol Danvers was a pilot for the United States Air Force who was exposed to the Space Stone's energy, turning into a cosmic being capable of incredible feats. She spent a few decades cleaning up messes in the cosmos before returning to Earth upon Nick Fury's request following Thanos' Snap.
Captain America and Co. welcomed her with open arms in Avengers: Endgame, and she made facing off against the Mad Titan a second time seem far less daunting. After Thor went for the head, though, Carol returned to the stars, believing that Earth had enough mighty heroes to protect it while other planets weren't so lucky. That explanation was easy to buy, but it felt convenient because it meant she wasn't around for the Time Heist or when the titular team started fighting variant Thanos and his army.
It's no secret that Captain Marvel is overpowered. Both of her solo movies found ways to mess with her abilities and put her on an even playing field with her enemies. However, the powers that be can't use that trick every time, which is why they cut her out of most of Endgame. All these years later, Doomsday plans to give her basically the same treatment.
The Marvels made it seem like Captain Marvel would have a major role in Doomsday when it sent Monica Rambeau to another reality with its own X-Men team. Kevin Feige and Co. must've had second thoughts because they kept Carol out of the film, and Monica as well.
A lot is riding on Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, so giving him a fight he can't handle right out of the gate wouldn't be the best course of action for Marvel Studios. Instead, it can avoid unleashing Carol's Binary form on a version of Doom that's still amassing power in Doomsday and set the stage for a more even fight down the line.
Captain Marvel's Big Moment Can Come in Avengers: Secret Wars
As Sue Storm explained in the Doomsday trailer, Victor von Doom used to be a productive member of society before a tragedy befell him. The Fantastic Four had no reason to see him as a threat, so clearly he's a bit of a late bloomer in the villain game. If the plan is for everyone to trust Doom at first, he must be buying his time until he can acquire what he needs to rewrite the multiverse.
Once everything is in place, he'll drop the facade and teach the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Men a lesson they won't soon forget. That's going to give him the opening he needs to create Battleworld, like his comic book counterpart, and make sure all of existence answers to him.
The only potential wrench in his plan is that the MCU's heroes don't give up easily. In Avengers: Secret Wars, they're sure to fight back in what can only be described as an all-hands-on-deck situation. With the gloves finally off, Captain Marvel will get her chance to rain fire on Doom's stronghold. And the villain better hope he has the right spell up his sleeve because she won't stop until she knows the threat is neutralized and everyone she cares about is safe.
