Doctor Doom's traditional backstory is getting a shakeup, according to new rumors regarding Avengers: Doomsday. The notable Marvel comics villain will make his debut in the 2026 Avengers film, with Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU to play Victor von Doom. While many comics fans are already familiar with Doom, Marvel Studios is playing around with his history for his portrayal in the MCU.
Despite four Avengers: Doomsday trailers now being in circulation, Marvel Studios has refrained from revealing much about Downey Jr.'s new character in the MCU. Minus a few images on Avengers: Doomsday crew merch and marketing materials, the iconic villain is still largely a mystery.
One rumor from MyTimeToShineHello reveals several key plot points regarding Doctor Doom's portrayal in the MCU:
"If I understand it correctly, Victor von Doom’s wife and son were killed in an accident, and Victor himself was injured and his body damaged. He traced the cause of the accident to Steve going back in time, and now he’s after him to avenge his family."
This information confirms several differences between Doctor Doom's Avengers: Doomsday and comic book portrayals.
Avengers: Doomsday is Changing Doctor Doom's History
Victor von Doom's Family
One core change to Doom's backstory in Avengers: Doomsday is the reported inclusion of the character's wife and child.
In the comics, Doom is traditionally not depicted as a father or as being married until later, after his introduction. His most notable familial connection is typically to his mother, Cynthia von Doom, a sorceress who passes on her powers to Victor, but who dies when he is young.
Avengers: Doomsday introducing a wife and son for Doom will seemingly serve as the character's main motivation in the MCU, with their deaths putting him on a quest for vengeance that leads him into conflict with the Avengers.
Doom's Scars
Doctor Doom is well-known for wearing a metallic mask to obscure the scars on his face from an explosion in his past.
In Doom's early Marvel Comics appearances, this accident was self-inflicted, with the brilliant inventor devising a machine to communicate with the dead (particularly his mother). Despite being warned about the machine's instability by Reed Richards, Doom went ahead and used it anyway, causing it to explode and scar his face.
In Avengers: Doomsday, this accident will seemingly be a lot more personal. Rumors indicate that Doom's wife and son were killed in the same accident that caused Doom's scars, meaning his disfigurement also serves as a constant reminder of the loss of his family.
Doctor Doom vs Steve Rogers
The third major change to Doom's history is the subject of his plot for vengeance. Steve Rogers' return in Avengers: Doomsday is a highly anticipated element of the new MCU film, but what exactly justifies his return in the plot is still a mystery.
If the latest rumors are true, it will be Steve Rogers and his time-travelling through the Multiverse (which took place in Avengers: Endgame) that leads to the accident that kills Doom's wife and child. This then sets Doom on a hunt for revenge against Rogers.
In the comics, this is shifted slightly, as Doom instead blames his Fantastic Four rival, Reed Richards, for the accident and seeks vengeance against him. As far as audiences know, Richards and Doom haven't interacted in the MCU thus far, although Doom seems to be aware of the power in the Richards lineage, which leads him to steal Franklin at the end of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. While Doom and Reed are still likely to have a rivalry in Avengers: Doomsday, it seems Franklin may be the source of this conflict, rather than their shared history from the comics.
Switching Doom's target to Steve Rogers instead of Reed Richards seems a neater way to tie Doom's altered backstory together and also keep the stakes high, as the Avengers (and audiences) have a higher investment in the previous Captain America.
