The Russo Brothers will approach Doctor Doom in a similar manner to their previous MCU villains, according to a new rumor. After bringing the Infinity Saga to a close with Avengers: Endgame, the Russo Brothers are back to do the same for Marvel's Multiverse Saga, directing both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. The directors have brought back one of their frequent collaborators, Robert Downey Jr., to play the saga's ultimate villain, Doctor Doom, and Marvel fans can expect the big bad to receive a similar treatment to the antagonists in other Russo Brothers films.
Despite Doctor Doom being the major new character of Avengers: Doomsday, little is known about the character's backstory or motivations. Rumor has it the supervillain will be given a classic Russo Brothers treatment, with notable scooper Alex Perez of the Cosmic Circus revealing in a Q&A that Doctor Doom will be "similar" to other villains from the directors' films. As explained by Perez, the Russo Brothers always ensure their antagonists have "a valid motivation to justify their actions."
This was the case with Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford) in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Baron Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) in Captain America: Civil War, and Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Each villain had recognizable motivations that led them to enact deadly plans in the name of their greater good, which is commonality across the Russo Brothers' Marvel films.
Alex Perez: "The Russos have always had 1 common pattern in most of their MCU films… that pattern being making the antagonists of their films have a valid motivation to justify their actions.
Alexander Pierce in [Captain America] The Winter Soldier believed that if humanity were left unchecked without oversight, chaos would ensue because of free will. That’s why he established Project Insight with HYDRA.
With Baron Zemo in Civil War, his family died in Sokovia during [Avengers] Age of Ultron as a result of the Avengers’ battle with Ultron. So he sought to destroy the Avengers from within by making them fight each other.
With Thanos, he saw overpopulation as the ultimate threat to existence, so he sought out to eliminate half of all life at random to restore balance to the universe."
Perez says this same treatment will be given to Doctor Doom, who will be a man "scorned by incursions" which he wants to "bring an end to by any means necessary:"
Alex Perez: "With Doom, it will be similar. A man scorned by the incursions that are happening across the multiverse, dooming countless realities, and he wants to bring an end to that by any means necessary."
This latest rumor about Marvel's latest big bad aligns with similar leaks that suggest Doctor Doom will have a "vendetta" against the Multiverse. This means the Multiverse will likely be responsible for a tragedy in Doom's life, which will cause him to want to stop that from happening to others. This makes him a sympathetic character, but his methods will likely be the reason that brings him into conflict with the Avengers, particularly as so many of the confirmed characters so far are from different universes, none of whom would want to lose their worlds if the Multiverse were to end.
Avengers: Doomsday is the first Avengers film in the Multiverse Saga and will feature 27+ different actors from across the MCU. It will be released after Spider-Man: Brand New Day next year, on December 18, 2026.
Doctor Doom Needs the Russo Brothers Treatment
The Russo Brothers are tried-and-true veterans in the MCU, responsible for some of the most widely praised and highest-grossing installments in the cinematic universe's history. One factor in their success can be attributed to their in-depth knowledge of not just these comic book heroes but also their villains.
This is something that will be critical to Avengers: Doomsday's success, particularly because this Avengers film is starting on the back foot, in comparison to Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, due to the fact that it will be Doctor Doom's first appearance in the MCU (minus a brief tease in The Fantastic Four: First Steps). In the Infinity Saga, Thanos had been teased as the overarching villain in several films leading up to Infinity War, giving audiences a sense of his character.
In Doctor Doom's case, all of this backstory and motivation must be presented quickly in Avengers: Doomsday, as there's been no buildup due to the mid-saga villain change from Kang the Conqueror. The directors also have the difficult task of reintroducing Downey Jr. as a new character, with whom audiences are so familiar for playing Iron Man in the MCU, meaning there is a lot of groundwork to be laid upfront.
Nonetheless, the Russo Brothers have seen success with their approach to villains in past MCU films, and the hope is that they will work their magic again for Avengers: Doomsday.
