Avengers: Doomsday will reportedly copy one character strategy used by Avengers: Infinity War in 2018. The fifth Avengers film is currently in production in the UK and is bringing back over 25 different Marvel actors and characters. While the Avengers team has had different leaders throughout the MCU, the films have stayed away from labelling any one hero the "lead" of an Avengers film, and typically share screentime equally among its main characters.
In Avengers: Infinity War, the number of heroes sharing the screen expanded as all the characters from the Infinity Saga joined to face their biggest threat. However, one character who received a significant character arc and share of the screentime was the villain, Thanos (Josh Brolin). That mentality of having the piece's antagonist serve as the Avengers film's main character is reportedly carrying over into Avengers: Doomsday. The Cosmic Circus's Alex Perez reported during a Q&A that Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom is "the main character or 'hero' for Avengers: Doomsday," likening it to "the same way Josh Brolin's Thanos was the main character of Avengers: Infinity War."
Robert Downey Jr.'s casting as Doctor Doom was the announcement that stole San Diego Comic-Con in 2024. Fans and cast members alike were surprised to learn that the Iron Man actor would be returning to the MCU, this time as a villain. Victor von Doom has yet to be introduced in an MCU film (aside from a slight tease at the end of The Fantastic Four: First Steps), meaning Avengers: Doomsday has a lot of groundwork to cover to introduce its new major villain. With Perez hinting at Doctor Doom as a main character in Avengers: Doomsday, it seems the Russo Brothers are preparing to employ the same tactics that worked in their past Avengers films for this new one as well.
Avengers: Doomsday will also feature original Avengers cast members Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier), and over two dozen others. The film is the first of a two-part finale to the Multiverse Saga, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. Avengers: Doomsday will be released on December 18, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on December 17, 2027.
Doctor Doom Needs the Thanos Treatment in Avengers 5
The decision to reportedly treat Victor von Doom as the main character of Avengers: Doomsday, and essentially give him the Thanos treatment, is a smart one, particularly considering Downey Jr.'s character hasn't been introduced on-screen before this.
Throughout the Infinity Saga, Thanos was glimpsed and teased as the villain orchestrating several of the main challenges that the Avengers faced over those years. However, this same treatment was not given to Doctor Doom in the Multiverse Saga, mainly because the decision to make him the overarching villain was last-minute.
For a long time, Kang the Conqueror was seemingly the big villain of the Multiverse Saga, with audiences meeting Jonathan Majors' character and his variants in Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, before his intended big villain arc in Avengers 5 (previously titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty). This decision was later altered to omit Kang and feature Doctor Doom instead.
This late change has meant Doctor Doom has lost any lead-up to his introduction in Avengers 5. Doctor Doom is the most significant new character cast in Avengers: Doomsday, and as he is one of the few who audiences haven't met before, it makes sense that he would be prioritised as the "hero" of the movie, particularly if the Russos wish to make him a complex and empathetic villain like they did with Thanos.
