Marvel confirmed that Avengers: Doomsday’s wider narrative setup will revolve around an unexpected central figure, and it’s not Victor von Doom. Instead, a longtime franchise favorite has been positioned as the connective thread behind Marvel Rivals’ upcoming "Path to Doomsday" event, potentially teasing their role in the Multiverse Saga’s culmination.
According to a D23 Q&A with Marvel Rivals executive producer Danny Koo, Loki will serve as the narrative anchor for the game’s evolving storyline. The developer confirmed that their version of the God of Mischief is essential, placing him at the heart of a crossover narrative that directly feeds into the larger Doomsday buildup. This reveal is significant because it reframes expectations; Doctor Doom may be the looming threat, but Loki is the one pulling narrative strings.
Koo’s comments make one thing clear: Loki isn’t just another playable character in Marvel Rivals. He’s actively shaping the game’s narrative:
“Loki is the center of it… he will be the key character that’s going to link all these events together.”
That’s a massive statement, especially in a storyline that fans assumed would be dominated by Doom. Instead, Marvel is doubling down on Loki’s multiversal importance, continuing the character’s evolution from unpredictable villain to cosmic-level omniscience.
This approach aligns with the trickster god's (Tom Hiddleston) trajectory in the MCU, where his involvement with alternate timelines, variants, and the Multiverse's fragility already positioned him as a pivotal figure in the MCU's future. By translating that importance into Marvel Rivals, Marvel may be creating an environment in which games and films reinforce each other’s stakes.
It also suggests that Loki may have knowledge, influence, or even responsibility tied to the events leading up to Avengers: Doomsday. Whether he’s trying to prevent catastrophe or inadvertently causing it remains unclear, but his role as the “link” implies he’s involved at every level of the conflict.
On paper, Doctor Doom, played in the MCU by Iron Man actor Robert Downey, Jr., seems like the obvious centerpiece of anything titled Avengers: Doomsday. But Marvel’s decision to spotlight Loki speaks to a more layered storytelling strategy.
By placing Loki at the center, Marvel is ensuring that the story isn’t a rehash of Avengers: Infinity War, a story that largely follows a villain’s quest for power as he achieves his ultimate goal. It becomes about the unraveling of reality itself, seen through a character who understands the Multiverse better than almost anyone.
Post-Avengers: Endgame, Loki has lived through timeline collapses, encountered multiple variants of himself, and even taken on a role that directly impacts the structure of reality. That makes him uniquely qualified to guide audiences through the chaos of what’s coming.
While Loki may be the connective tissue, at least on the gaming side of Marvel, Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday is expected to feature a massive ensemble of characters who will carry the emotional and physical weight of the story.
Steve Rogers’ (Chris Evans) long-awaited MCU return, seven years after his last appearance in Avengers: Endgame, will carry emotional weight for himself and those around him. With his child with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) seemingly playing a vital role in the film, it’s likely Doomsday will feature Rogers’ most personal mission yet.
Steve's return will likely make waves among those who fought alongside him in the Infinity Saga and see a power dynamic shift now that Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) carries the star-spangled shield. And though Rogers’ relationship with Tony Stark was tenuous at best, seeing the greatest threat he’s ever faced sport his former frenemy’s face is sure to be an emotional gut punch.
Like Steve Rogers, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is now a parent, having adopted Gorr the God Butcher’s (Christian Bale) daughter, Love (India Hemsworth), in Thor: Love and Thunder. If Doom is collecting prominent or powerful children to enact his plan in Avengers: Doomsday, Love is a prime candidate, which could give Thor a similar motivation to Steve in his fight against the supervillain.
Thor also has not seen or heard from his adopted brother Loki in the present day since the original Loki died in the opening scene of Avengers: Infinity War, so Loki’s reappearance as the God of Stories will likely leave Thor feeling relieved, shocked, and confused.
Doctor Doom, of course, still looms large, but as of writing, his motivation and goals remain a mystery. One of Marvel’s most threatening and compelling villains, Doom is almost certainly looking to either cause or prevent a cataclysmic event.
Whether his endgame relies on the power of the children he’s targeting or if their kidnapping is a ploy to reassemble the Avengers for some dastardly purpose, Doom's presence will define the stakes, even if he’s not the narrative POV.
Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) brings the intellectual counterbalance. As Marvel’s premier scientific mind, Reed is the one character who can potentially understand and challenge the mechanics of whatever Multiversal collapse is unfolding.
With Doom kneeling before Reed’s son, Franklin, at the end of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, it’s likely the young Omega-level mutant will play a role in Doom’s plans. Saving his son may conflict with his duties to defeat Doom or prevent the Multiverse’s implosion, echoing the main conflict in the Fantastic Four film.
Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) represents the grounded, human perspective in a story that will undoubtedly spiral into cosmic, multiversal chaos. Her ability to break through Bob's (Lewis Pullman) pain in Thunderbolts while coming to grips with how to handle her own depression may prove crucial in the upcoming conflict.
Yelena's admittedly impressive Black Widow skills are no match for a villain like Doctor Doom, so how she and the other New Avengers deal with him in Avengers: Doomsday remains to be seen.
Shuri (Letitia Wright), the MCU’s current Black Panther, is also Wakanda’s brightest mind, carrying the technological prowess of Wakanda with her as Doomsday unfolds. Having suffered the tragic losses of her brother T’Challa (the late Chadwick Boseman) and mother Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri will likely lean on the current Wakandan king, M’Baku (Winston Duke).
Shuri's sharp mind and mastery of Vibranium make her a force that shouldn’t be underestimated, even in a multiversal conflict, even though a stronger metal connected to the X-Men has arrived on Earth.
Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), last seen in live-action in 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, may hold power that connects more directly to the Multiverse than fans currently realize. Rumored to have played a key role in the now-scrapped Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, it’s likely the martial arts master’s Rings, and their mysterious beacon, will now have direct ties to Doctor Doom.
Shang-Chi is one of the MCU’s more superpowered street-level heroes, with mastery over the Ten Rings, Ta Lo’s Great Protector dragon, and his own dynamic fighting skills. But it’s still hard to imagine that he’d fare well against Marvel’s most iconic supervillain.
