MCU fans were finally given the first official poster for Avengers: Doomsday, and some elements of that poster could indicate that one of the most popular fan theories about Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom is entirely correct. Despite Avengers: Doomsday undoubtedly being the biggest MCU movie of all time, little is known about the upcoming film's plot or how all the established MCU characters will fit into the storyline. Many fans have their own theories about the movie's main antagonist, Doctor Doom, and the movie's poster may have secretly confirmed that some of those theories are true.
Multiple teasers for Avengers: Doomsday were released, and with them, fans got to see the movie's logo on a poster for the first time. Like other Avengers movies, the logo features a giant A to symbolize the Avengers, but its background and hidden elements have sent many into a frenzy, wondering what it could mean.
For example, one of the most eyebrow-raising parts of the poster is what sits behind the Avengers' A symbol. Instead of a plain background or a specific color, it appears as though green light is coming through a window. While it is not the exact same design as the window in Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum, it does look eerily similar. Some fans have pointed out that this could indicate Doctor Strange's heavy involvement.
However, more interestingly, the ring that encircles the A in the logo is filled with different runes. The runes have no context, so it is impossible to decipher exactly what they mean or represent, but some that are fairly easy to locate appear to be symbols of a wheel, a comet, a crescent moon, and a bowl with something in it (possibly coals or embers from a fire).
The runes are evenly spaced out all the way around the circle in the Avengers logo. It is worth noting that some runes repeat as they circle the logo, with certain runes appearing two or even three times.
Runes like the ones seen on the Avengers: Doomsday poster are present all throughout the MCU, especially when it comes to magic users. Most notably, characters such as Zelma Stanton, Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch), and Agatha Harkness are closely tied to runes of a similar style.
However, the fact that the runes make a full circle around the Avengers logo could be a dead giveaway that one popular Doomsday fan theory will come true, and it all centers on none other than Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange.
Doctor Strange is a Master of the Mystic Arts in the MCU, and, due to his training, uses magic and spells all the time in the franchise. Most notably, when using magic, Strange is often surrounded by runes similar to those in the Avengers logo.
For example, in Spider-Man: No Way Home, while Strange is casting the spell to make everyone forget that Peter is Spider-Man, many runes appear over his head. They are in a perfect circle, just like in the Doomsday poster.
Even when Strange is casting simple spells or using Eldritch Magic, runes can be seen forming perfect circles. This could indicate that Strange will play a major role in Doomsday and may even be tied to Doctor Doom himself.
The color green is heavily associated with Doctor Doom throughout Marvel Comics, and Doom himself has been known to use and master magic at an extremely high level.
Because Doctor Strange is one of the most effective magic users in the entire MCU, some fans theorized that Strange will help Doom in some way. It does not necessarily mean Strange is switching sides, but it could be another Avengers: Infinity War situation in which Strange understands that the only way to eventually stop Doom is to help him and make him stronger first.
It is also possible that a Variant of Doctor Strange from a different universe is evil and could teach Doom how to use and master magic. Strange's guidance could lead to Doom becoming an extremely powerful sorcerer in the MCU, which would be somewhat ironic.
However, breadcrumbs for an evil version of Strange have already been laid in projects like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In that movie, a Variant of Strange turned evil (Sinister Strange), forcing the MCU version of Stephen to fight an evil version of himself.
Therefore, the Doomsday poster, with a window similar to the Sanctum Sanctorum's and runes all around the Avengers logo, could very well be setting up the idea that Doom and Strange will be connected in some way. However, there is another possibility.
Doctor Doom's Dream Team of Magic Users
It is important to remember that there are plenty of magic users all throughout the franchise. Every single era of the MCU has included magic in some form, and some of the biggest characters in the universe have magical powers and are tied to runes.
For instance, when Wanda Maximoff (aka Scarlet Witch) uses Chaos Magic, certain runes sometimes appear. They usually show up in red instead of green (like on the Doomsday poster), but she is still connected with magical runes.
It is also important to remember that Wanda hasn't been all good during her MCU run. While her intentions may not have necessarily been evil, Wanda has been an antagonist multiple times in the franchise.
There are also Agatha Harkness and Zelma Stanton, who are both extremely powerful magic users. Runes surround each of those characters when performing magic, and in general, so they could also be part of a larger theory regarding Doomsday.
Since all those mentioned characters are strong magic users and are connected to runes, it is also possible that Doom could be assembling a team of sorcerers/sorceresses by pulling evil Variants of those characters from different universes. Zelma Stanton is the only character of the group who has not been depicted as an antagonist, but there must be a universe out there where she is not considered one of the good guys.
Most likely, Doctor Doom is going to be one of the most powerful sorcerers the MCU has seen, if not the most powerful. It would be insane (but not impossible) if he got those abilities and powers because he was taught by the MCU's most formidable magic characters.
