Doctor Doom's motivation in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday has been revealed in a new report, and it differs quite significantly from Thanos'. The MCU's current Multiverse Saga will culminate in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, in which Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom will be the prevailing antagonist. Doom takes the reins from Thanos, who presided over the Infinity Saga as the MCU's main villain.
Despite playing similar roles as major overarching MCU villains, there will be significant differences between Doom and Thanos' motivations as antagonists. In the Infinity Saga, Thanos sought the Infinity Stones to wipe out half of all life and restore balance to the universe. He was motivated by the demise of his own planet, Titan, which was brought to devastation and extinction due to resource scarcity. While his means were radical, Thanos' motivations could be seen as justifiable, given his history.
Doctor Doom's motivations in Avengers: Doomsday will be different from Thanos' crusade. Entertainment insider Daniel Richtman reported via his Patreon that Doctor Doom will "be on a revenge quest" in Avengers 5. This corroborates Richtman's previous reports that Doom will have some kind of "vendetta against the Multiverse."
It's unclear exactly what has taken place in Victor von Doom's past to motivate him on this quest for revenge. However, his mission for revenge is in clear contrast to Thanos', who was motivated by a need to save the universe from repeating the fate of his own planet, by any means possible. However, fans shouldn't be too concerned about Doctor Doom's characterization, as reports indicate the antagonist will follow a tried-and-tested Russo Brothers formula, which ensures that all the villains in the director's films have valid motivations to justify their actions.
Avengers: Doomsday will pit Doctor Doom against Earth's mightiest heroes from across the multiverse, with over two dozen Marvel actors reprising their roles. Joe and Anthony Russo return to direct the fifth Avengers film, having previously directed both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame for Marvel. Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to release on December 18, 2026.
Doctor Doom's Quest For Revenge
The confirmation that Doctor Doom will be motivated by revenge in Avengers: Doomsday, and likely have a valid reason for it, still raises the question of what that reason is and why it brings him into conflict with the Avengers.
It seems that Doom's vendetta against the Multiverse may be related to his home universe being destroyed or worse. Many rumors suggest that Multiversal incursions played a role in Avengers: Doomsday. As explained by John Krasinski's Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, incursions occur when "the boundary between two universes erodes, and they collide. Destroying one, or both, entirely."
If an incursion has destroyed this Victor von Doom's Earth, it would provide a valid motivation for the villain to want to put a stop to the Multiverse, ending the thing that ruined his life. However, destroying the Multiverse would naturally put Doom at odds with the likes of the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four, who all exist on different Earths, and would be invested in keeping their homes safe.
Adding to Doctor Doom's plan is his interest in Franklin Richards, the superpowered baby of Reed and Sue, who may possess powers beyond any seen in the MCU so far. With Franklin's powers in his control, it might give Doom the ability to reverse what happened to his universe (at a cost) - or end the Multiverse altogether - depending on where his motivation for revenge leads him.
