Many fans are eager to see the iconic Marvel villain Doctor Doom come to the MCU, but his debut received a disappointing update amid the long-awaited casting of The Fantastic Four's leads.
Rumors flared back in 2022 claiming Doctor Doom would have a "very minor" appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. And while these never came to fruition, the Wakandan sequel may have secretly set up for his debut.
Following the firing of Jonathan Majors and backlash to the Kang storyline, there have been calls for Doctor Doom to step up and take over as the main villain of Avengers: Secret Wars and the Multiverse Saga.
Doctor Doom's MCU Debut May Not Be Imminent
A new report from Variety detailing the cast of Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four offered a disappointing update on the MCU debut of Doctor Doom.
The Fantastic Four finally found its cast after years of rumors in Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian), Vanessa Kirby, (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear).
Along with the announcement came the first official key art for the movie, showing off the first look at the official Fantastic Four costumes.
The news came with a Valentine's Day announcement from Marvel Studios, and Variety's coverage of the reveal noted how Victor von Doom, aka Doctor Doom, has currently "yet to be cast."
Doctor Doom is first and foremost known as a Fantastic Four villain, and he appeared in all three of Fox's live-action movies where he was played by Julian McMahon in the 2005 and 2007 movies and Toby Kebbell in the 2015 reboot.
It's unconfirmed if Doctor Doom will appear in The Fantastic Four, but rumors have claimed he will not be the main villain, with those duties falling to Galactus.
Talos actor Ben Mendelsohn recently expressed his desire to be recast in the MCU after Doctor Doom after his Skrull death in Secret Invasion, telling GQ he "would almost give my eyes and teeth" to play the villain:
“I would almost give my eyes and teeth to play Doctor Doom. I think Doctor Doom is the great unread Marvel character that could and should be done.”
Breaking Bad veteran Giancarlo Esposito has also revealed an interest in the role, noting Doctor Doom among the characters he has talked with Marvel Studios about playing.
Other popular fan casts and rumors for the MCU's Doctor Doom have included Peaky Blinders' Cillian Murphy, Doctor Strange's Mads Mikkelsen, Game of Thrones' Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and countless more major actors.
When Will Doctor Doom Make His MCU Debut?
The MCU's Fantastic Four reboot has been through many rewrites under various creatives over recent years. So, even if Galactus was written as the villain as was rumored, it won't be certain if that is still the case for some time.
As the last two live-action adaptations of the Fantastic Four began with Marvel's First Family facing Doctor Doom, it would be refreshing to see the MCU take a different approach and tackle one of the team's other villains.
But as Doctor Doom is so closely entangled with the Fantastic Four and Reed Richards especially, it makes sense for him to be cast alongside the superhero team and to have at least a minor appearance in the movie.
Having now cast Reed Richards in Pedro Pascal, Marvel Studios will have to search for a Doctor Doom who can play off The Last of Us star. The studio will likely also be looking for an actor in a similar age range to the 48-year-old Pascal.
As Variety's report indicates Marvel Studios will be searching for its Victor von Doom for The Fantastic Four, that will likely be where the Latverian ruler makes his MCU debut, even if it only amounts to a post-credits scene cameo.
But those hoping to see Doctor Doom replace Kang the Conqueror as the lead villain of the Multiverse Saga should temper expectations as the studio is reportedly searching for a replacement for Jonathan Majors to push ahead with.
The Fantastic Four hits theaters on July 25, 2025.
