Ahead of his pivotal role as the big bad in Avengers: Doomsday, Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom joins an exclusive MCU villain club, signaling his major presence and big-bad energy in the franchise. The MCU introduced a plethora of villains across the Infinity Saga and the Multiverse Saga, and one sign that a villain is a notable threat is the introduction of a second costume in the same film, often signaling the villain's true escalation. The mid-project transformations of these MCU antagonists, such as Ultron's revolving door of armor in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Norman Osborn's upgrades in Spider-Man: No Way Home, turn these villains into unforgettable foes for the heroes (and the audience).
Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom is set to follow the same path in Avengers: Doomsday after Marvel Studios' display at D23 Expo 2026 unveiled the second costume of Doom in the film.
Doom's second costume hints at the dual sides of the Multiverse Saga's big bad, meaning that he will go to extreme lengths to preserve the regal side of his Latverian heritage while still ensuring that his mission to "save" the Multiverse in his own twisted way gets accomplished.
While it is still unknown when Doctor Doom will change costumes in Avengers: Doomsday, Victor's choice of having two distinct suits in the crossover event highlights the dual and manipulative nature of the new MCU villain, establishing that he can choose to unleash his calculating operator side or his unstoppable nature that can withstand the likes of Thor's Stormbreaker.
Doctor Doom's choice of having another second costume makes him part of a formidable lineup of MCU villains who have second (or more) costumes in their respective film appearances, making him the 11th Marvel villain to do so in canon.
Every Major MCU Villain Who Has a Second Costume in One MCU Project
Ultron - Avengers: Age of Ultron
One of the most fascinating examples of an MCU villain who embraced evolution in the same project is James Spader's Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron. As Tony Stark's (and Bruce Banner's) creation, Ultron adapted his creator's tactic of using different armors, but he took the concept further by developing tools to make it faster.
Throughout the film, Ultron cycled through multiple armors, starting with a skeletal prototype and rapidly upgrading to vibranium-infused bodies. Each new shell reflected his growing intelligence, rage, and adaptability. Ultron even made his own Ultron boots to form an army to withstand the Avengers' attack in Sokovia.
In VisionQuest (aka the proper sequel to Avengers: Age of Ultron), Ultron's second form before the vibranium upgrade was briefly featured in the trailer, suggesting that this base form will return in the Multiverse Saga.
Thanos - Avengers: Infinity War/Avengers: Endgame
Thanos has evolved over the last two Avengers movies in the Infinity Saga, as seen in his appearance. Josh Brolin's Mad Titan started with full armor in Avengers: Infinity War before stripping down to a helmetless look in the good chunk of the film as he retrieves the Infinity Stones. Even without his helmet and some of his armor, Thanos was still formidable enough against Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Avengers: Endgame reversed the cycle when it showed a badly beaten Thanos wearing plain clothes at the start of the film before a fully battle-ready armor version of the villain from the 2014 timeline was unleashed in the MCU crossover's final battle.
Erik Killmonger - Black Panther
Erik Killmonger started his villainous journey in 2017's Black Panther as a mercenary wearing standard military gear, using his wit and expertise to pull off elaborate heists alongside Ulysses Klaue and some allies.
After arriving in Wakanda to claim the throne due to his heritage and winning over T'Challa, Killmonger fully transforms, wearing a gold-accented Black Panther suit that turns the nation's sacred symbol into an emphasis on his seriousness and his desire for conquest.
Green Goblin - Spider-Man: No Way Home
Following Doctor Strange's Multiverse-altering spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Willem Dafoe's Norman Osborn initially wore his classic Green Goblin armor and glider to announce his presence at Earth-616.
As the movie progresses, his "other" normal self takes over, and he "rejects" the mask and armor. However, when the Goblin persona fully reasserts control, Osborn upgrades into a modified suit for the climactic battle, complete with refined plating, a hood, goggles, and the same glider.
Electro - Spider-Man: No Way Home
Spider-Man: No Way Home brought back Jamie Foxx's Electro from The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
In the moment when he was introduced, Electro retained his blue corporeal form during his arrival, but he completely shifted to a more comic-accurate yellow-and-black trim with an arc reactor to amplify his powers during the final battle. No Way Home also explained that the different electrical currents in Earth-616 changed his lightning from blue to yellow, altering his powers in a distinct universe.
Darren Cross/Yellowjacket - Ant-Man
2015's Ant-Man introduced Darren Cross as a shady executive of Pym Industries whose hunger for power proved to be his downfall. While he initially appeared as a classic executive villain wearing the usual suit and tie, Cross later donned the Yellowjacket armor in the final battle to counter Ant-Man's shrinking technology.
After being defeated by Ant-Man by transporting Cross into the Quantum Realm, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania confirmed Cross transformed into MODOK and served as one of Kang the Conqueror's minions in the threequel.
Obadiah Stane - Iron Man
Like other notable executive-adjacent MCU villains, Obadiah Stane wore a classic suit and tie to maintain the facade that he remained aligned with Tony Stark as his friend and mentor in the first Iron Man movie. When the lie was exposed, Stane wore the Iron Monger suit in his climactic clash against Stark's Iron Man suit, marking their fight as one of the memorable early showdowns in the Infinity Saga.
Ivan Vanko/Whiplash - Iron Man 2
Ivan Vanko debuted in Iron Man 2 as a man obsessed with revenge against Tony Stark, using a modified whip-based setup to terrorize the leading Avenger during a race in Monaco. Following his arrest, Justin Hammer helped him pay off his debts and started working for him, only to betray him to gather enough resources to build his own Whiplash armor and wreak havoc at the Stark Expo, almost defeating Stark.
Emil Blonsky/Abomination - The Incredible Hulk
In 2008's The Incredible Hulk, Emil Blonsky started as a dangerous special-ops soldier who spearheaded the search and capture of Bruce Banner (Hulk), but failed due to the hero's overwhelming power.
Blonsky managed to get himself an unexpected upgrade by injecting himself with an experimental super-soldier serum, leading to his transformation into the gamma-irradiated Abomination. In the final battle, Abomination and Hulk wreak havoc in Harlem, with the latter standing tall.
Red Skull - Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger introduced Hugo Weaving's Red Skull as a high-ranking Hydra officer who initially concealed his true appearance behind a lifelike human mask and standard military attire. Once the facade was stripped away, Red Skull fully embraced his disfigured identity and the crimson skull that truly defined his terrifying nature.
