Doctor Doom's MCU debut may be coming sooner than expected due to behind-the-scenes controversy.
Since acquiring 21st Century Fox, Disney has had plans to use Marvel characters like the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and Doctor Doom within the MCU.
A Fantastic Four film is slated to release in 2025 (directed by Matt Shakman) and the live-action X-Men are in future plans, but it's unclear when Victor von Doom could begin wreaking havoc on the MCU.
Finally, following a barrage of rumors back in 2022, Doctor Doom may be playing an even bigger role than initially expected within the MCU.
Doctor Doom May Replace Kang
Due to Jonathan Majors' domestic violence charges which have yet to be resolved, Marvel Studios may introduce Doctor Doom to replace Kang the Conqueror, according to Variety.
The situation won't be easy, as the outlet reported that the Loki Season 2 finale will re-emphasize Kang as the MCU's next world-ending threat.
While there were rumors swirling prior to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Doctor Doom didn't appear in the film. But the Doomwar storyline from the comics was hinted at.
Part of the reason Doom wasn't in the film was due to the character's "baggage" of having several iterations appear in live-action Fantastic Four films over the past 20 years.
However, Marvel's hand may soon be forced to pivot away from Kang and quickly re-introduce a new Doctor Doom to fill the void of the MCU's ultimate adversary.
How Should Marvel Handle the Jonathan Majors Situation?
Based on the Variety article, Marvel Studios is most likely going to either re-cast Jonathan Majors or write in a way to re-direct the MCU away from Kang and his many Variants.
There is a lot of potential as the Multiverse story opens up all kinds of possibilities, including an easy way to explain a re-cast or quickly introduce a universe-altering villain.
It's hard to imagine Marvel Studios making a sharp turn away from Kang as he has been set up since Loki Season 1 and is expected to have an Avengers film named after himself.
As reported by Variety, the studios may also be considering a new big bad because Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (which heavily featured Majors as Kang) wasn't a critical or commercial success. The problem is this is the Multiverse Saga, and Kang has been a critical part of that storytelling.
Navigating this mess won't be easy, but it may not be time to completely move away from a villain that's not been set up for over two years. If Doctor Doom does get introduced, it may be wise to position him as a bigger threat for a later story, possibly in Phase 7 and beyond during a new saga.
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