10 Things Marvel Needs To Do In Avengers: Doomsday To Get The MCU's Doctor Doom Right

Avengers: Doomsday is shaping up to be Doctor Doom’s long-awaited introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the film would be wise to pay close attention to how they handle the hypeworthy supervillain. For years, Doctor Doom has been one of the most hotly-anticipated Marvel Comics character to be introduced into the MCU, and for good reason. As such an iconic villain, how Marvel Studios handles Doom’s introduction in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday will be critically important for the franchise’s future.

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There are several things the MCU will need to do in order to make Doctor Doom truly work in the setting. Many of them may be hindered by Robert Downey Jr.’s casting as Doctor Doom, which presents several possible pitfalls the franchise will need to be aware of. Hopefully, the MCU can make Doom a critically-successful villain that does his comic counterpart justice, like Thanos, rather than a one-off disappointment like James Spader’s Ultron.

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10 Doctor Doom Should Use A Combination Of Magic And Technology

Doom’s power comes from a wide variety of sources

One of the many failings of the two Fox incarnations of Victor Von Doom are their fundamental misunderstanding of Doom’s powers. In truth, Doom has no inherent superpowers like The Fantastic Four, though the previous Fantastic Four movies have linked him to the same cosmic event that created the superhero team, giving him telekinetic or electrical powers. While Doom’s status as a mastermind and tyrant should be his primary defining characteristics, his own “powers” shouldn’t be so easily explained.

In the comics, Doom uses a combination of magic and technology to fight, giving him a wide array of abilities, including energy projection, telekinesis, flight, and more. Luckily, the MCU has already laid the groundwork for this, introducing both futuristic technology beyond anything that exists in the real world and dizzying magic used by spellcasters and gods alike. Combining the strongest aspects of Iron Man and Doctor Strange, Doom’s powers will be critical for the MCU to accurately portray.

9 MF DOOM Should Be Included On The Avengers: Doomsday Soundtrack

MF DOOM’s importance to the character’s popularity can’t be understated

It’s safe to say that a not insignificant fraction of Doctor Doom’s popularity as a character has been thanks to none other than the late rapper, MF DOOM. The British-American artist and producer was known for styling himself after Doctor Doom, wearing a metal mask and a green hoodie that gave him a similar appearance to the iconic Marvel villain. MF DOOM was fond of using samples in his songs that included Doctor Doom, such as his appearance in the original Spider-Man cartoon.

Daniel Dumile also known as MF DOOM passed away on October 31, 2020

The MCU would be wise to honor MF DOOM’s contribution to Doctor Doom’s legacy by including some of his works as a needle drop in Avengers: Doomsday. In particular, it would be prescient for the famous opening Marvel logo and theme to be replaced with a green-tinted version, with one of MF DOOM’s many amazing tracks replacing the typical swelling orchestra. With so many fitting songs to choose from, including one literally titled Doomsday, the MCU would be foolish not to shell out for MF DOOM on the soundtrack.

8 Reed Richards Should Be Doom’s Archnemesis, Not Spider-Man

Marvel should avoid the temptation to have Spider-Man face his old mentor

One possibility for Robert Downey Jr.’s casting as Doctor Doom is the idea that Doctor Doom is a variant of Iron Man. If this is the case, it would be thematically appropriate for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to serve as Doom’s primary nemesis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, poetically facing an evil version of his late mentor. However, this would completely undermine Doom’s comic character in a way that would leave a poor taste in the mouths of many expectant fans.

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In truth, the Doctor Doom of the comics is defined by his hatred for Reed Richards. The rivalry between Doom and Richards is Marvel’s greatest feud, with Doom even going as far as saving Richards’ daughter solely so he could choose her name and lord over the fact that he alone could save her over Mr. Fantastic for the rest of his life. It would be an utter shame for Marvel to disregard this comic history for the sake of a meta-contextual mentor-to-villain arc that only makes sense due to Robert Downey Jr.’s casting.

7 Deadpool Should Acknowledge Doom’s Controversial Casting

Wade Wilson is the perfect character to address the elephant in the room

Custom image by Simon Gallagher

Speaking of Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU as Doom, the casting decision has not been met with universal praise by a vocal faction of MCU fans. Many fear that Downey’s star power will eclipse Doom’s importance as a villain, whereas others still have taken issue with Robert Downey Jr.’s nearly 100 million dollar price tag Avengers: Doomsday will have to pay for. It would make sense to address these concerns in some capacity, and Deadpool is the perfect mouthpiece for them to do so.

During his official MCU debut in Deadpool & Wolverine, Deadpool certainly wasn’t above using his 4th-wall-breaking sense of humor to take some critical shots at the MCU. From Hugh Jackman’s return as Wolverine to the status of the infamous Blade reboot, no subject is sacred to the Merc with a Mouth. Having Deadpool directly mention the casting controversy would help the MCU establish good faith with those weary of the choice, showing that they’re at least aware of the risks of Robert Downey Jr.’s presence.

6 Doom Should Use A Footdive Attack In One Of His Fight Scenes

For those in the know, seeing a live-action Footdive would be worth the price of admission alone

Perhaps Doctor Doom’s greatest historical presence as a playable character in a video game has been his place on the roster of Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Considered a high-tier character in the beloved tag fighter, Doctor Doom is infamous for his “Footdive” attack, in which he fires himself like a rocket downwards with both feet extended, shouting “Footdive!” at the top of his lungs. Fans of the game are likely to scream the attack’s name alongside Doom during tournaments for Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

This silly, but irreverent aspect of Doom’s pop culture impact should absolutely be included in one of Doom’s inevitable fight scenes in Avengers: Doomsday, even if Doom himself doesn’t call out the move’s name. The recent appearance of Doom in Fortnite was smart enough to include this reference as one of Doom’s attacks, and the MCU should learn from the appreciation that Marvel fans had for seeing the Footdive represented. In live action, a Doom Footdive would be all the more amazing to bear witness to.

5 Doom Should Be The Ruler Of Latveria

Doom deserves to finally have an accurate comic origin

While he is indeed a powerful combatant, Doctor Doom’s true strength as a villain lies in his tyrannical leadership of Latveria, the fictional Eastern European nation within the Marvel Comics universe. Feared by some but beloved by others, Doctor Doom’s status as an internationally powerful war criminal and dictator adds many layers to his villainy. Sadly, previous Fantastic Four films neglected this aspect of Doctor Doom, making him a scientific colleague of Susan Storm or CEO instead.

Marvel has already included two notable fictional nations in its canon, the African superpower Wakanda and Latveria’s sister country in Eastern Europe, Sokovia. The crisis that unfolded in Sokovia during the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron was a catalyst for many events in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, perhaps including Victor Von Doom’s rise to power amid the chaos and confusion of Ultron’s attack. In this way, the MCU already has the perfect staging ground for Latveria to be a meaningful part of Doom’s character.

4 Doom Should Take Out Another Major Marvel Villain

Nothing would sell the threat of Doom better than the sudden death of a fellow supervillain

One thing the MCU will really have to do in Avengers: Doomsday is sell Doctor Doom as a threat worthy of a response from all the Earth’s mightiest heroes, and perhaps even a few from elsewhere in the galaxy, as well. This could at first seem to be a difficult task considering the gradual escalation in supervillains the MCU has seen, from genocidal AI to world-ending Celestials. But there might be no better way to introduce Doom and the threat he poses than to have him kill off another major villain.

In the comics, Doom coldly kills Thanos in a fondly-remembered panel. Sadly, in the MCU, the Avengers have already beaten him to it, meaning that the search for a scapegoat for Doom to prove himself on continues. Kang is the obvious second choice, being already set up as an important crossover villain only to be replaced by Doom. There could be no better way to represent this than to have Doom himself destroy Kang in cold blood before moving on to the Avengers and The Fantastic Four.

3 Marvel Should Keep Doom’s Mask On 95% Of The Time

The MCU will need to resist the temptation to show off Robert Downey Jr.’s face

One of the most pressing concerns with Robert Downey Jr.’s casting as Doctor Doom is the idea that the high-profile star actor will want to have his face on-screen as much as possible. Doctor Doom’s mask is integral to his very being, wearing it due to his own shame of his scarred visage. Interestingly, in some versions, the actual scarring on Victor Von Doom’s face is very minimal, highlighting the prideful aspect of his personality that refuses to allow him to settle for less than perfect in all things.

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Granted, Robert Downey Jr. was fine wearing an Iron Man mask for the vast majority of his action scenes as the character, though the MCU was able to circumvent this with the genius HUD shots taking place from within Tony’s helmet. The same should not be done for Doctor Doom, who should remove his mask in his film appearances incredibly sparingly, if at all. If the MCU refuses to keep Robert Downey Jr.’s face hidden for most of his screentime, then they’ve fundamentally failed at transcribing the character for the movies.

2 Doctor Doom Should Be Accompanied By Doombots

Doctor Doom’s signature invention absolutely must be present

Of Doctor Doom’s wide array of wondrous technological creations, his Doombots might be the single most recognizable tool in his vast arsenal. Essentially, Doombots function as humanoid robots made in Doom’s image, sometimes taking his place for functions he considers beneath him. Doombots’ use cases can range from delicate deception, passing for the real thing, to brute force, filling the ranks of Latveria’s army.

The MCU should have no problem incorporating Doombots into Avengers: Doomsday considering the MCU’s love of climactic final battles with nonhuman armies. The Doombots could work perfectly for such a function, allowing the Avengers to go all-out against hordes of CGI enemies yet again before moving on to the immensely more powerful Doctor Doom. Considering how often Doom has used the Doombots in the comics, it’d be a pity for Marvel Studios to exclude them from Avengers: Doomsday.

1 Doom Should Be The Protagonist Of His Film Just Like Thanos Was

Avengers: Doomsday should live up to its title

One of the best parts of the Infinity Saga, particularly Avengers: Infinity War, was Thanos’ status as the star of the show. In all respects that matter, Thanos was the lead character of Avengers: Infinity War, with the film taking the time to dive deep into his past, personality, and perspective. In this way, the MCU was finally able to craft an overarching villain that felt real, full of conviction, and very nearly sympathetic, standing in stark contrast to the series’ hordes of forgettable one-off antagonists.

In this way, the MCU was finally able to craft an overarching villain that felt real

Because Doom is such an important figure in the Marvel Comics’ canon, he should really be given the same treatment that Thanos had in Avengers: Infinity War. Doom isn’t simply an evil version of a hero that can easily be roped in to another character’s original story — He’s a complex figure with his own motivations, some pure, and some truly villainous. With a name like Avengers: Doomsday, hopefully the MCU has a good understanding of this necessity for Doom’s true MCU introduction.

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