With ‘Avengers: Doomsday‘ still months away, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is once again in its favorite phase: speculation season. Trailers have hinted at huge stakes, old friends, and the imminent arrival of Doctor Doom, now portrayed by Robert Downey Jr.
However, despite all the cosmic imagery and ominous dialogue, Marvel has been oddly deliberate in what it hasn’t explained. Doom’s motivations are unknown, his place in the multiverse is uncertain, and the extent of the impending disaster is hidden well.
‘Doomsday’ Might Turn Marvel’s Youngest Characters Into Its Biggest Stakes
Despite the secrecy, a curious pattern has begun to emerge across the footage we have seen, one that could hint at a darker, more unsettling plan than simple multiversal conquest. Children. Not side characters. Not background details. Super-powered children are put in the forefront in scenes that seem to be emotionally charged and purposeful in their narration. If it’s intentional, as it is nearly always is, ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ can be narrating a much more personal and unsettling Doctor Doom tale than viewers are anticipating.
In case you missed it: ‘Wonder Man’ Could Introduce The MCU’s Most Unlikely Avengers Lineup
Doctor Doom’s interest in Franklin Richards has a long history in Marvel Comics. Franklin, the son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm, is not only powerful but is a reality-warping anomaly who can bend whole universes. Franklin has been hunted, used, and even exploited by Doom on many occasions. When Franklin appears in ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ and interacts with Doom in the MCU, it immediately raises red flags. Such a relationship would be sufficient to imply that Franklin has a significant role in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’.
However, Franklin is not the only child who is attracting attention. In two distinct trailers of ‘Doomsday’, the children of mythical heroes are very visible. One scene show Steve Rogers holding a young child, who is heavily hinted to be his son in a different timeline where he remained in the past with Peggy Carter. In another trailer, Thor is praying to the All-fathers to protect his adopted daughter, Love, who has the power of Eternity.
These are not action beats. They’re intimate, quiet, and emotional moments. Marvel wouldn’t spend this much time on children unless they are significant. Combined, these scenes create a pattern that is difficult to disregard. Franklin Richards. Captain America’s son. Thor’s daughter. Three children, all bound to cosmic-level power, destiny, or legacy, all visually linked to the impending multiversal crisis. This isn’t a coincidence. It’s a setup.
Doctor Doom’s Endgame Might Be Far More Personal Than Expected
Among the most memorable storylines of Doctor Doom in Marvel Comics is his effort to rescue the multiverse. And unsurprisingly, it’s not because he is a selfless person, but because he wants to be the ruler of the multiverse. In ‘Secret Wars’, Doom takes the power of the Beyonders and builds Battleworld, a patchwork planet made out of the fragments of collapsing realities. Being the God Emperor Doom, he keeps order using force because he is sure that only he can save existence.
In case you missed it: ‘Wonder Man’ Could Introduce The MCU’s Most Unlikely Avengers Lineup
The MCU seems to be setting the stage for a similar story, albeit with a contemporary touch. The most recent MCU projects have brought the idea of anchor beings, people whose presence makes their reality more stable. An example is Wolverine, who was shown to be the anchor of Earth-10005, the Fox X-Men universe, which started collapsing when he died in ‘Logan’. This concept leads to a horrifying thought: what will become of anchor beings when they die, and who will choose their successors?
Recent MCU projects have introduced the concept of “anchor beings”, individuals whose existence stabilizes their reality. Rather than having to depend on unpredictable adult heroes, Doom can shift his focus to children who possess enormous, flexible power. Creatures that were capable of holding the universe together, and were molded, or chained, to Doom’s purpose.
Franklin Richards is the perfect example of this. So is Love, whose relation to Eternity suggests power which is beyond mortal understanding. A child born of Captain America’s lineage could theoretically inherit enhanced physiology and symbolic significance strong enough to anchor a reality. And when you begin going down this road, the list grows very fast.
There are already too many super-powered or legacy children in the MCU: T’Challa II, Skaar, Billy and Tommy Maximoff, Cassie Lang, Kamala Khan, Kate Bishop, and even Morgan Stark. Not every one of them has godlike powers, but anchor beings do not always have to be all-powerful. They need to be essential. The act of gathering, hunting, or manipulating such children redefines ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ as something much more evil than a typical crossover event. And it makes the film less of a spectacle and more of a warning.
