The Marvel Cinematic Universe is standing on the edge of its next big chapter, with ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ and ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ poised to reintroduce one of the most iconic villains in comic book history, Doctor Victor Von Doom. For long-time Marvel fans, Doom is not just another big bad to be defeated by the end of the movie.
However, the ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ post-credits scene has left some fans worried. The brief glimpse we got of Doom feels cold, stripped of the fiery ego and messy humanity that make him such an enduring and tragic figure. It teases his power, but not his passion.
Doctor Doom Isn’t Just A Simple Supervillain
What separates Doom from every other Marvel antagonist isn’t just his intelligence or power. It’s that he’s a reflection of every hero the MCU has built its empire on. He has a combination of all the things that make the Avengers overpowered. He’s all of them, but twisted by bitterness and a refusal to ever admit fault. That’s what makes Doom human. Beneath the armor and arrogance lies a man who believes the world could be perfect if only everyone else listened to him.
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That flaw, that need to control and to be right, is what made his decades-long rivalry with Reed Richards so iconic. It wasn’t about who had more power or who. When Doom’s experiment went wrong in college, scarring his face and his ego, he didn’t blame himself; he blamed Reed. That single choice defined him. In every confrontation since, Doom isn’t just trying to defeat Reed; he’s trying to prove he’s better.
That’s why the post-credits tease of a stoic, cosmic-focused Doom feels incomplete. Yes, a Doom chasing power beyond worlds is impressive. However, it’s not the Doom who breaks hearts and shakes audiences. His defining tragedy has never been that he wanted to rule the universe. It’s what he wanted to prove one man wrong.
The best villains in the MCU, Killmonger, Loki, and even Thanos, weren’t memorable because of how much destruction they caused. Doctor Doom has the potential to outshine them all. In the comics, Doom’s greatest battles have often been internal. He’s been haunted by his mother’s death, torn between science and sorcery, and tormented by the belief that he could’ve been a hero if not for his pride. That complexity gives him dimension; it makes him terrifying and tragic.
Without Reed Richards, Doom Loses His Soul, Turning Him Into Just Another Big Bad
The MCU has a golden opportunity to give audiences something rare: a villain who isn’t a monster by design, but by choice. The fear is that ‘Avengers: Doomsday‘ might skip over that nuance in favor of a broader, more “epic” interpretation of Doom. If this version of Victor Von Doom is introduced as an emotionless, cosmic-level tyrant focused only on Franklin Richards’ powers, as the post-credits scene suggests, then we lose what makes him unforgettable. We lose his humanity. We lose his pettiness, his pride, his fragility.
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Because at his core, Doom is not defined by his victories, but by his inability to handle defeat. He’s the villain who could have saved the world a hundred times but refuses to unless he’s credited for it. He’s the man who could end suffering but would rather rule the sufferers. That complexity makes him fascinating. It’s the very thing that distinguishes him from one-note world conquerors like Thanos or Kang.
Even in Marvel’s ‘Secret Wars’ comics, which the MCU’s next saga is heavily inspired by, Doom’s final confrontation with Reed Richards isn’t about power. It’s about envy. Reed is the only person Doom ever truly respected, and that respect curdled into hate. Their rivalry is literally intellect versus ego. And it’s precisely this emotional core that the MCU needs right now. Doom can only rescue the MCU if Marvel remembers that beneath the mask lies not just a monster, but a man who can’t let go.
