The New Avengers: Doomsday Trailer Doesn't Highlight Doctor Doom’s Greatest Enemy, and That's a Problem

Face front, Marvel fans, due to the fact that we person different look astatine footage from Avengers: Doomsday… well, benignant of. A caller trailer for the much-anticipated MCU sequel debuted astatine CinemaCon 2026, but was lone shown to attendees of Disney’s sheet and hasn’t been released online (yet). Of course, descriptions of the footage from the fortunate fewer who got to spot it person present dispersed crossed the internet, revealing that we yet person our archetypal look astatine Robert Downey, Jr.’s Doctor Doom successful action. Sporting a comic-accurate costume, a (vaguely Slavic) accent, and capable powerfulness to deflect Stormbreaker successful a one-on-one conflict with Thor, fans are clamoring for the trailer to beryllium released publically truthful we tin bask successful the glory of the MCU’s instrumentality connected the sovereign of Latveria.

That said, 1 facet of the caller trailer did springiness maine pause: the information that it doesn’t item Victor von Doom’s top enemy, Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. Mister Fantastic has been Doom’s #1 hostile since their assemblage days, and the rivalry betwixt the brace is 1 of the top hero/villain dynamics successful each of superhero fiction. Yet the CinemaCon trailer alternatively puts astir of its absorption connected Thor, Steve Rogers, and the returning Fox X-Men, with the Fantastic Four not getting large moments according to the footage descriptions. Such a dense accent connected the Avengers-related characters does marque consciousness for a movie called Avengers: Doomsday, but it doesn’t bode good for the MCU’s adaptation of Doom if it turns retired that helium doesn’t see Reed to beryllium his eventual foe.

Doctor Doom vs. Mister Fantastic

If you don’t cognize overmuch astir the characters from the comics, Doctor Doom has been the archenemy of the Fantastic Four ever since Fantastic Four #5 each the mode backmost successful 1962. In that issue, we learned that Reed and Doom were classmates successful college, and that Doom blamed Reed for a failed experimentation that exploded successful Victor’s look and led him to wearing his celebrated robust mask. Since then, Doom had 2 large goals: to conquer the world, and to decidedly beryllium his intelligence superiority implicit Mister Fantastic (his 3rd extremity was to rescue his mother’s psyche from Hell, but we didn’t cognize that yet).

In consequent appearances, Reed continued to beryllium the 1 leader who could beryllium counted connected to travel up with a program to thwart Doom’s schemes, making the brace bitter foes for decades and cementing Doom’s presumption arsenic 1 of the top comic publication villains of each time.

Yet adjacent with that pedigree, movie adaptations haven’t been benignant to the ruler of Latveria. The Tim Story Fantastic Four films turned Doom into a generic businessman alternatively of a maestro of exertion and mysticism, removing a batch of the specificity that makes him specified an iconic character. And the 2015 reboot strayed adjacent further, wholly changing Doom’s look, origin, and powers to the constituent that helium was fundamentally unrecognizable from his comic publication counterpart.

The franchise hasn't had the clip to make Doom's narration with the Fantastic Four earlier now.“

Our archetypal look astatine Doom’s ocular plan successful the MCU seems to beryllium a superior people correction successful that department, but if Avengers: Doomsday wants to close the wrongs of erstwhile live-action adaptations of Doom, it needs to person the Reed and Doom rivalry beryllium a large aspect. Doom has encountered fundamentally each leader successful the Marvel beingness astatine immoderate constituent oregon another, but Reed is the lone 1 helium genuinely feels threatened by, adjacent if helium would ne'er admit it.

That’s not to accidental there’s thing incorrect with Doctor Doom being the villain of an Avengers movie; helium was truly Marvel’s lone prime for a large lawsuit villain aft they moved distant from Kang, and helium has fought Earth’s Mightiest Heroes respective times successful the comics. However, since this is Doom’s archetypal afloat quality successful the MCU (we’re not counting his wordless cameo successful First Steps’ post-credits scene), the franchise hasn’t had the clip to make Doom’s narration with the Fantastic Four earlier now. Given however galore characters are expected to amusement up successful Doomsday and Secret Wars, the imaginable deficiency of screen-time for the Fantastic Four is simply a valid concern. Could it beryllium that Marvel Studios is backing distant from the Reed vs. Doom dynamic successful favour of fronting 1 betwixt Steve Rogers and Doom, arsenic a mode of banking connected the audience’s pre-existing concern successful the chemistry betwixt Robert Downey, Jr. and Chris Evans?

Doctor Doom vs... Captain America and Thor?

To beryllium clear, contrasting Doctor Doom and Captain America isn’t a unspeakable thought successful a vacuum. They are some ambassadors of their respective nations, and correspond the struggle betwixt a genuine paragon of goodness versus the self-righteousness of misguided evil. If decently developed, specified a dynamic could beryllium rather interesting. The occupation is that RDJ’s Doom hasn’t established his foundational struggle with Mister Fantastic first. Doom whitethorn marque a large foil to heroes extracurricular of the FF, but the idiosyncratic quality of his vendetta with Reed Richards and Marvel’s First Family simply can’t beryllium replicated with different heroes, nary substance however marketable they whitethorn be. With the trailer indicating Marvel Studios whitethorn not beryllium giving that rivalry the attraction it deserves, it feels similar a mistake successful the making the MCU tin ill-afford astatine specified a captious juncture.

Given however turbulent Phases 4 and 5 were, Marvel needs Avengers: Doomsday to beryllium a hit. Not conscionable financially, but critically and with fans to triumph radical backmost implicit aft truthful galore poorly received projects. Marvel fans the satellite implicit person been waiting a agelong clip for a definitive Doctor Doom adaptation, truthful messing him up would incite the benignant of backlash that whitethorn bash imperishable harm to the MCU brand.

That said, it is precise imaginable this is each conscionable the realities of marketing, and that Marvel is placing truthful overmuch accent connected Thor and Cap due to the fact that they’re fashionable with the wide audience. This whitethorn beryllium a non-issue erstwhile we really spot the movie and larn that the Fantastic Four person a large role. As a long-time instrumentality of the character, I’ve been holding retired anticipation that Marvel understands the value of Reed and Doom’s dynamic since the formed uncover video past year, which placed Pedro Pascal’s seat close adjacent to RDJ’s.

Hopefully we’ll find retired much astir Avengers: Doomsday and Mister Fantastic’s spot successful the movie arsenic we get person to the December merchandise date, but truthful agelong arsenic the movie understands wherefore Reed Richards and Victor von Doom are archenemies, past it has a accidental to beryllium the movie adaptation Doom deserves.

Carlos Morales writes novels, articles, and Mass Effect essays. You tin travel his fixations connected Twitter.