In a Marvel universe full of superheroes and crazed villains, Doctor Doom stands out as something of an outlier. Doctor Doom, an ordinary tyrant who transformed himself into one of the most disastrous villains the MCU could ever imagine with his brilliant mind and magic, stands in sharp contrast to villains like God Butcher (Thor: Love and Thunder) and Thanos (Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: End Game).

With the arrival of the next phase, many fans have been wondering about the villains we might see in Phase 5, and Doctor Doom is a potential option. After a series of difficult life lessons, he is resolved to become the world’s savior by conquering it. Despite his best efforts, however, he is always viewed as a villain. In his travels throughout the Marvel Universe, he has met innumerable cosmic entities, but none can compare to his intelligence, ego, or willpower.

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Doctor Doom, The Fantastic Four’s archenemy and Reed Richards’ rival, will go down in history as one of the greatest Marvel villains. With that in mind, here’s to the legacy of Doctor Doom and why he should be one of the next villains in the MCU.

The Origin of Doctor Doom

     Marvel Comics

Doctor Doom, also known as Victor Von Doom, was born into an impoverished family in the European kingdom of Latveria and lost both of his parents as a child to rage and vengeance. After discovering his mother’s mystical artifacts and learning that her soul is in the grasp of Mephisto, an extradimensional demon, he sets out on a dark path at a young age. Soon after, he receives a scholarship to attend State University in New York, where he meets Reed Richards, his lifelong rival and scientific prodigy.

Richards points out a flaw in Victor’s secretly designed device that can bridge a gap between two dimensions, but he becomes stubborn and activates it anyway. The machine explodes, scarring his face, and he is shortly expelled from the university for conducting unethical experiments. His journey hasn’t come to an end yet, as he wanders the world with a bitter heart and disgraceful memories, eventually ending up in a small Tibetan village of monks who later help him make a magical suit of armor and an Iron mask to hide his face from the world.

Taking on the new guise of Doctor Doom, he returns to his homeland of Latveria, dethrones the monarch, and renames the capital Doomstadt while expanding the city into numerous scientific divisions. With a renewed sense of purpose, he sets out on an adventure to save his mother’s soul from the evil demon and to prove himself superior to Reed Richards, whom he regards as the most remarkable scientific genius he has ever met.

Doctor Doom’s Powers and Abilities

Doctor Doom’s reputation as one of the MCU’s most disastrous villains is well-deserved, given the arsenal of devastating powers at his disposal. After his mother initiated him into the mystical arts, he traveled through time and learned some unparalleled, lost Dark Arts from one of the universe’s greatest sorceresses, Morgan Fe Ley.

His mystical skills allow him to perform incredible feats such as summoning a horde of demonic creatures, teleporting to places, traveling to other dimensions, and even accessing dreamtime and self-healing. His most lethal abilities, however, are Power Absorption, Mind Transference, Hypnotism, Telekinesis, Elemental Manipulation, and even Power Nullification, with which he repeatedly blocked the Fantastic Four’s superpowers.

Although Doctor Doom appears to be fairly destructive with his capabilities, his most lethal weapon remains his unequaled intellect. He built hundreds of deadly devices, robots, Doombots that can impersonate him, and a time machine that actually works. Apparently, he learned numerous martial arts while in Tibet’s monk village and later defeated Black Panther in an encounter while Doom’s suit was depowered. Furthermore, he honed his physique and mind to the level of a superhuman, becoming one of the most charismatic and influential people in the universe, all through sheer willpower.

Doctor Doom’s Role in the Future MCU

     Twentieth Century Fox

Marvel’s Secret Wars is unquestionably the next big thing in the MCU, and Doctor Doom plays a crucial role in it. ScreenRant claims that Doom is the series’ true antagonist and that Secret Wars wouldn’t be nearly as exciting or devastating to witness without him. Secret Wars may function as Doctor Doom’s origin story, as we see the Beyonders, creatures that serve the Celestials, destroy the multiverses while their motivations remain unknown. Given how the events of the Fantastic Four have evolved, it is logical to presume he will also feature in the 2025s Fantastic Four.

While these appear promising in the short term, Doctor Doom has made multiple cameos in the comics, which will fit perfectly with the direction Marvel is taking the storyline. Namor and Doom have had numerous supervillain team-ups in the comics, and as we’ve seen Namor interact with Wakanda in Black Panther 2, it’s only fair that he’d do the same to the ruler of Latveria. In addition to Namor, Doom had an interesting relationship with Doctor Strange in the comics, as both sought to become the Supreme Sorcerer, with Strange ultimately winning.

With comic books still in circulation since 1939, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has an endless story to tell. While many popular characters have yet to be introduced into the saga, Doctor Doom is a fascinating and much-needed addition to the current MCU. Hopefully, Marvel handles the job efficiently, as they have with Thanos and other villains in the past.