The next two Avengers films will focus on the confrontation between the mighty heroes and Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) as part of a large-scale event: Secret Wars. We’ll try to find out what exactly viewers will be able to see on the screen in these films.
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Who is Doctor Doom: the new main villain of the Marvel movies and the new “Avengers”
Colossus with feet of clay
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is in a strange situation in 2024: Deadpool and Wolverine managed to become blockbusters with a gross of $1.2 billion, but the previous films performed very poorly. The third part of “Ant-Man” did not reach $500 million, and the sequel “Captain Marvel” barely surpassed the $200 million mark, not even close to breaking even.
There are also problems with TV series: in 2021, fans were looking forward to the releases of WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki and the animated series What If…? However, three years later, enthusiasm was greatly undermined by new products of dubious quality, especially “She-Hulk”, “Secret Invasion”, “Echo”.
Cover of “Secret Wars”
Photo by: Marvel
The multiverse saga was supposed to pit the characters against the villain Kang, first introduced in Loki, but those plans were thwarted by the controversial trial of actor Jonathan Majors in addition to the poor reaction to the villain among fans. The latter’s career has since gone down the drain and Marvel has cut all ties with him.
The company’s problems grew and it decided to take radical measures: completely remake the new “Avengers” and bring back Downey Jr. But this time the artist will not play Tony Stark, but the villain Doctor Doom. Together with the actor, the authors of the last “Avengers” also returned: directors the Russo brothers and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.
The announcement caused a real storm among fans: some thought the decision was funny, while others argued that it was caused by panic at Marvel. A final opinion on this issue can only be formed after watching “Judgment Day” and “Secret Wars”, which are scheduled for release on May 1, 2026 and May 7, 2027.
In fact, the very same “Secret Wars” was announced even earlier, in 2022. However, Kang was expected to be the villain of the film, not Doctor Doom. Although the villain’s identity has been changed, the studio is clearly staying on track with the film adaptation of the famous comic book event. Marvel is desperate for new hits and Secret Wars could really help – if adapted properly.
“Secret Wars”
Photo by: Marvel
The Two Marvel Wars
A few years ago, the title “Secret Wars” referred fans to only one specific comic: the Jim Shooter miniseries (1984-1985). However, in 2015, another miniseries of the same name appeared, written by the famous industry writer Jonathan Hickman.
The upcoming Marvel movie will clearly draw on elements from both stories, and Hickman’s story will most likely be used as a basis. However, let’s first talk about the first “Secret Wars,” which may also be important to the plot of the film.
In the original Wars, many heroes and villains suddenly found themselves on another planet (Warworld), where an entity called the Beyonder forced them to engage in a battle royale. Whoever emerges victorious from this fight will be able to make all their wishes come true. The confrontation involved not only the Avengers, but also the X-Men, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and many other heroes.
On the side of the villains were Doctor Octopus, Magneto, Kang and many others. Galactus and Doctor Doom also played an active role in the plot: the former tried to devour the planet, and the latter carried out his evil plans. During the process, the characters continued to explore the unknown alien landscape and actively argued with each other. In addition, a number of impressive wall-to-wall fights took place in the story: in one of them a mountain was even thrown at the heroes, and in another battle the characters faced Galactus himself.
The story itself was famous not only for its epic scope and the crossover between a large number of heroes, but also for a number of legendary moments in comic book history. Thus, it was in the eighth issue of the series that Spider-Man received his black suit with the help of a symbiote. In addition, the plot towards the end brought to the fore Doctor Doom, who stole the power of Galactus and defeated the Beyonder. True, later the power was stolen from Doom himself, but the heroes were able to stop the crisis.
“Secret Wars”
Photo by: Marvel
If any beginner can read the original Secret Wars (albeit in a shortened time), then Jonathan Hickman’s eponymous work is distinguished by a huge background. Secret Wars from 2015 simultaneously represented the culmination of Hickman’s stories about the Fantastic Four, The Avengers, and The New Avengers. And that’s not counting the connection with stories from the Ultimate universe, “bockvels” and other similar details.
It’s interesting that the Secret Wars miniseries largely repeats the ideas of the original, but significantly expands and revises them through mythology. In earlier episodes, Hickman talks in great detail about the process of the death of the multiverse itself, when different worlds collide with each other and disappear. The heroes try to stop these events in various ways, including going into the future and committing questionable moral acts (like the Illuminati team). In this long saga, even the confrontation with Thanos turns out to be just one of the chapters, and far from the end.
As a result, the plot reaches a point that resembles the original story: of all the worlds, only the main universe and the ultimate world remain. They collide with each other, and on their fragments, Doctor Doom, who manages to steal the power of the Beyonder race, creates a “Battleworld” with its own states and rules. There is real chaos outside the cities, where armies of zombies, Ultron and other villains roam.
“Secret Wars”
Photo by: Marvel
Hickman’s Wars puts even more emphasis on the figure of Doom, paying attention to the principles of the new world and the villain’s kingdom, which has its own advisors – an army of Thors, a guardian Galactus, etc. The fragile balance is upset by a band of survivors who survived the destruction of the worlds on two rescue ships and retained their memories. Among them is Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, who is extremely angry with the local situation: not only has Doom assumed the role of a god, but in this universe the villain has made the hero’s family his own.
The survivors of the ship, with the help of various allies, organize resistances and uprisings around the world, completely turning the planet into that very “Battleworld.” Reed discovers the source of Doom’s power – Molecule Man, and convinces the latter that the universe would be better off under someone else’s leadership. Doom tries to stop Mister Fantastic, but after a good fight (the scoundrel at that moment loses the power of a god), the hero emerges victorious. And in the end, Richards and his family are engaged in restructuring the universe, and the balance of the worlds returns to normal; even Doom, whose face was finally “healed”, is alive.
“Secret Wars”
Photo by: Marvel
What could the Avengers movies include?
Doctor Doom played a major role in both versions of Secret Wars, so his appearance in the films makes sense. It’s surprising that Marvel Studios ever tried to build this story around Kang. The writers of “Doomsday” and “Secret Wars” may have been drawing on the plot about the death of universes; issues of this nature arose in the second season of “Loki” and the recent “Deadpool.”
If the writers try to repeat the structure of the previous Avengers, then in Judgment Day they will be able to talk about the death of universes and the history of Doom, and in Secret Wars there will already be Battleworld. This will be a very convenient way to introduce numerous cameos that are popular with the audience – after all, this very world is literally built from fragments of the multiverse. This could bring back different versions of Spider-Man, characters from Fox films, and the like.
Marvel somehow needs to surpass the scope of Infinity War, and cross-universe battles could help with that. A similar approach also applies to villains: Ultron’s armies or zombies will also please MCU fans.
Obviously, Doom will also continue to play a major role in the story, and his image will most likely be inspired by Hickman’s version. Although this author’s character has exorbitant pride, he cannot be called a “recaptured” villain. In “Wars” from 2015, he really tries to save the fragments of the universes and rule his people more or less fairly, although, of course, cruelly. In other words, he will be able to resemble Thanos, who had a terrible goal, but the image itself was executed down to earth. The films may also include the brutal murder of Thanos himself by Doom to show the power of the new enemy.
“Secret Wars”
Photo by: Marvel
Some elements from the comics that complicate the picture too much will probably be excluded from the new version of “Wars”: Galactus, various alien races, the army of Thors and other details. The appearance of Molecule Man is also questionable, since the concept of a “universe bomb” may not resonate with the public. For example, in the MCU, the Celestials from “The Eternals”, whom fans have already seen before, can destroy worlds.
The Fantastic Four should also be involved in the story, but the hero branch will probably be simplified as well. They haven’t even had time to be introduced to a new audience yet, let alone the appearance of genius children or the long-term confrontation with Doom himself. You probably shouldn’t expect a cameo from the “evil” Reed from the Ultimate Universe or other similar concepts. But Secret Wars could be an excellent opportunity to introduce Miles Morales, as the character plays a major role in the new version of the story.
“Secret Wars,” like “Infinity War,” will probably resemble the original stories only in general features and individual details. A detailed adaptation should not be expected, but in this case it is not necessary. The story of Doctor Doom and Battleworld is a great idea for two Avengers movies, as it has a charismatic enemy and incredible scale.
But whether the Marvel Studios writers will be able to successfully translate these ideas to the screen and repeat the financial success of Avengers: Endgame, only time will tell.
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