Marvel Fans Can't Stop Talking About This Iconic Secret Wars Villain
Now that we have gotten a long list of upcoming Marvel projects to look forward to, rumors are bound to fly. Teases for new projects and sneak peeks at existing projects give fans a lot of payoff for their decade-plus-long dedication to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the most exciting aspect of any comic convention or expo is the reveal of projects fans have eagerly awaited for years. That is what we got this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con.
When Kevin Feige took the stage on Saturday, he revealed that Phase Four will end with "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," Phase Five will end with "Thunderbolts," and Phase Six will end with an Avengers double-up of "The Kang Dynasty" and "Secret Wars." While Phase Four has seen 13 properties so far and Phase Five is mainly lined out, Phase Six remains largely a mystery. However, the Marvel boss did reveal the beginning point of the final phase of what he dubbed "the Multiverse Saga." "Fantastic Four" will finally arrive at long last, launching Phase Six. Fans wasted no time taking to social media to express their excitement, but they also began guessing just how vital the film could be, possibly even introducing the phase's big bad.
Fan theories believe Doctor Doom is on his way
Fewer villains in the MCU garner more respect than Victor Von Doom. Once the Avengers destroyed Thanos at the end of "Avengers: Endgame," there was a lot of speculation as to who would be the next big bad. Kang the Conquerer and Galactus were on people's tongues, but near the top of many lists seemed to be Doctor Doom. Now that Marvel's first family has been announced to begin the phase that leads to "Secret Wars," fans believe their wish for Doom is coming true.
Redditor u/shakoeristavi theorized, "I think that Kang dynasty is a decoy and that the main villain will still be Dr.Doom [sic] in secret wars. Hope that he kills [K]ang [the] same way as he killed Thanos in the comics." The comments on the thread seem to echo the sentiment. Most of them believe that Doctor Doom will take out Kang. @LordBalvin took to Twitter to give his take, posting, "SECRET WARS MEANS GOD IS COMING." However, many commenters expressed their hesitation that Marvel will treat the character right. @NicholasJLevi said, "Doom is the last villain I trust the MCU to do well."
While there will almost definitely be a version of Doctor Doom in the MCU at some point, believing that Doctor Doom is a powerful enough villain to send the likes of Kang to his demise implies the Avengers have a lot more to worry about than threats from the cosmos.
Doctor Doom is the ultimate bad
The idea that Victor Von Doom appears in Phase Six more than makes sense. A reboot of the Fantastic Four in the MCU would almost definitely involve their archnemesis, and with Howard Stern's hot mic incident causing a stir, the time is ripe for his appearance. News of a Doctor Doom film isn't new. "Legion" creator Noah Hawley announced he was developing one for Fox at Comic-Con 2017 (via Deadline). However, a Fantastic Four movie beginning a phase and "Secret Wars" ending it lends an incredible amount of credibility to fan theories that Doom will be the big bad.
The 2015 comic arc "Secret Wars" has Doom as the main antagonist. As the Multiverse perishes, the villain cobbles together the remains of several realities and creates Battleworld, where he rules with an iron fist (via Marvel Database). Now that Feige has named Phases 4-6 "the Multiverse Saga," it is likely that "Secret Wars" will hinge heavily on the Multiverse. If Marvel does introduce Doctor Doom in "Fantastic Four," the saga is perfectly set up for a comic-accurate version of "Secret Wars."
Either way, Marvel's first family, the new Avengers, and maybe even a few older cameo appearances (in true Marvel style) would have their work cut out for them with the combination of Kang and Doom.