Robert Downey Jr. is playing Doctor Doom now, which means the Avengers are about to face their most terrifying villain yet: a billionaire genius with a god complex and access to actual magic. New speculation suggests Doctor Doom might permanently retire at least four major heroes in Avengers: Doomsday, and honestly, it’s about time someone cleared out the roster before it gets more crowded than a Disney World queue during spring break when everyone’s sunburned and angry about the wait times.
Doctor Doom isn’t known for his restraint or his ability to take constructive feedback. In the comics, he’s murdered heroes, conquered entire countries, and worn a green cape without a single hint of irony. If the Russo brothers are adapting his greatest hits for the big screen, we’re looking at a body count that makes Civil War look like a minor disagreement at a dinner party where everyone still gets dessert and a participation trophy.
The current betting pool suggests Captain America might finally get to rest permanently, Thor could meet his actual end instead of just getting fat and depressed in a fishing village, and maybe Hawkeye finally runs out of arrows or luck or the plot armor that’s been holding together since 2012.
The logic here is brutally simple: Marvel needs to prove Doctor Doom is a threat worth caring about after years of forgettable CGI blobs like Ultron and the guy from Eternals who looked like a marble statue. Killing legacy characters establishes actual stakes that money can’t buy back through resurrection clauses. It tells the audience that this time, when the villain says he’ll destroy everything, he actually means it and has the magical receipts to prove it instead of just monologuing while the heroes plan a counter-attack over coffee.
Four deaths seems excessive for a company that sells toys to children, but we’re talking about a movie literally called Doomsday. You don’t name your film after the biblical apocalypse and then have everyone shake hands at the end and share a shawarma.
If Doctor Doom takes out half the roster in spectacular fashion, the survivors have actual motivation for Secret Wars beyond “we need to stop the bad thing because it’s Tuesday.” Plus, it frees up screen time for characters who aren’t burdened with thirty movies of backstory and aging knees that can’t handle backflips anymore.
Who’s actually on the chopping block? Probably the originals with contracts ending. Doctor Doom needs to make an entrance that matters, and nothing says “I’m the new boss” like murdering Captain America in front of a crying child or turning Thor into actual lightning that can’t be reassembled by science or magic.
It’s dark, it’s mean, it’s borderline traumatizing for the MCU’s usual tone, and it’s exactly what this franchise needs to stop feeling like a sitcom with punching and start feeling like actual warfare where not everyone gets a happy ending wrapped in vibranium.
Also Read: Does Avengers: Doomsday End With Doctor Doom’s Victory?