With Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror now sidelined as the MCU's big bad, Robert Downey Jr. will step into the spotlight as the Multiverse Saga's new final boss: Doctor Doom.
While we only have a vague idea of what's to come in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, it's no secret that the Multiverse will be in play. As for the addition of Doom, it opens the door to us meeting characters we didn't expect to see in the MCU for a very long time.
In this feature, we're taking a look at the heroes, villains, and supporting players who should all be added to the MCU either before or in the next Avengers movies. Some have ties to Doom and others to the Multiverse; there are also a few surprises you might not expect!
You can read through this feature by clicking on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
7. Kristoff Vernard
Kristoff Vernard is the adopted son of Doctor Doom and, for a time, was considered the rightful heir to the throne of Latveria. Originally an ordinary Latverian boy whose mother served Doom, he was taken under Victor's wing after her death.
Doom being Doom, he implanted his own memories and personality into Kristoff, effectively turning him into a younger version of himself, even to the extent that Kristoff believed he was the true Doctor Doom. As a result, he's since alternated between being a loyal servant to Doom and rebelling against him.
While there's unlikely to be room for all that in Avengers: Doomsday, Kristoff would make for an effective supporting character and a lackey Victor can rely on to do his bidding...or serve as his decoy.
6. Molecule Man
Molecule Man, a.k.a. Owen Reece, is known for his nearly limitless control over matter and energy. Initially a timid, downtrodden lab technician, he gained his powers after a freak accident with a cosmic device.
Transformed him into Molecule Man, his ability to manipulate molecules at will essentially gives him God-like powers which were crucial in shaping entire realities in the Secret Wars comic book event (a story which saw him fall under Doctor Doom's control).
If we're being honest, it feels like Marvel Studios has set the stage for Loki to take Molecule Man's place in this story. He's a great character, though, so if there's a way of adding him to the MCU in time for the next Avengers movies, we'd have no complaints.
5. Captain Britain
Brian Braddock is the defender of the British Isles and, before becoming Captain Britain, was a shy, academic young man who received his powers from the mystical Amulet of Right, granted by the wizard Merlyn and his daughter Roma following a near-death experience.
While the Captain's adventures often involve mystical elements, he's also a member of the Captain Britain Corps, a group of multiverse guardians. The fact neither they nor Brian have appeared in the MCU before now is baffling but Battleworld could be the perfect place for them to show up.
Similar to the Thor Corps, they could be introduced as a group of Multiversal heroes who do Doom's bidding to protect the newly created patchwork reality. However, Marvel Studios needs to start laying the groundwork for that now...
4. Blue Marvel
Blue Marvel is a former Marine and a brilliant scientist who gained his powers from an experiment involving anti-matter. This experiment turned him into a living antimatter reactor, making him one of the Marvel Universe's most powerful heroes...in the 1960s.
Initially a celebrated hero, that all changed when his identity as an African American was revealed and the U.S. government pressured him to retire due to the racial tensions of the time. He reluctantly agreed but stepped back into the spotlight decades later.
With The Fantastic Four: First Steps taking us to an alternate reality version of the 1960s, Marvel Studios has the perfect opportunity to introduce this character and tee him up for a memorable role in the next Avengers movies.
3. Lucia Von Bardas
Lucia von Bardas is the former Prime Minister of Latveria, succeeding Doctor Doom after he was deposed. A skilled diplomat and politician, she initially sought to modernize Latveria's global standing but was also secretly involved in arms dealing and supplying technology to supervillains in the United States.
After a covert S.H.I.E.L.D. operation led by Nick Fury left Lucia severely injured, she was transformed into a cyborg, making her an even more formidable threat to the Marvel Universe's heroes.
Similar to Kristoff, Lucia would be a great supporting character who can be used to expand Latveria both in the next Avengers movies and beyond. And let's face it, Doom turning one of his most trusted allies into a cyborg (or Doombot) who can battle his enemies just makes sense.
2. Black Swan
Black Swan, also known as Yabbat Ummon Turru, originates from an alternate universe and is a member of an interdimensional group of women called the Black Swans, who serve Rabum Alal, a mysterious god-like figure associated with the destruction of worlds.
Black Swan possesses various abilities but is also highly knowledgeable about the Multiverse, especially the phenomenon known as "Incursions," where universes collide and one must be destroyed to save the other.
While she initially appeared as an antagonist, manipulating events to ensure the survival of her own universe at the expense of others, Black Swan has also allied herself with The Avengers. Similar to Infinity War's Black Order, the Swans would make for an effective secondary threat.
1. Miles Morales
Miles Morales was introduced in the Ultimate Universe as Peter Parker's successor following his death at the hands of the Green Goblin. Then, in Secret Wars, the teenager was integrated into the main Marvel Universe, where he now coexists with the original Spider-Man.
Whether it's in Spider-Man 4 or Avengers: Doomsday/Avengers: Secret Wars, now feels like the right time for Miles to finally make his live-action MCU debut. Whether it's a Variant or an Earth-616 version of Miles, the Multiverse Saga is as good a place as any to add him to the mix.
We'd have one or all of the Peter Parker Variants last seen in Spider-Man: No Way Home meet a Miles Variant who, when the Sacred Timeline is rewritten, is added to the new MCU.