The new Avengers: Doomsday artwork has generated plenty of discussion online. However, there may be a big clue at the centre of that, which also confirms a huge rumour and better explains what fans should expect this December.
As a reminder, it's previously been reported that Doctor Doom will steal Loki's power by tearing out his heart. When we last saw the former God of Mischief, he'd become one of the most powerful beings in the Multiverse. Sacrificing his own freedom, he now sits at the end of time, holding together every branching reality and effectively serving as a battery for existence itself.
In Jonathan Hickman's Secret Wars, Doom uses Molecule Man to steal the powers of the Beyonders. With that, he creates Battleworld, a patchwork planet assembled from fragments of destroyed realities, a realm he rules over as God Emperor Doom.
On the aforementioned artwork by Andy Park, eagle-eyed fans quickly noticed that not only does Loki sit at the centre of the image, but he's also placed right where Victor Von Doom's chest is. This has led to speculation that the image is subtly hinting at Doom literally taking the God of Stories' heart and power.
Marvel Studios has a history of including clues like this in promotional artwork, making it an intriguing detail that's difficult to ignore. Crucially, replacing the Molecule Man with Loki would give Avengers: Secret Wars far greater emotional weight, especially as we learn that Loki is still very much alive and now being used to power Doom's new reality.
The prospect of Loki dying in Avengers: Doomsday isn't a particularly exciting one for many fans, especially as it echoes what we previously saw in Avengers: Infinity War. However, the challenge for the movie will be to effectively explain Loki's new role in the MCU without confusing moviegoers who haven't watched 12 episodes of Loki on Disney+.
Also not helping Loki's case is the fact that he was originally central to the Kang the Conqueror storyline, which was dropped by Marvel Studios when it parted ways with Jonathan Majors. At that point in the Multiverse Saga, Doctor Doom was never part of the equation.
Weigh in with your thoughts and theories in the comments section below.
In Avengers: Doomsday, beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered.
Avengers: Doomsday stars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Mabel Cadena, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, India Rose Hemsworth, and Wesley Holloway all make their Avengers franchise debuts.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, as do X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, with Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. The movie is produced by Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, and Jonathan Schwartz, with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18.