Doctor Doom didn't show up in The Fantastic Four: First Steps until the movie's mid-credits scene. However, the prevailing theory was that Robert Downey Jr.'s villain might hail from a different reality, which would mean he'd never crossed paths with Marvel's First Family.
That didn't sit well with fans, though it's fortunately been confirmed that Victor Von Doom is also from Earth-828. That means he has a history with the Fantastic Four, and Pedro Pascal alluded to that in a recent interview with Empire.
"They’re very bonded in a lot of different ways," the actor said of the dynamic between Mister Fantastic and Doctor Doom. "They’re bonded as scientists. They think together through the lens of science and math, and think in ways that most people don’t."
"You can’t help but create a bond of friendship and kinship," Pascal continued, "and feel less alone in the world because there is a mind that is equal, if not superior, to your own."
This won't be the only dynamic Avengers: Doomsday explores, as we'll see what happens when the Avengers, New Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four all cross paths on screen for the first time. We know there's legal tension between the Avengers and "New Avengerz," though rumour has it that's been dialled back a little in reshoots.
The magazine has confirmed that Captain America's team includes The Falcon, Ant-Man, Thor, and Shang-Chi. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, meanwhile, teased what having these disparate teams means for the MCU as it faces its most dangerous threat yet.
"We’re coming out of years of seemingly no organised Avengers team, and that’s exactly when they face these incursions," he explained. "That’s always fun, to put your heroes on the back foot."
Mackie added, "In Endgame, Steve gave him the shield and says, 'You need to be the leader of the Avengers.' Now you get to see more of him leading the charge with everyone into battle."
A new still from Avengers: Doomsday has been released, spotlighting a team-up between Mister Fantastic, Shang-Chi, Black Widow, and Sam Wilson.
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, joined by X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, and James Marsden, plus 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. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron has also been enlisted to refine the story, alongside Spider-Man: Brand New Day's Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18.