We'd expected Marvel Studios to put Doctor Doom front and centre in one of the recent Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailers, but as of now, it seems the plan is to keep Robert Downey Jr.'s villain under wraps for a little while longer.
It's a good way to build anticipation, and we're sure Marvel Studios is eager to get that first look right. After all, as much excitement as there is for Von Doom's MCU debut, there's quite a bit of scepticism surrounding the decision to cast the Oscar-winning Iron Man star as Victor.
There have been plenty of rumours about plans for the Multiverse Saga's new big bad in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars since Downey arrived in Hall H nearly two years ago. Those have ranged from him being a Tony Stark Variant to the Latverian dictator wanting to steal the children of his enemies.
Much has also been said about him leading a villainous team, possibly including a female Doom Variant. Now, we have further insights from The Cosmic Circus' Alex Perez, who has hinted on social media that they'll be dubbed the "Harbingers of Doom."
Perez, with a solid track record despite a habit of sharing vague teases or what comes across like guesswork, later seemed to confirm previous claims that Victor will be joined by a group of Doom Variants or Doombots (using the #WeAreDoom hashtag).
We know from the comics that Doom doesn't play well with others, particularly alternate versions of himself. However, him subjecating his Multiversal doppelgangers—similar to what happened during Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four run with the Parliament of Doom—makes all the sense in the world.
It would be an effective way to showcase his cruelty as the ultimate Doom, or the "Rabum Alal" for those of you who have read Hickman's Avengers, New Avengers, and Secret Wars comics.
Finally, we'd be remiss not to point out that the previous iteration of these Avengers movies was set to revolve around Kang and his Variants, an idea Marvel Studios and the Russos might be looking to repeat with Doom. Throw in social media chatter about Doom delivering a beatdown to Thor and possibly cutting off his arm, and it's clear he's going to be a formidable threat.
It's obviously wise to take any claims like these with a pinch of salt for now. It certainly gives us lots to think about, though, and we can only hope the curtain will be pulled back on plans for Doctor Doom with the rumoured Super Bowl trailer for Avengers: Doomsday.
Avengers: Doomsday officially stars 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, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Lewis Pullman all make their Avengers franchise debuts in the movie.
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.
Chris Evans is also officially confirmed to reprise his role as Steve Rogers, as is India Rose Hemsworth as Love. The Hollywood trades have reported that Hayley Atwell and Ryan Reynolds will appear as Peggy Carter and Deadpool, respectively.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday 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's Michael Waldron is also working on the script.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.