Marvel Studios' Multiverse Saga suffered from pressure to rapidly expand the MCU into streaming. A pandemic and Hollywood strikes didn't help matters, but the studio is looking to shrug off all that boring superhero fatigue talk with an epic two-part finale.
Hot off the success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, this December's Avengers: Doomsday will introduce Doctor Doom as the franchise's new big bad, with Robert Downey Jr. stepping into the role after previously playing Iron Man.
Avengers: Secret Wars, which will follow in 2027, is expected to adapt Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic's Secret Wars. In that, Victor Von Doom becomes "God Emperor" of Battleworld, the remains of the now-destroyed Multiverse. When the credits roll on that movie, the MCU will be softly rebooted, creating a timeline inhabited by the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four.
In the newly released Marvel Premier Collection edition of Secret Wars, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige provides a foreword.
After heaping praise on the story, Feige says, "It starts with a collision of worlds, and it ends in a Marvel Multiverse rebuilt and retooled for the modern age. They invent something entirely new, seamlessly picking up where the old universe left off, but branching out in all-new, all-different directions."
"We do the same thing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We pick and choose from Marvel's rich, nearly 90-year comics history and make movies that honour the source but become something entirely different," he continued. "That cycle continues as we head toward the Marvel Cinematic Universe's own version of Secret Wars."
"Like Loki gathering up stray branches of the timeline at the end of all things, we'll pick up the threads of Hickman and Ribic's run and all those who came before and weave a new story inspired fo the vast tapestry of our comics and films We will bring together the characters we know and love in pinch-me moments that we as fans have always dreamed of but have never seen realized," Feige teased.
The executive went on to hint at plans for Downey's Doom. While the villain has been added to this Saga as a last-minute replacement for Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror, Feige clearly understands what makes "the greatest villain in the history of the Marvel Universe" tick.
Describing Doom as a "centrepiece" of Avengers: Secret Wars, he added, "On one hand, [Doom is] noble and loyal. He's true to his word. But he's also a monster. He seeks power over all things, and he will use whatever means necessary to achieve his ends. And just like the legacy that came before, there is no Secret Wars without Doom."
"In Hickman and Ribić's Secret Wars, we see Steve Rogers fight from atop a dinosaur, banished heroes battle against hordes of zombies and by the end, apocalyptic fires reforge the entire universe," Feige said, possibly revealing some of Marvel Studios' plans. "All the stories of the past remain true, but now all things are possible. We hope to carry that inspiration forward into a new medium."
It's unclear whether there are plans for Doom beyond Avengers: Secret Wars, but it would be a shame for him to be shelved again after these movies. Of course, with the spotlight shifting to mutants from here, there are plenty of other potential big bads to focus on.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.