LEGION Showrunner Noah Hawley Says His DOCTOR DOOM Movie Is "Done" At Marvel Studios

The series finale of Legion aired last night, and now showrunner Noah Hawley has offered an update on his Doctor Doom movie. Unfortunately for fans of the writer and director, it sound like it's dead...

By JoshWilding - Aug 13, 2019 02:08 AM EST

Filed Under: Doctor Doom

Before the Disney/Fox merger, 20th Century Fox was developing a number of Marvel projects, and among them was a Doctor Doom movie written and directed by Legion showrunner Noah Hawley. While it didn't sound like the Fantastic Four would make an appearance, fans were still excited for a new take on the villain's origin story, but what's happening now that the character is part of the MCU?

Well, in a new interview, Hawley has revealed that the movie is "done" and that he has no idea whether Marvel Studios is interested in moving forward with his take on Victor Von Doom.

"I mean, where it stands is now that the movie is done and Legion is done and I’ve taken a little time off because someone told me there was this word “vacation,” which means you don’t work, which sounded really interesting to me. But you know, I need to circle back to them and announce that I would love to make it and figure out if that’s something that is possible. Whether or not they already have a plan in place for what to do with those characters or whether they’re open to my kind of vision for what to do with those characters. But it’s sort of on me right now to go push them, which I will do as soon as I come up for air."

As cool as it would have been to see Hawley's Doctor Doom movie, it seems highly unlikely that Kevin Feige and company have any interest in making a solo outing for Doom part of Phase 5. We know that a new Fantastic Four movie is on the way, but seeing as this villain has been the focus of the three previous efforts, Marvel Studios will almost certainly want to use another classic bad guy.

There is, of course, a chance that Hawley will end up doing something in the MCU, but just like that Multiple Man movie and the mysterious Kitty Pryde project, it seems Doctor Doom is dead.

Hit the "View List" button to find out which characters and
locations are coming to the MCU thanks to the Disney/Fox merger!

Lyja

A Skrull with the ability to shapeshift into humans or animals, Lyja is unlikely to appear in next year's Captain Marvel due to the fact her origin is very much rooted within the world of the Fantastic Four. She managed to infiltrate the team by posing as Alica Masters and served as both an ally and enemy to the team. Assuming we see more of the Skrulls in the MCU, Lyja will no doubt get in on the action.

Molecule Man

Up until fairly recently, Molecule Man was considered something of a joke but his ability to control matter and change reality could come into play in a big way in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The immensely powerful villain could be used as the big bad of any number of movies and while he'd no doubt be reimagined to at least some extent (like Baron Zemo), the possibilities are endless.

Shi'ar Empire

We thought we'd meet the Shi'ar Empire in Dark Phoenix but it doesn't appear as if that will be happening so that leaves the door wide open for the likes of Lilandra and Gladiator to be brought to the big screen. While they could be tied into the world of the X-Men in some way, I think it would be especially interesting to see them cross paths with the Guardians of the Galaxy in the near future.

Betsy Braddock

Psylocke may have received the spotlight in X-Men: Apocalypse but did you know that Betsy Braddock is actually the sister of Captain Britain and actually used to be a white woman who also held that mantle? While we know that Marvel Studios has tentative plans for Brian, the rights to the X-Men returning home means the door is wide open to them telling Psylocke's story from beginning to end.

Alpha Flight

Fox has missed a trick by leaving Alpha Flight on the shelf, especially as the characters could very easily hold their own franchise completely separate to the X-Men. The Canadian team probably won't be Marvel's top priority when all these characters return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe but it would be crazy not to expand this shared world by finally setting future stories in the Great White North.

Wyatt Wingfoot

Wyatt Wingfoot first appeared in the pages of Fantastic Four #50 and he's served as a frequent ally to the team ever since, joining them on many adventures and serving as a pilot alongside Ben Grimm. Wyatt is very much a minor character but also one who could be reinvented in some interesting ways for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it will be fun seeing what that might entail moving forward.

Starjammers

The leader of the Starjammers is Corsair but he's actually Christopher Summers, the father of Cyclops, Havok, and Vulcan. What's interesting about bringing this team to the MCU is the fact that they don't initially have to be linked to the X-Men; they could show up in Guardians of the Galaxy! A vague reference to Corsair's family would be fun for fans and could then be followed up on in a future film.

Latveria

Doctor Doom is obviously on his way to MCU and will probably be introduced in a Fantastic Four reboot before becoming a new big bad for this entire shared world. What's really exciting, though, is the fact we'll get to visit Latveria, a fiction nation which Doom rules over with an iron fist. Sure, we've never heard of it before now but Sokovia was never mentioned before Avengers: Age of Ultron either!

Savage Land

More of a place than a character, the Savage Land opens the door to unlimited storytelling possibilities. Regardless of whether it's the X-Men who visit this mysterious land full of mutated monsters and dinosaurs or characters like The Hulk and Black Panther, there's a lot of potential here to give any number of future releases a very different feel by shining the spotlight on this unique area of the MCU.

Quicksilver

I know what you're thinking; we've already seen Quicksilver in the MCU! Well, yes and no. While the character did make his debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron, his mutant heritage, last name, and codename were nowhere to be found in that sequel. Now, if Marvel chooses to resurrect the speedster, they can do it the right way and elaborate on the fact he's actually the son of Magneto.

Scarlet Witch

The chances of Quicksilver coming back are probably slim but Scarlet Witch remains an integral part of the MCU and it can easily be revealed that she's actually a mutant whose powers were activated by Baron Von Strucker's experiments. Wanda could even end up playing the role Hope Summers did in Avengers Vs. X-Men as the two teams go to war with the daughter of Magneto somehow on the line.

Nathaniel Richards

The father of Reed Richards, Nathaniel Richard is a time-traveller with a very complicated background. He's got some pretty confusing ties to Kang the Conqueror and has taken on a number of different monikers over the years, many of which could be used in the MCU in very exciting ways. There are a lot of Fantastic Four villains who could bring them and The Avengers together and this is one of them.

The Brood

Due to the intergalactic adventures of both the X-Men and Fantastic Four, there are a lot of aliens who have not been used in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That's going to change, though, and it's impossible not to be excited about the prospect of seeing The Brood. Their introduction could result in Marvel's first horror movie and they have the potential to do more than just battle the X-Men.

Paibok

Another Skrull unlikely to appear in Captain Marvel next year, Paibok was bionically re-engineered to possess more power than the Fantastic Four. Personally, I don't think pitting Reed Richards and company against these shape-shifters will be a priority for Marvel Studios but assuming a Secret Invasion adaptation does happen somewhere down the line, he'll now no doubt end up part of that.

Kristoff Vernard

The adopted son of Victor Von Doom has a convoluted history and while I wouldn't necessarily want to see that touched on in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I do think the character could be used in other ways. For example, he could take on an Everett Ross style role for Latveria and seeing as Kevin Feige has reinvented many different characters over the years, the same could actually be the case for Kristoff.

Asteroid M

What if we haven't heard anything about mutants because they've been hiding above Earth on Magneto's Asteroid M base? That may seem a little far-fetched but it is at least one possibility and even if that doesn't wind up being the case, this would make for one seriously cool home for the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. If it falls from the sky, then it can just become Utopia for the X-Men!

Phalanx

The Phalanx are techno-organic beings, whose nervous systems are composed of organic circuitry and they've clashed with the X-Men on a number of occasions. This evil race was born when a scientist experimented on the remains of the New Mutant Warlock, and while this lot probably won't be a priority for Marvel Studios, it will be great to see the cosmic side of the MCU fleshed out with this lot.

Baxter Building

Well, this goes without saying really. There's already been speculation that Avengers Tower will be converted into the Baxter Building when the Fantastic Four arrive in the MCU and that seems like a smart move, especially as we're talking about a team who is loved by the public (arguably more so than The Avengers). Getting to explore the Baxter Building promises to be a treat both inside and out.

Super-Skrulls

We know that Marvel will finally introduce the Skrulls in Captain Marvel next year but there's one type that remains off-limits to them for the time being. Those are, of course, the Super-Skrulls, shape-shifting aliens with the power to take on a number of superpowers. Their arrival in the MCU leaves the door open to these aliens being revisited and us getting a totally faithful Secret Invasion adaptation.

The Negative Zone

The Negative Zone is home to a huge number of iconic villains who have been off limits to Marvel Studios up until now and with it being so easy to link this mysterious dimension with the likes of the Quantum Realm and Doctor Strange's many adventures, it's obviously going to be a whole lot of fun delving into the home of Annihilus. It's literally a whole new universe for Kevin Feige to explore.

Genosha

Rumour has it that we'll actually visit Genosha in Dark Phoenix but common sense says that we won't be getting a comic book accurate take on that so Marvel will be able to make up for that in no time at all. The home of Magneto and other mutants who no longer wanted to be victimised by humans, there's a lot which could be done with Genosha and it could be that Erik has been in hiding there.

Willie Lumpkin

Okay, this isn't exactly an essential addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe but how amazing would it be to see to see this character return after he was once so memorably played by the late, great Stan "The Man" Lee. As cameos go, this would definitely be amazing and while there's no denying that we can live without Willie, his inclusion would definitely please a lot of longtime comic book fans.

DOCTOR DOOM Project From Marvel Studios Appears To Be In The Works... And Howard Stern Is Involved!

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62 Comments

1 2

ElvenKingSlayer - 8/13/2019, 2:52 AM

MS claim to like diversity and not doing what others done before. So I think Josh is wrong in the article. They want to do a FF but not like others done it before. So instead of Doom they start with Mole Man, Annihilus or something else. I also believe they want to use Doom but again in a different way. A solo film would be one way to go so I wouldn't call this of just yet even if ut seems unlikley at the moment.

CorndogBurglar - 8/13/2019, 3:19 AM

@ElvenKingSlayer - The only solo Doom movie they should adapt is Books of Doom. It's a perfect origin story and it would be different than anything that has come before, since Fox never did a faithful take on Doom...

Repian - 8/13/2019, 2:56 AM

Noah Hawley has to direct Fantastic Four. Noah's style can work and can make Reed Richards a homologue of the young Hank Pym.

Kumkani - 8/13/2019, 3:09 AM

@Repian - I just love that everyone keeps suggesting John Krasinski and Emily Blunt. Increases the chance of them not being picked.

Nightwing1015 - 8/13/2019, 4:55 AM

@DnA - Does it? Everyone was suggesting Benedict Cumberbatch for Dr Strange and look what happened.

ShimmyShimmyYA - 8/13/2019, 2:57 AM

Speaking of doom , I just ended my relationship and now I feel like shit so I’m turning to strangers on the internet for help cause I have no one else in my life. Thanks for coming to my ted talk

OptimusGrime - 8/13/2019, 3:05 AM

@ShimmyShimmyYA - Wow..dark bro. Everything will be cool bro ....time is the healer in these things. But i stepped into the wrong Ted Talk but stayed because i wanted to help

Se4M4NSt4ine - 8/13/2019, 3:54 AM

@ShimmyShimmyYA - You were on this site and had an actual real life girlfriend?

Ryguy88 - 8/13/2019, 5:40 AM

@Se4M4NSt4ine - mine just makes fun of me for it

Kumkani - 8/13/2019, 3:08 AM

I don't know how I feel about this. The movie sounded intriguing but I'm not exactly sure if I'm all for the overall direction Noah Hawley was going for. I only watched the first season of Legion which I did like however.

That being said, Marvel does like to make movies for characters people don't think need movies, and Doom might not an exception to this. It seemed like Marvel and Hawley were discussing things.

tmp3 - 8/13/2019, 3:11 AM

I soured on Legion halfway through season 2, despite really liking the first season, but Noah Hawley is incredibly talented. All three Fargo seasons were great and his upcoming film Lucy in the Sky (in cinemas October 4! @regularmovieguy) looks great too.
A Doctor Doom movie structured like Frost/Nixon, or A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, sounds pretty inspired too; Doom's certainly a developed enough character to justify his own film. If nothing else we know Hawley can get some great performances, so we would have finally had a great on-screen Doom.

regularmovieguy - 8/13/2019, 6:34 AM

@tmp3

Me too. Loved Legion S1. Watched maybe 2 eps of S2 and I was like “okay, man...you can streamline this a little better.”

Didn’t watch S3 but recorded the finale. Lol.

OptimusGrime - 8/13/2019, 3:12 AM

Anyway - im sad we wont see hawleys Doom - he's a great writer with sucha unique vision. Legion blew me away at times with just how crazy and different it was. With a lot of intelligence thrown in there - especially about human behaviour and psyche. Im sure his Doom would have been super cerebral mind heist so to speak. Almost sherlock holmes esq - but if sherlock was the bad guy. But we would also root for him in many ways.
Anyway Myself and @ShimmyShimmyYA will doing a podcast in the coming weeks ..Relationships, Doom and the Inevitable Loss of the Human Condition

Kurne - 8/13/2019, 3:13 AM

I honestly thought that with the merger, the cancellation of all these Fox projects would be more awkward...

I think it's even more awkward that it's not.

tmp3 - 8/13/2019, 3:15 AM

@Kurne - The Mouse Guard cancellation felt pretty awkward since it was like three weeks before principle photography was meant to start

WakandanQueen - 8/13/2019, 3:22 AM

Can't wait for his film Lucy in the Sky, starring the Mighty Thor, Domino and David Haller.

tmp3 - 8/13/2019, 3:25 AM

@WakandanQueen - October 4 gonna be a busy day for Zazie Beetz between that and Joker

NinnesMBC - 8/13/2019, 7:00 AM

@WakandanQueen - And Season 2's narrator Jon Hamm.

dracula - 8/13/2019, 3:51 AM

Doubt Marvel will make villain movies anytime soon, maybe they will do it if Joker is a success

Pigdango - 8/13/2019, 3:58 AM

I think by “done” he means “completed.” As in he has finished writing the script, not that the project is dead. The rest of the quote seems to indicate that it’s something he still plans to pursue with Marvel.

JustAChillFan - 8/13/2019, 6:59 AM

@Pigdango - he is literally saying his work on Lucy in the sky and legion is done, Josh just can't read apparently lol.

GhostDog - 8/13/2019, 3:58 AM

Just let him direct F4 at this point. It’s begging to be done.

Pigdango - 8/13/2019, 4:02 AM

LOL I just read the article and the movie he is talking about as being “done” is Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds! Ha ha ha. @Josh Wilding you may want to edit this article!