Everything we know about Doctor Doom after 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps'

Robert Downey Jr. revealed as Doctor Doom for "Avengers: Doomsday"

(Image credit: Marvel)

Not every mid-credit scene is this intense. In the latest Marvel movie, “Fantastic Four: First Steps” there’s a cameo that you will want to stick around to watch. (The scene appears after only a few minutes into the credits.) Warning: Spoilers ahead!

We see Sue Storm picking out books for little Franklin, the wunderkind who will eventually become one of the most powerful mutants in the Marvel lexicon. As Sue turns around, she sees a mysterious figure who's well known to comic book fans: Doctor Doom, the nemesis from next year's "Avengers: Doomsday." Here’s everything we know about that film coming up in December of next year and its big bad, plus a few other details.

Robert Downey Jr. returns to the MCU

No one is quite sure how Marvel will pull this off, but somehow, some way, Downey — who played Iron Man in 10 movies over 11 years — will return as the villain Doctor Doom in some altered dimension.

No matter how (or even if) this is acknowledged or explained in "Doomsday," we know the beloved actor will bring complexity and nuance to the role. We also know, based on the Doctor Doom backstory, that the villain already burns with hostility toward Reed Richards from the Fantastic Four, since he’s another upstart science prodigy.

Who is Doctor Doom?

Doctor Doom is one of Marvel’s most feared villains — a genius inventor and skilled sorcerer. Born Victor Von Doom, he mixes cutting-edge tech with dark magic in his endless quest for power. Think Iron Man mashed up with Doctor Strange.

In the comic books, apart from the backstory involving the Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom always wears a mask after performing an experiment that went awry and scarred his face.

He was once cited as Stan Lee's favorite villain, which is a critical delineation, especially since Doctor Doom's actual powers don't rate as high as, say, Thanos.

We also know that this new series of "Avengers" movies is the culmination of the multiverse, so just about anything is possible. There’s even some Reddit chatter about Tony Stark “creating” Doctor Doom in some alternate universe, but that’s not part of the Marvel backstory.

What are Doctor Doom's powers?

As TG's Malcolm McMillan noted after the announcement that Downey would play Doctor Doom, there are several iterations of the villain, depending on the particular comic book series. But he's likely to retain two innate powers: genius and sorcery.

Like Iron Man, Doom wears armor he built himself, which grants him superhuman strength, protection, energy blasts and a variety of gadgets. On top of that, his mastery of magic lets him cast spells, create force fields, teleport and even summon mystical entities. Combined, Doom’s scientific brilliance and magical prowess make him one of the most formidable foes in the Marvel universe.

A kidnapping is in store

We also know from the comics that Doctor Doom will eventually kidnap Franklin. That's why the mid-credits scene is so important; it hints at the impending story arc.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the next "Avengers" starts not just with Doctor Doom competing against Reed Richards but then jumps forward in time to the kidnapping, which might be the basic plotline. We also know Doctor Doom will be fighting more than just the Avengers. The Fantastic Four will be involved, along with the X-Men and Thunderbolts.

The MCU could get very serious

Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" — (Image credit: Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios / Marvel Studios)

That "Fantastic Four" mid-credits scene is an important setup for the "Avengers" franchise, especially since Marvel has not exactly been hitting home runs since “End Game” came out in 2019.

I'm craving some complexity to the plot beyond just a few choreographed fight scenes. What makes the Franklin angle intriguing is that Doctor Doom is not the most powerful villain, whereas Franklin is considered one of the mightiest characters in the Marvel universe.

Since Franklin is only 4 years old at the end of “Fantastic Four," there’s already a dramatic ploy at work: Doctor Doom could wreak havoc with the help of a kidnapped preschooler. We’ll see if that all plays out when "Avengers: Doomsday" opens in theaters Dec. 18, 2026.

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John Brandon is a technologist, business writer, and book author. He first started writing in 2001 when he was downsized from a corporate job. In the early days of his writing career, he wrote features about biometrics and wrote Wi-Fi router and laptop reviews for LAPTOP magazine. Since 2001, he has published over 15,000 articles and has written business columns for both Inc. magazine and Forbes. He has personally tested over 10,000 gadgets in his career.

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