Doctor Doom vs. Thanos: The Ultimate Avengers Villain Showdown

The Rise of Doctor Doom in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

The Marvel Cinematic Universe spent years building up Thanos as the central antagonist of The Infinity Saga, and Avengers: Infinity War eventually lived up to the hefty promise. Now, Marvel Studios is aiming to recreate that same magic with Doctor Doom, who will formally debut in Avengers: Doomsday. One of the biggest questions surrounding this new villain is who will play him. Marvel Studios’ casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom is an unprecedented move, given how iconic his previous role as Iron Man has become.

There’s speculation that Marvel Studios will tie Doctor Doom to Tony Stark, and while there are variants that connect the two, Victor von Doom has traditionally been the one behind the mask. Doctor Doom is a Marvel villain fans have long wanted to see in the franchise. Previous Fantastic Four films have failed to deliver a faithful adaptation of the character, and now Avengers: Doomsday will try to showcase why many consider Doctor Doom one of the greatest comic book villains ever created.

For some, the idea of Doctor Doom being a more formidable threat than Thanos may be a stretch, but there’s a ton of comic book history to suggest why this is the case, which will be crucial if Avengers: Doomsday wants to top what came before.

Thanos’ Power Peak With the Infinity Stones

Before obtaining all the Infinity Stones, Thanos was still a powerful warlord who showed himself to be as much of a physical threat as he was tactical. However, Thanos’ quest to retrieve the Infinity Stones makes him even more deadly, to the point of wiping out half the universe. As powerful as the Infinity Stones make Thanos, the source of that power is external, and it does not last forever either.

As seen in Avengers: Endgame, Thanos is still a formidable villain with his army, but he’s not nearly as destructive without the Infinity Gauntlet. Moreover, after Thanos uses the Infinity Stones to bring balance to the universe, he is almost killed. Thanos chases after the Infinity Stones to reach his peak, but as Loki Season 1 showed, that type of power is useless as the stage grows larger with the multiverse, which means a more powerful villain is necessary.

Meanwhile, Doctor Doom is at his most dominant in the 2015 Secret Wars comic, where he creates his own reality after stealing the Beyonders’ powers. However, Doctor Doom has proven many times before that he doesn’t need to harness the power of the Beyonders to be a terrifying Avengers villain. But when it comes down to it, Doctor Doom’s peak power is much greater than what Thanos accomplished.

Doctor Doom Is Smarter and More Ambitious Than Thanos

In the comics, Thanos seeks to balance the universe to impress Death. However, the MCU took a different, grounded approach by turning Thanos into a more complex villain. Thanos is by no means a fool and is one of the few villains to actually accomplish his goal, but Doctor Doom is considered to be a far more intelligent villain.

Doctor Doom’s genius-level intelligence allows him to go head-to-head with many of the Marvel Universe’s renowned clever minds, from Reed Richards to Tony Stark. His intellect enables him to tap into advanced technology and magic, something past Fantastic Four films failed to explore. Doctor Doom also has far more ambition than Thanos, with Secret Wars and the creation of Battleworld much grander than what the Mad Titan sets his sights on in Avengers: Infinity War.

Avengers: Doomsday will introduce Doctor Doom, with only a brief mid-credits appearance in The Fantastic Four: The First Steps prior. Therefore, the MCU version of Doctor Doom may introduce a character near his peak, since Avengers: Secret Wars is right around the corner.

There are also rumors that Doctor Doom may work alongside the Avengers at first in Doomsday, and if he were to do this, then it would be in line with his masterful, manipulative skills to get what he wants. As sound as Thanos’ motives are in the MCU, Doctor Doom in the comics is willing to go even further to achieve his goals to dominate and bring order.

Doctor Doom Becomes a God at One Point and Manipulates the Multiverse

In another alternate universe, there’s also King Thanos, who wipes out nearly the entire universe, and this is a storyline Marvel Studios plans to explore with an attraction at Avengers Campus in the coming years. This alternate reality, where the Mad Titan won and continues his rule for years, may also be how Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars brings Thanos back. As dangerous as King Thanos is, it’s still not close to what Doctor Doom accomplishes.

Thanos may become a King, but Doctor Doom becomes a God, with the Battleworld universe created in his image. In Battleworld, God Emperor Doom has Doctor Strange by his side and also commands an army of Thors. Doctor Doom is also a ruler in his own right over his home country, Latveria, which comes with its own forces.

So, in addition to Doctor Doom’s own power, he also has control over the likes of Valeria and Franklin Richards in Secret Wars. This is far more impressive compared to Thanos’ army, composed of the Black Order, Chitauri, and other monsters in the MCU.

The MCU’s latest saga has also revolved around the multiverse, and previously featured Kang the Conqueror in a significant villain role until Marvel Studios fired Jonathan Majors from the role. Few villains are as powerful as Kang the Conqueror with the ability to manipulate the multiverse, and Doctor Doom is one of them.

Thanos does a lot in the universe he exists in, but that’s just one universe, whereas Doctor Doom combines the 616 and Ultimate Universes in the Secret Wars comic. In the MCU, it’s likely Doctor Doom will bring several universes together as well, such as the ones with Fox’s X-Men characters and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man.

Doctor Doom Has Defeated Thanos Before

Doctor Doom and Thanos frequently go up against the Avengers and other villains in the comics; the two villains have also faced off against each other. In the comic book Infinity Gauntlet storyline, Doctor Doom was part of a group that united heroes and villains to face Thanos, where the Mad Titan prevailed. However, in the 2015 version of Secret Wars, Thanos and God Emperor Doom cross paths, leading to a different outcome.

Thanos is without the Infinity Gauntlet, and with Doom at his most powerful, he’s able to defeat the Mad Titan with ease by simply grabbing his spine and turning him into bones. Thanos’ defeat by Doctor Doom is a comic-book moment many fans want to see translated in the upcoming Avengers movies.

Not just because it would be an incredible scene to witness on the big screen, but also because it would show audiences just how powerful Doctor Doom is. The comics have never featured a battle between God Emperor Doom and Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet, but that’s something the MCU could also bring to the screen to further showcase Doom’s menace.

The MCU has accomplished a lot throughout its impressive run, but one of its defining successes is the portrayal of Thanos. It’s challenging for a villain to live up to all the buildup, and Marvel Studios didn’t just adapt what’s in the comics; it added more depth to the character.

Marvel Studios will need to do something similar to make Doctor Doom just as impactful. Luckily, many already consider him one of Marvel’s greatest villains, and there are moments from the comics that the Avengers films can directly translate to the screen to make this happen.

However, Doctor Doom will enter the MCU without all the years of built-up Thanos received. Avengers: Doomsday will need to explore a lot of Doctor Doom’s character to make him come across as the franchise’s greatest villain to date, and there are several ways to do it. Not every comic book movie needs to feature the most powerful villain to deliver a memorable one.

The Joker isn’t a villain who can physically fight Batman, but he can still give him trouble by challenging his philosophy. Doctor Doom can threaten the heroes’ philosophy and achieve power greater than any MCU villain before, which will be necessary, since the subsequent Avengers films will likely be the biggest comic book movies ever made, requiring a larger-than-life villain.