The main villain this time will be Doctor Doom, played by MCU veteran Robert Downey Jr. Doomsday is heavily appealing to MCU nostalgia, as it’s also bringing back Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) after giving him his happy ending in Endgame – and thanks to this, the MCU is now remaking Civil War, but now with a clear winner.
Avengers: Doomsday Will Be Doctor Doom vs Captain America
Despite being the big crossover event of the MCU’s Phase Six and the Multiverse Saga, and being just a couple of months away from its release, there aren’t many plot details about Avengers: Doomsday. What’s known about Doomsday so far is that it’s set 14 months after the events of Thunderbolts*, with all the above-mentioned characters and more facing Doctor Doom.
Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom made his first appearance in the post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, where he was talking to Franklin Reed, the son of Reed (Pedro Pascal) and Sue (Vanessa Kirby). That’s all that’s known about Doom’s presence in the MCU, with his role and motivations in Doomsday still unclear.
Out of the original Avengers, the ones officially confirmed to return are Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and Chris Evans’ Captain America, the latter being the biggest cast surprise so far. Exactly how Rogers will be convinced to go back into action after finally getting his happy ending with Peggy Carter and having a family (according to the teasers, at least) is to be seen, but this sets up the real battle in Doomsday.
Although Doomsday is a crossover event, it all points to it ultimately being all about Doctor Doom vs Captain America, repeating Civil War’s Iron Man/Robert Downey Jr. vs Captain America/Chris Evans battle. This is supported by the Steve Rogers Doomsday teaser and Downey Jr. and Evans’ reunion at the Oscars, being the pair that is being highlighted more than any other characters in Doomsday’s extensive cast.
Avengers: Doomsday Theory Claims Captain America Is The Reason For Multiversal Instability
Captain America’s role in Avengers: Doomsday might be a lot more than just a nostalgia hook for MCU fans. As mentioned above, there are no details on Captain America’s role in Doomsday and why he would agree to leave his peaceful life behind after everything he has already gone through – and that’s why a theory says he’s the reason for Doom’s appearance.
Doctor Doom’s presence is believed to be a consequence of the MCU’s multiverse instability, which got worse after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – however, the root of the problem might have been Captain America himself, specifically at the end of Endgame.
In it, Captain America goes back in time to return the Infinity Stones, but those trips were never shown. Instead, Endgame simply shows him leaving and then returning as his very old self, as he decided to stay in the past to reunite with Peggy. As well-intentioned as this mission was, it might have been what caused the multiverse’s instability.
Some theories suggest Captain America accidentally altered events while returning the Stones, thus triggering an incursion. This was only made worse by his decision to stay in the past with Peggy, which breaks the rules of time travel and creates a new timeline that the MCU hasn’t explored yet, but it might be time to do so now.
If true, this explains why Captain America is coming back in Doomsday and why he’s being teased as the main character, as he will have to answer for his actions and, quite possibly, be forced to sacrifice his happiness to fix his mistakes.
Team Captain America Is The Only Way To Win In Avengers: Doomsday
The MCU is, once more, focusing on Downey Jr. vs Evans now in Avengers: Doomsday, but unlike Civil War, this time the answer is very clear. In Civil War, the audience chose a side between Team Iron Man and Team Captain America as they were two different perspectives on the same subject.
Team Iron Man supported the Sokovia Accords, and, with that, accountability from superheroes, even if that meant the government overseeing their actions, while Team Captain America opposed the Accords, instead supporting autonomy and freedom. In the end, after not only Civil War but the rest of the Infinity Saga, it was clear that Team Iron Man was right.
This time, however, Team Captain America is the only answer. Iron Man wasn’t a villain, but Doctor Doom is, and it’s currently unclear what he wants and how he intends to achieve this, but the most popular theories point to him collecting powerful children from across the multiverse. Whatever the case, Doctor Doom won’t be a character to root for.
Team Captain America will be led by Rogers with the help and support of the rest of the heroes in Doomsday, and though Rogers has a couple of loose ends to address, his side will be the one to root for this time.
Why Avengers: Doomsday Is Remaking Civil War
Civil War was one of the first big events of the MCU, and it was key to shaping the rest of the Infinity Saga. Unfortunately, the MCU has been struggling since Spider-Man: No Way Home, and has been forced to make some unexpected changes to its plans. Doomsday was originally The Kang Dynasty, but Jonathan Major’s off-screen issues led the MCU to rethink the rest of the Multiverse Saga.
Unlike Thanos and even Kang, Doctor Doom isn’t a villain that has been gradually set up, so Doomsday needed a bigger hook – enter Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, even if the former is back as a different character. Of course, the conflict in Doomsday is very different from that in Civil War, but the main stars are what will get the audience’s attention.
It’s to be seen how Doctor Doom’s presence will be explained in Avengers: Doomsday, what his motivations and plans are, and how and why Captain America will return to action, but so far, it’s just another version of Civil War, but with a clearer winning side.
Release Date
December 18, 2026
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Vanessa Kirby
Sue Storm / Invisible Woman
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Johnny Storm / Human Torch
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Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Ben Grimm / The Thing
English (US) ·