There has never been as big a wild card in the superhero genre as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. Outside of a shot of his back in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the villain has had no presence in the MCU. All fans have to hang on to is the fact that former Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. is the one bringing Doom to life.
Descriptions of footage from events like CinemaCon have kept the Doom hype train on the tracks by teasing lines of dialogue and incredible feats, such as stopping an attack from Thor. However, that’s likely only to be the tip of the iceberg, and the good people at Marvel Studios are running out of time to get their evil ducks in a row. Fortunately, they’re getting an assist in the form of an action figure that draws a line between Doom and another notable MCU bad guy, Scarlet Witch.
The latest batch of Doomsday merchandise focuses on action figures, which are a staple of the lead-up to any superhero movie. Doom’s newest toy provides a great look at his MCU costume, complete with a mask that’s sure to come off a time or two during the upcoming movie. What’s even more interesting than the suit, though, are the accessories that accompany Doom in his packaging.
Unlike most Marvel villains, Doom doesn’t carry around a gun or sword; he makes magic his weapon of choice. Most iterations of the character utilize green magic to match their iconic color scheme. Well, based on the new figure’s add-ons, Doomsday may be taking the character in another direction, turning his magic red.
Red magic is far from a foreign concept in the MCU. Avengers: Age of Ultron got the party started by introducing Wanda Maximoff, a Sokovian orphan who wanted revenge on Tony Stark and agreed to undergo HYDRA experiments. Being exposed to the Mind Stone tapped into a dormant power within Wanda, allowing her to control what was referred to as “chaos magic.”
After embracing her Scarlet Witch persona, Wanda began searching the multiverse for a reality where her kids actually existed in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Her mission put her in direct conflict with Stephen Strange, who dreamwalked into a dead version of himself in order to end the threat. Wanda seemingly died when Mount Wundagore collapsed in front of her, taking chaos magic with her.
All these years later, Doom may be close to getting his hands on the power. And the development would make a lot of sense, given that rumors have been floating around about Scarlet Witch’s return for as long as she’s been gone.
Doctor Doom Could Be The Reason Scarlet Witch Returns From The Dead In The MCU
The old adage in superhero movies is that there isn’t a body, a character isn’t really dead. Multiverse of Madness never showed Wanda after the collapse, which felt very intentional. It was almost like Sam Raimi and Co. were directed to keep the book open, just in case Marvel Studios wanted to bring the character back down the line.
Elizabeth Olsen has consistently played coy whenever asked about Wanda’s live-action future. However, Doomsday and its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars, are confirmed to be full of surprises, including cameos. And who better to bring back in some capacity than arguably the strongest character in MCU history?
The discussion now becomes about what kind of role Scarlet Witch could play in Doomsday. The easy explanation is that a variant of the former Avenger arrives on the scene. A report from The Cosmic Circus pushes the idea that an alternate version of Wanda will appear alongside her comic book father, Magneto.
Seeing Scarlet Witch finally embrace her mutant heritage sure sounds enticing. But the Earth-616 version of the character still has so much potential. A better idea would be to resurrect her and have her either work for Doom or serve as his mentor in the mystic arts.
Given Wanda’s complicated past with Tony Stark, having her align herself with a villain who looks just like him could drive so much conflict in Doomsday. The Downey Jr. casting would stop feeling so out of left field and more like a plan Marvel Studios had in their back pocket for years.
Going down that road could also set up a future conflict between Wanda and another magic user on her level. No disrespect to Doctor Strange, but he struggled to hold his own against Scarlet Witch. The only reason he came out on top, really, was that she saw the error of her ways before it was too late and gave him the victory.
Doom isn’t likely to pull punches, especially if he has access to chaos magic, making him a terrifying matchup for every hero, not just Wanda. But it wouldn’t hurt to have her around, as even on her worst day, she’s capable of doing good.
