Avengers: Doomsday‘s first official description for Doctor Doom confirms key details about the Phase 6 big bad. Moviegoers are under two months away from meeting the first live-action Doctor Doom in over a decade when former Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. brings Marvel’s genius sorcerer to life in Doomsday on December 18. Interestingly, most of what fans know about the MCU’s Doctor Doom comes from the comics and online rumors, as Marvel Studios has kept much of his nature, backstory, and motivations quiet ahead of Avengers 5‘s debut.
An official new coloring book for Avengers: Doomsday has been released, one page of which features the first major description of Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom’s nature ahead of his MCU debut. The description notes his Latverian regality and nature as a “master of magic and technology,” but the curious detail is that “no one knows what he really hides behind his mask:”
“Victor Von Doom is the ruler of Latveria and is a master of magic and technology. No one knows what he really hides behind his mask.”
The majority of that information is, of course, nothing new and was mostly obvious from the trailers and earlier marketing, as Marvel Studios has already been touting Victor von Doom’s two main superpowers. However, the hint that what is behind Doom’s mask is such a mystery may have major implications for Doomsday.
Those who have been keeping up with Doomsday will know that RDJ’s Doom hails from Earth-828, home to Marvel’s First Family, which was introduced in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. It seems that Doom and the Fantastic Four will be “friendly” when Avengers 5 begins, before becoming enemies on-screen.
The fact that “no one knows what he really hides behind his mask” has a clever double meaning: it refers both to how he conceals his true face to hide his scarring and to how RDJ and Tony Stark’s infamous faces are hidden underneath.
If that description is literal, it would suggest that even Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards and Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm haven’t seen Doom’s face. That will be crucial when it comes to the Fantastic Four’s arrival on Earth-616, as they are bound to see images of Tony Stark plastered across the reality and branded as a hero, which could prove confusing if they usually associate that face with Doom.
Of course, The Fantastic Four confirms at least one exception to the tease that “no one knows” what Doom truly looks like. The mid-credits scene reveals an unmasked Doom couching down in front of Franklin Richards, setting up the cosmic-powered child to be vital in Doom’s Multiversal plans.
Earlier this year, the Russo Brothers issued a bold statement about Doctor Doom’s nature, reassuring fans that he is in safe hands for the next two MCU movies. The latest official description from Marvel Studios is even more encouraging, as it perfectly nails the crucial (albeit surface-level) components of his character: ruler of Latviera, master of magic and technology, and doesn’t remove his mask.
Will RDJ’s Doctor Doom Ever Be Unmasked For a Tony Stark Twist?
Avengers: Doomsday‘s first two trailers have tightly abided by Doctor Doom’s all-important rule of keeping his mask on at all times. In the comics, this is to mask his facial scarring, which has ranged from significant deformation from an accident to a minor mark that he is determined to hide as a sign of his commitment to perfection.
According to Doomsday rumors, Doctor Doom was scarred in an accident that killed his wife and son after his own Incursion-related experiment went awry. One has to imagine that the incident will be depicted in flashbacks that ought to reveal Doom’s face to audiences, but will our heroes ever catch a glimpse?
By all accounts, it appears that Doom will remain masked in Doomsday, perhaps saving that twist for a third-act reveal, or even saving it until Secret Wars. The decision is a logical one, as Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is undoubtedly one of the heroes most affected by seeing his former mentor unmasked as a villain, and he will seemingly skip out on Doomsday before returning in Secret Wars.
Thus far, Marvel Studios has received praise for seemingly using RDJ to depict Victor von Doom without adding a Tony Stark twist. However, whether it be through a Multiversal coincidence that they bear the same face or a more complex reason, there’s no doubt that the mask is coming off at some point to shock Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
