New AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY Doctor Doom Costume Revealed at D23
Doctor Doom apparently has more than one look ready for his MCU takeover, and Marvel Studios just gave fans a closer look at another costume Robert Downey Jr.’s villain will be wearing in Avengers: Doomsday.
A second Doctor Doom costume has appeared as part of Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday display on the D23 show floor in Anaheim.
While the other Doom design leans much closer to the imposing, classic version of the Marvel Comics villain, this costume should look familiar to anyone who stuck around for The Fantastic Four: First Steps mid-credits scene.
It appears to be the same outfit Victor Von Doom was wearing during that sequence, although the mask isn’t an exact match. That difference could simply come down to the timing of production, as Joe and Anthony Russo may not have finalized Doom’s design when the Fantastic Four stinger was filmed.
Either way, the existence of two costumes could tell us quite a bit about Doom’s role in Avengers: Doomsday.
This version looks like the costume Victor may wear while presenting himself as an ally and attempting to earn the trust of the Multiverse’s Mightiest Heroes.
If Doom initially enters the story as someone the Avengers and their allies believe they can work with, it would give him plenty of room to manipulate the situation before revealing what he actually wants. Once that happens, it looks like the more recognizable Doctor Doom will finally emerge.
Marvel has already shown off Doom’s more classic costume in a newly released Avengers: Doomsday poster, and the contrast between these designs could represent two very different sides of the character. One is the Victor Von Doom who needs the heroes to believe he can be trusted. The other is Doctor Doom in all his armored glory.
That could make for a much more interesting MCU introduction than simply having Doom arrive as the next universe-destroying villain everyone immediately wants to punch.
Marvel Studios is obviously building a different origin and path for Doom than the character had during his earliest Marvel Comics appearances. There’s always a risk in changing too much about such an iconic villain, especially one with a history as rich as Doom’s, but giving Victor more room to establish his personality, motivations, and relationships before revealing the full extent of his plans could pay off.
There’s another interesting piece of the D23 display that may offer a clue about those plans. Marvel Studios has recreated the Time Variance Authority for the event, and the TVA has clearly seen better days.
The location appears to have come under attack, adding some weight to previous rumors that Doom will target both the TVA and Loki during Avengers: Doomsday.
It seems Doom isn’t merely coming after the Avengers. He could be going directly after one of the most important organizations holding the MCU Multiverse together, along with the guy currently sitting at the center of its branching timelines.
The two costumes also raise some fun questions about how much of Victor’s true agenda will be hidden from the heroes. Will they know exactly who they’re dealing with from the beginning, or will Doom spend a portion of the movie convincing everyone that he’s the solution to an even bigger problem?
Whatever Marvel and the Russo Brothers have planned, it looks like Avengers: Doomsday won’t be introducing Doctor Doom as a simple one-note bad guy. The second costume suggests there may be a progression to Victor’s transformation into the fully armored Doom fans know from the comics.
Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to hit theaters on December 18.