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Every Character Doctor Doom Could Be Hunting in Avengers: Doomsday — And the Last One May Explain Why Avengers 5 Changed Its Title
The multiverse has never been more dangerous in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
As Avengers: Doomsday moves closer to its release, theories surrounding Doctor Doom's role are becoming increasingly wild. One particularly intriguing rumor suggests that Doom may not simply be interested in conquering the multiverse.
Instead, he could be hunting down the very people he believes are responsible for destabilizing it.
According to the leak discussed in the original report, Doctor Doom may target characters whose actions have contributed to multiversal instability and potentially triggered incursions. If this turns out to be accurate, several major MCU characters could suddenly find themselves on Doom's hit list.
And the most surprising name on that list may be the one that connects Avengers: Doomsday to the mysterious change in the title of Avengers 5.
Important disclaimer: The information discussed here is based on reported leaks, rumors, and fan theories rather than confirmed Marvel Studios plot details. The final movie could be significantly different.
The Multiverse Problem Behind Doctor Doom's Plan
Before looking at Doom's potential targets, it is important to understand the idea behind an incursion.
Within the MCU's multiverse storyline, incursions are catastrophic events associated with different realities coming into conflict. Characters who travel between universes, interfere with alternate realities, or otherwise disrupt the natural order of the multiverse could potentially contribute to this instability.
And the MCU has introduced plenty of characters who have done exactly that.
From time travelers and sorcerers to alternate versions of heroes and characters who have crossed between completely different cinematic universes, the MCU has gradually created a massive web of multiversal consequences.
If Doctor Doom believes these characters are responsible for the problem, his solution could be brutally simple:
Eliminate them.
Here are the characters who could potentially end up in his sights.
One of the more unexpected potential targets is Gamora.
The Gamora currently existing in the MCU is not the same Gamora audiences followed throughout the original Guardians of the Galaxy storyline. The original Gamora died during Avengers: Infinity War after Thanos sacrificed her to obtain the Soul Stone.
However, Avengers: Endgame introduced another version of Gamora.
This Gamora came from 2014, traveling forward in time alongside Thanos and his forces before eventually remaining in the future.
That's where the problem begins.
According to the theory, Gamora's presence in the MCU's main timeline could itself represent a disruption to the natural order of events. She came from a different point in history and was never supposed to remain in that future reality.
If Doom's objective is to eliminate people connected to multiversal instability, Gamora could therefore become a target.
It could also explain why the Guardians of the Galaxy might eventually become involved in Avengers: Doomsday, especially given the speculation surrounding characters who were not included in earlier cast announcements.
Monica Rambeau is another character whose story is deeply connected to the multiverse.
First introduced in Captain Marvel, Monica eventually became the superhero Photon and played an important role in WandaVision and The Marvels.
At the end of The Marvels, Monica makes a critical sacrifice.
After the dimensional gateway becomes unstable, Monica helps close the portal from the other side. The decision leaves her stranded in another universe.
That universe is believed to be connected to the reality inhabited by the X-Men.
And that could be extremely important.
The theory suggests that Monica's presence in another reality may eventually contribute to an incursion between universes — potentially connecting the X-Men's world with the MCU's Earth-616.
If Avengers: Doomsday really becomes the massive Avengers-versus-X-Men crossover many fans expect, Monica could be one of the characters sitting directly at the center of that conflict.
If there is one character who has repeatedly played with the multiverse, it is Doctor Strange.
Stephen Strange has been involved in some of the MCU's most dangerous mystical and multiversal events.
In the first Doctor Strange, he manipulates time to reverse the destruction of Hong Kong and eventually traps Dormammu inside a time loop.
Later, in Avengers: Infinity War, Strange uses the Time Stone to examine millions of possible futures in an attempt to discover a path toward defeating Thanos.
But his most controversial actions come later.
In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Strange's spell goes catastrophically wrong, opening the door for villains from other universes to enter the MCU's main reality.
Then Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness takes things even further.
Strange uses the Darkhold and performs dreamwalking, connecting his consciousness to the corpse of a variant of himself from another universe.
That is a massive violation of the natural rules governing the multiverse.
The arrival of Clea at the end of the movie reinforces just how serious the situation has become. She warns Strange about an interdimensional problem involving an incursion.
So if Doom is hunting people responsible for multiversal instability, Doctor Strange would arguably be one of the most obvious targets.
Peter Parker could also find himself in Doctor Doom's crosshairs.
The events of Spider-Man: No Way Home are among the most obvious examples of a character unintentionally triggering a multiversal disaster.
Peter wanted the world to forget that he was Spider-Man.
To accomplish this, Doctor Strange attempted a spell that would alter everyone's memories.
But Peter repeatedly interfered with the spell because he wanted certain people to remember him.
The result was catastrophic.
Characters from other universes began appearing in the MCU's reality, including several villains who knew Spider-Man's identity.
Peter then attempted to cure these villains instead of sending them back immediately.
While his intentions were heroic, his decisions created even more chaos.
From Doom's perspective, that may be enough to make Peter Parker responsible for a dangerous multiversal chain reaction.
But there is another layer that could make this confrontation emotionally devastating.
Doctor Doom is portrayed by Robert Downey Jr., who previously played Tony Stark.
Peter Parker deeply respected Tony.
Imagine Peter discovering that the person hunting him looks exactly like the mentor he once trusted — only to realize that this isn't Tony Stark at all.
That could create one of the most psychologically disturbing encounters in the movie.
Steve Rogers might have one of the most interesting cases of all.
At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Steve travels through time to return the Infinity Stones.
But instead of immediately returning to his original point in time, Steve chooses to remain in the past and live a life with Peggy Carter.
For years, this was viewed as one of the most emotional and satisfying endings for the character.
But what if it wasn't supposed to happen?
The theory presented in the original report suggests that Steve's decision may have created or permanently altered a branch timeline.
From a multiversal perspective, Steve didn't simply go back in time.
He chose to remain there.
If Doom's philosophy is that anyone who disrupts the natural order must be eliminated, Steve could potentially be considered guilty.
And there is an intriguing production detail that makes the theory even more interesting.
The set representing Steve and Peggy's home was reportedly rebuilt for Avengers: Doomsday, with actors and stunt doubles involved in scenes filmed around the location.
That raises an obvious question:
Why would Marvel need Steve Rogers' old home again?
Perhaps someone is coming to find Steve.
It could be a hero from the future asking for his help.
Or, much darker, it could be Doctor Doom himself.
Eddie Brock and Venom could also have a surprising connection to the multiverse crisis.
In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange's spell temporarily pulls Venom into the MCU.
Venom's connection to the Symbiote Hive Mind makes this even more complicated.
The Hive Mind connects symbiotes across different realities, allowing Venom to access knowledge and memories beyond his own universe.
This helps explain why Venom appears to know about Spider-Man despite originating outside the MCU's main reality.
Although Eddie and Venom are eventually returned to their original universe, something is left behind.
A small fragment of the symbiote remains in the MCU.
That tiny piece could potentially become important later.
If the presence of an alien entity originating from another universe contributes to future multiversal instability, Eddie and Venom could theoretically become targets for Doom.
There is also a larger possibility.
With the future of Sony's Spider-Man Universe becoming increasingly uncertain, a multiversal event could provide Marvel with an opportunity to radically reshape or reset certain elements of that universe.
And Doom could potentially be at the center of that transition.
Wanda Maximoff may have an even stronger case than almost anyone else.
In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wanda becomes obsessed with finding her children across alternate realities.
To accomplish this, she uses the Darkhold and learns to perform dreamwalking.
Her consciousness enters alternate versions of herself, allowing her to pursue America Chavez across different universes.
The problem is that Wanda isn't simply observing these realities.
She is forcibly invading them.
Her actions leave a significant impact across multiple universes and demonstrate just how dangerous direct interference between realities can become.
If Doctor Doom is hunting characters who have destabilized the multiverse, Scarlet Witch would be almost impossible to ignore.
Her connection to the Darkhold, alternate realities, dreamwalking, and America Chavez places her directly inside the MCU's multiversal conflict.
The events of Deadpool & Wolverine could also have consequences.
By the end of the movie, Deadpool manages to save his universe, while Wolverine finds a new place to live.
On the surface, it is a happy ending.
But from a strict multiversal perspective, the situation is complicated.
The original Logan died in his own universe, forcing Deadpool to find another Wolverine variant.
Eventually, Deadpool brings a different version of Logan into his reality.
This Wolverine comes from a tragic timeline in which the X-Men were killed, leaving him consumed by guilt and regret.
Now he has a new home.
But that creates an interesting question:
Was Wolverine actually supposed to be there?
If Logan was an Anchor Being whose existence was essential to the stability of his original universe, replacing the original Wolverine with a variant could potentially create new problems.
That makes Deadpool and Wolverine possible targets under the theory.
The speculation becomes even more interesting because Ryan Reynolds has been rumored to be involved with Avengers: Doomsday.
If Deadpool really appears, Marvel could use his connection to the multiverse as a major part of the story.
And then we arrive at the final group.
Kang and his variants.
This may be the most important part of the entire theory.
Kang's connection to the multiverse has been established throughout the MCU, particularly through Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Different versions of Kang are connected to the creation and manipulation of alternate timelines.
They also played a central role in the Multiversal War, in which different Kang variants fought one another for dominance.
Their actions created countless unstable timelines and contributed to the larger chaos surrounding the multiverse.
If Doctor Doom is attempting to eliminate the root causes of incursions, the Kangs would arguably be near the top of his list.
And this is where the theory becomes particularly fascinating.
Could Doctor Doom Have Replaced Kang as the Central Threat?
The original title for the fifth Avengers movie was Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
It was later changed to Avengers: Doomsday.
If the theory is correct, Marvel could potentially use the opening of Doomsday to explain that transition within the story itself.
Imagine the movie beginning with Doctor Doom systematically eliminating the remaining Kang variants.
No grand Kang Dynasty.
No future Kang empire.
Just Doom wiping them out because he believes they are responsible for the multiverse's instability.
That would immediately establish Doom as a completely different kind of villain.
He wouldn't necessarily see himself as evil.
He could believe that he is saving reality.
And that distinction could become the foundation of his character.
Doctor Doom: Villain or "Hero"?
This is perhaps the most interesting possibility hidden inside the theory.
What if Doctor Doom genuinely believes he is the hero?
From his perspective, the multiverse is collapsing because reckless heroes, villains, time travelers, and alternate versions of themselves have repeatedly violated the natural rules of reality.
So Doom decides to solve the problem permanently.
Gamora crossed timelines.
Monica became trapped in another universe.
Doctor Strange repeatedly interfered with reality.
Peter Parker helped trigger a multiversal incident.
Steve Rogers potentially remained in a timeline where he wasn't supposed to stay.
Venom crossed between universes.
Scarlet Witch invaded alternate realities.
Deadpool and Wolverine altered the natural balance of another universe.
And Kang's variants may have spent years destabilizing the multiverse through their war.
Doom could look at all of this and conclude that the heroes aren't the solution.
They are the problem.
That would make his actions far more complicated than simple world domination.
And What About Franklin Richards?
There is one final piece of the theory worth mentioning: Franklin Richards.
The report speculates that Doctor Doom may approach Franklin because of his extraordinary potential.
Rather than simply treating Franklin as another enemy, Doom could potentially attempt to use his abilities as part of a larger plan to stabilize or reshape reality.
If Doom truly sees himself as a savior, Franklin could become an extremely valuable weapon — or ally — in his attempt to rebuild the multiverse according to his own vision.
And that could set up a much larger conflict.
The Bigger Picture Behind Avengers: Doomsday
Taken together, the theory paints a very different picture of Avengers: Doomsday.
Doctor Doom may not simply arrive as another powerful villain looking to destroy the Avengers.
Instead, he could arrive with a mission:
Find the people responsible for the multiverse's collapse and eliminate them.
That would turn several beloved MCU heroes into potential targets.
More importantly, it would give Marvel a way to connect years of multiverse storytelling into one central conflict.
The events of Loki, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Marvels, Deadpool & Wolverine, and the broader Kang storyline could all suddenly feel like pieces of the same puzzle.
And if Kang really is eliminated by Doom at the beginning of the story, the title change from The Kang Dynasty to Doomsday would feel far more meaningful.
Of course, none of this should be treated as confirmed.
The original report itself emphasizes that the information comes from an insider whose previous Marvel leaks have reportedly been accurate, but leaks can still be wrong. Even when a rumor turns out to be based on real production information, Marvel Studios can change, rewrite, or completely abandon a storyline before the final cut.
So the real answer will only arrive when Avengers: Doomsday finally reaches theaters.
Until then, one question remains:
Is Doctor Doom trying to destroy the heroes — or is he trying to save the multiverse by destroying the people he believes caused its collapse?