The Marvel Cinematic Universe is entering a new, major phase, representing its biggest shift in direction since the Infinity Saga concluded. After a few years of mixed success at the box office and a somewhat confusing multiverse storyline, Marvel Studios is now focusing on a large-scale crossover event. The upcoming film, Avengers: Doomsday, is central to this change, bringing back directors Joe and Anthony Russo, who previously helmed the blockbuster Avengers: Endgame. Adding to the excitement, Robert Downey Jr. will star as Victor von Doom, a character expected to be the main villain throughout this new story arc. The film also integrates the X-Men and Fantastic Four, aiming to create a fresh, cohesive narrative and resolve the issues with the established timeline.
Although Marvel is keeping the exact story of Avengers: Doomsday under wraps, recent trailers have given us a sense of what the movie will be about. We know Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is back, and the trailers suggest the stakes are incredibly high. We see Thor (Chris Hemsworth) praying for strength for a final fight, and Scott Summers (James Marsden) surveying the ruins of the X-Mansion. Most importantly, the latest trailer shows the Wakandans – Shuri (Letitia Wright) and M’Baku (Winston Duke) – inviting the Fantastic Four to discuss a mysterious and dangerous threat. This hints that the movie will draw heavily from the 2015 Secret Wars comic, which features a bleak outlook where everything is destined to end. Wakanda’s involvement specifically suggests the film may include one of the most shocking and darkest turns in Marvel history.
In Marvel Comics, Wakanda Became Ground Zero on Incursions
A major storyline in the 2013 New Avengers comic series, written by Jonathan Hickman, began with the nation of Wakanda being destroyed by the first of many universe-colliding events called Incursions. These Incursions happen when two alternate Earths crash into each other, and if neither is destroyed, both realities cease to exist. In New Avengers #1, Black Panther (T’Challa) sees a being called the Black Swan destroy another Earth to save her own. This shocking event leads to the secret reformation of the Illuminati – a group including Reed Richards, Tony Stark, and Doctor Strange – who realize they may have to destroy other Earths to protect their own reality.
The ‘New Avengers’ storyline featuring Rickman is considered a particularly grim period in Marvel’s history because it challenged the heroes’ usual strong moral code. The Illuminati secretly spent months creating incredibly dangerous weapons, like devices using anti-matter, driven by a ruthless logic: they believed saving their universe was more important than the lives of people in other realities. This led to a breaking point where they erased Steve Rogers’ memories after he strongly protested their plan to destroy entire worlds. This story showed that even the most selfless heroes can be pushed to their limits when facing impossible odds, making their ultimate defeat even more tragic.
The MCU Is Taking Inspiration From 2015’s Secret Wars
Marvel has confirmed that Avengers: Doomsday is setting the stage for Avengers: Secret Wars, a huge film intended to conclude the current storyline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and begin a fresh start. This approach mirrors a similar setup in Marvel comics, where the New Avengers series led into a major 2015 event that depicted a breakdown of reality through difficult and questionable decisions. It’s notable that Marvel chose to highlight Wakanda in early promotional material, as the nation is likely to be at the center of the reality-altering Incursions in the movies, just as it was in the comics. By including the Fantastic Four in Wakanda, the filmmakers are suggesting that the smartest minds in the MCU are bracing themselves for the same tough choices faced in the original comic book story.
The New Avengers comic series offers a strong story reason for introducing Doctor Doom into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the comics, Doom uniquely realized the Multiverse couldn’t be saved, only partially recovered. If the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday movie follows this path, Doom could initially guide the MCU heroes in a risky attempt to protect their reality, only to ultimately betray them and create Battleworld, making the large-scale crossover event a story of heroic loss.
Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to be released in theaters on December 18th.
Will the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have to destroy another universe to protect the Sacred Timeline? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!
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2026-03-15 00:13