The MCU Might Be Making a Big Mistake With Marvel’s Greatest Rivalry

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Doctor Doom and Reed Richards have a long-standing, complex rivalry that’s central to Marvel Comics. It’s a deeply personal conflict fueled by years of envy, different beliefs, and a history dating back to their time as brilliant students together. However, the Marvel Cinematic Universe might be heading in a new direction with Doom. Rumors suggest that Captain America, Steve Rogers, could become Doom’s main opponent in a future Avengers film. If this happens, it would significantly alter Doom’s story in the MCU. The contrast between the two men is stark: Doom grew up poor in Latveria and had to work incredibly hard, while Richards came from a privileged background and enjoyed natural advantages.

Victor tried to create a machine to reach his dead mother, but a small mistake in his calculations went unnoticed. Reed pointed out the error and tried to help, but Victor, blinded by his own ego, dismissed the warning and wrongly accused Reed of being a spy. The machine malfunctioned and exploded, leaving Victor badly scarred. Instead of admitting his own fault, Victor blamed Reed for deliberately damaging his work. This incident ignited a long-lasting, bitter rivalry. Victor then journeyed to Tibet, where he compelled monks to craft an iron mask and suit of armor for him. Returning to his homeland as Doctor Doom, he seized control of Latveria, overthrowing the existing ruler and establishing himself as its leader.

Doctor Doom is a captivating villain because his life revolves around two main goals: taking over the world and proving he’s better than Reed Richards. Their intense rivalry isn’t just about power; Doom fundamentally can’t accept the idea of anyone being his equal, and especially not Reed. This obsession has been the driving force behind many iconic Marvel stories, including the 2015 Secret Wars event, where Doom gained immense power and created an entirely new world. Even with god-like abilities, his actions were still motivated by his desire to surpass Reed, leading him to extreme measures like making Sue Storm his queen and raising Valeria Richards as his own daughter.

How Marvel Reportedly Plans To Change Doom and Reed Richards’ Dynamic

Marvel announced Chris Evans will reprise his role as Captain America in a new MCU film slated for December 2025. A short teaser shown with the movie Avatar: Fire and Ash revealed Steve Rogers now living a quieter life – riding a motorcycle, carefully putting away his Captain America suit, and holding a baby. According to entertainment source MyTimeToShineHello, Steve’s choice to live in the past with Peggy Carter unintentionally caused problems for Doctor Doom. Specifically, it led to a car accident that tragically killed Doom’s wife and child, and left Doom injured. This event will likely motivate Doom to seek revenge on Steve Rogers.

From a storytelling standpoint, connecting Steve Rogers’ fate in Avengers: Endgame to the multiversal chaos we’re now seeing makes sense. It naturally follows the consequences of his choices and allows the directors of both films, the Russo Brothers, to show how those choices play out. However, making Steve Rogers the main enemy of Doctor Doom comes at a cost. It could overshadow the important rivalry between Doom and Reed Richards, which is central to Doom’s character in the comics. Without that rivalry, this version of Doom feels quite different.

Even if Doctor Doom’s story differs from the comics, he could still be a great villain. The MCU has successfully reimagined villains before – Thanos is a prime example. Plus, with Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four heavily involved, a strong rivalry can still be built. Ideally, we’ll get to see the same kind of dynamic between Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans that we loved in Civil War, but this time with Doctor Doom as Reed’s enemy.

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2026-01-22 20:34