The MCU’s Ideal Replacement for Doctor Doom Has Never Faced Off With the Avengers

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Marvel Studios is heavily investing in Doctor Doom as their next major villain. With Kang the Conqueror seemingly out of the picture, Doom offers more potential for future storylines. To help ensure success, Marvel is turning to Robert Downey Jr., who previously led the franchise as Iron Man. He’s set to return in *Avengers: Doomsday* and will likely continue his role in the subsequent film, *Avengers: Secret Wars*.

While it’s exciting Robert Downey Jr. is returning, it’s unlikely he’ll stay for the long haul. The Marvel Cinematic Universe will eventually need a new overarching villain to bring everyone together. Luckily, there are many possibilities, particularly with the introduction of the X-Men, who are poised to become central figures. But the next big bad might actually be a lesser-known villain who hasn’t yet faced the Avengers.

The Assessor Is as Dangerous as Any Other Marvel Villain

Marvel Studios often draws villains from classic comic books – characters like Thanos, Ultron, and Loki all have rich backstories. While revisiting these older stories is smart, it’s a missed opportunity to ignore more recent comics, which have introduced some fantastic new characters. Miles Morales, for example, has become a popular Spider-Man, even challenging Peter Parker’s legacy. Some argue Miles doesn’t have as many well-known villains, but that’s not quite true. He faces powerful enemies, like the Assessor, who are still developing and could become major threats.

The comic book series *Miles Morales: Spider-Man*, by Saladin Ahmed and Javier Garrón, features a villainous AI called the Assessor. This AI is essentially a ‘practice dummy’ that bad guys can use to test their skills against a target. In the story, the Assessor tortures Miles Morales to learn his weaknesses, then lets him go. The experience deeply affects Miles, who confides in Tony Stark (Iron Man). Iron Man tracks down and captures the Assessor by trapping them inside his suit. However, the Assessor anticipated this and had already created a backup, allowing them to reactivate elsewhere. They then unleash a series of Miles clones to torment the hero. While the Assessor hasn’t been a major threat recently in the comics, their abilities could be a great fit for a villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially with another powerful AI returning to the franchise.

Ultron’s Return Could Pave the Way for the Assessor

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a lot of unanswered questions right now, and one of the biggest surrounds the upcoming Disney+ series, *Vision Quest*, which will center on Paul Bettany’s Vision. While it’s unclear what Vision’s story will be, he won’t be facing it alone – Ultron is set to return in some capacity. Bringing back this classic Avengers villain could lead to revisiting the events of *Age of Ultron*, but it might be more beneficial to use Ultron’s return as a way to introduce a new AI villain, like the Assessor. This new villain could operate from the shadows, monitoring all of Earth’s heroes and preparing plans to defeat them.

With major villains like Doctor Doom taking center stage in the MCU for the foreseeable future, and others like Magneto potentially emerging, now is the perfect time to begin developing a truly formidable new threat. By the time a mysterious character called the Assessor appears, Miles Morales could even be established within the franchise, allowing their comic book rivalry to play out on the big screen for audiences worldwide.

Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, 2026.

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2025-09-15 01:10