Now That the MCU Has Its Doom, ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ Had Better Include This Gut-Wrenching Confrontation

By now, you’ve heard the announcement: Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Victor Von Doom. Whether it’s a desperate cash grab or a genius twist on multiversal storytelling, the move opens up some intriguing possibilities—including one that some fans are already clamoring for.

Let’s get this out of the way up front: Yes, we’re all having some big feelings about Marvel’s announcement in Hall H of last weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con. After months of waiting to find out what the studio was going to do after it fired Jonathan Majors, we finally learned that Marvel isn’t recasting Kang, Avengers 5 is now called Doomsday instead of The Kang Dynasty, the entire Multiverse Saga is drastically changing course, and Doom fans are finally getting the MCU villain they’ve been waiting for for years … in the form of an actor who supposedly already said his goodbyes way back in Avengers: Endgame.

And yeah, if you’re feeling cynical or jaded about the choice, I don’t blame you. Is Downey Jr. really the best actor for this particular role and this particular story, or is Marvel just becoming risk-averse after all its recent stumbles? Are the filmmakers going to be able to do Doom justice by shoving him into the story halfway through the saga? I get it. I’m right there with you.

But … this choice also offers a lot of potential for some genuinely great storytelling. Assuming that Doom’s face is at all recognizable to the other characters (remember that he wears a mask for a reason), what happens if Bruce Banner meets up with Doom? Or Pepper Potts? Or Tony’s daughter Morgan?

Or Loki?

That last one might seem out of left field at first, but think about it. The last time Tom Hiddleston and Robert Downey Jr. were in a scene together, it was a confrontation between a villainous Loki and the heroic Tony Stark. That fight, which starts with some Die Hard-style flirting and ends with Loki throwing Tony out a window, is one of the best scenes in The Avengers. Tony’s wry level-headedness is the perfect foil for Loki’s maniacal scheming.

Now imagine the same actors, in a very similar scene, except with their roles neatly reversed! Plus, Loki remembers everything about that previous fight!

Fans online have already seized on the potential in a standoff between Loki and Doom:

The move would make sense narratively, too—and not just because Doom and Loki have clashed many times in the comics.

In David Hickman’s Secret Wars comics run, which the MCU adaptation will likely be loosely based on, Doom uses the powers of a hero called Molecule Man to create a patchwork universe called Battleworld. The two work together to an extent, but Molecule Man eventually helps Reed Richards restore the true multiverse. (I’m leaving out a lot of detail here, so just bear with me.) While Battleworld exists, though, Molecule Man serves as its power source, just as Loki is currently powering the multiverse. If we see Battleworld in the MCU—and if Downey Jr.’s Doom is ruling it—then it’s overwhelmingly likely that Loki will be powering the place. It’s natural that the two of them would have a complicated and adversarial relationship.

Can you imagine how a scene—or a bunch of scenes—between Loki and Doom would go? With Loki reformed and selfless, and Doom hellbent on keeping Battleworld under his thumb at all costs? Especially when you factor in the caliber of Hiddleston and Downey Jr.’s acting skills?

I’m already feeling the feelings! So will it happen? I can’t wait to see if my suspicions—and the suspicions of other fans—are right.