Avengers: Doomsday is introducing new versions of many longtime Marvel characters, including Doctor Doom. Whatever hype one has for the movie, one common criticism is that there’s been no real buildup for the villain. The thinking seems to be, how can audiences truly buy into the threat of a villain first glimpsed in Fantastic Four: First Steps, which they might not have seen?
To Kevin Feige, the answer seems to be, “don’t worry about it.” While doing press at San Diego Comic-Con, he was asked about the comparison between Doom and Thanos’ gradual rollout in the Infinity Saga. He argued the Mad Titan’s introduction is overstated, saying it’s been “built up in people’s heads over the years. He sat on a chair at the end, then put on the Infinity Gauntlet and said, ‘I’ll do it myself.’ […] There was a Twitter feed updating daily, ‘I’m still sitting in my chair.'”
“When we got to Avengers: Infinity War, we said, ‘This is really Thanos’ introduction to the people. That’s how that movie was built, and we’re doing the same with Doctor Doom,” Feige continued. “You peel the onion and learn things about him as you go.”
Kevin Feige addresses fans saying that Doctor Doom has no buildup compared to Thanos:
“The Thanos buildup has built up in people’s heads over the years. He sat on a chair at the end. He put on a gauntlet and said, ‘I’ll do it myself.’ And he yelled at Ronin on a video screen… pic.twitter.com/87nXC1WvL6
— Avengers Updates (@AvengersUpdated) July 26, 2026
Feige’s right about Thanos’ lack of momentum being an ongoing joke amongst MCU fans pre-Infinity War. In reality, the studio’s always had a prep time problem when it comes to villains, as evident with Kang and the military villains. All Thanos needed to beat the allegations was kicking Hulk’s ass, and an act of similar power can do the same for Doom. And like Thanos, he’ll have Avengers: Doomsday on December 18 and Avengers: Secret Wars on December 17, 2027 to fully flesh him out before the next big bad comes along.
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