Doomsday rumor: does Doom blame Steve Rogers, not Reed?

A rumor claims that Doctor Doom is after Steve Rogers in Avengers: Doomsday and is angry at him for a very personal reason. That makes me a little nervous, but not extremely. My worry is that Marvel could retread the Chris Evans versus Robert Downey Jr. conflict instead of giving us the Doom versus Reed Richards rivalry I've been hoping for.

The question came from a reader named Mikey. He sent me an article about why Doom is pursuing Steve Rogers in Avengers: Doomsday and asked whether it concerns me that Reed Richards is going to be benched as Doom's main opponent. When I wrote this, Avengers: Doomsday hadn't been released, so everything here is about what was being rumored and reported at the time.

The rumor: Steve Rogers' time travel may have cost Doctor Doom his family

The article is on comicbookmovie.com, written by Josh Wilding, and it's titled as a rumor about new details on Doom's backstory and why he's targeting Steve Rogers. It's based on a claim from MyTimeToShineHello, who I'd call a relatively reliable leaker. Sometimes he hits, sometimes he misses.

According to MyTimeToShineHello, "Victor von Doom's wife and son were killed in an accident and Victor himself was injured and his body damaged. He traced the cause of the accident to Steve Rogers going back in time to live his life with Peggy and now he's after him to avenge his family."

That's something people have speculated about before. I remember some fans talking about it a few months earlier, and the same question Mikey raised came up then: is Steve Rogers replacing Reed Richards as the main opponent to Doom in this movie?

Why Secret Wars should be Doctor Doom versus Reed Richards

At the time, I said I certainly hoped not, because Secret Wars is a story about Doom versus Reed Richards. That's true in the comics too. You've got Spider-Man and Green Goblin, Batman and the Joker, and Doctor Doom and Reed Richards.

I was optimistic Marvel would lean into that rivalry because of how the chairs lined up when they announced the Doomsday cast. They had Pedro Pascal and then Robert Downey Jr. From an in-story perspective, that seemed to be telling us these two are the main hero and the main villain. From a billing perspective, it also made sense. RDJ is going to have top billing, and I think the main hero of the movie would get second billing as the big second star. Pedro Pascal is a huge star, so it made sense for him to be there.

Then there's how studios usually handle a huge name who isn't the main character. With someone like Chris Hemsworth as Thor, instead of putting him third, fourth or fifth on the credits, they'll often save him for the very end with a "with Chris Hemsworth as Thor" credit. So I thought we were in good shape for Reed Richards to be the main hero. I thought it would be good to have Downey on screen with Pascal, and maybe help establish Reed as just as key a member of the MCU as Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth or Robert Downey Jr. That would be good for the post Secret Wars era.

Steve Rogers has a significant role in Avengers: Doomsday

I've always said I thought Steve Rogers would be in the movie. I didn't know he'd have a huge role, but I was sure he'd be there. Now we know he's definitely in it. Based on the way the Russo brothers are talking, along with some rumors and reports, he has a fairly significant role.

I'm excited about that. I like the idea that Steve traveling back in time to be with Peggy had severe consequences. Perhaps it triggered an incursion, and perhaps it's largely responsible for the multiverse collapsing. Maybe it even led to the creation of Doctor Doom.

I don't know about that last part. I've talked before about how that could be the case, but I'm starting to lean toward thinking that RDJ's Doom, the main Doom of the movie, is from Universe 828, the Fantastic Four universe. My reasoning is that it's been confirmed the movie addresses why Doom wasn't at Latveria's seat at the United Nations, the Future Foundation type gathering, in The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025). If they explain why he wasn't there, that implies he should have been there, which implies, I think, that he's the Doom of that universe.

I don't want Chris Evans versus Robert Downey Jr. again

I have never been crazy about doing Chris Evans versus Robert Downey Jr. once again. That's what the entire Infinity Saga was: those two butting heads. We got Civil War. We've seen them clash the whole time.

I know Downey and Evans are the heart and soul of the MCU, and I think it's great and important that they're both in Doomsday and Secret Wars. But I don't want Doomsday to be Steve Rogers versus bad Iron Man. I want Steve to have more of an elder statesman role. He's there and he matters, but I would much prefer the story to be Reed Richards versus Doctor Doom. Even letting Thor be the guy would work for me.

I almost like the idea of Steve coming in as someone who is trying, desperately, to be peaceful and doesn't want to trade blows. I do hope we see him fight different villains, perhaps even Doom. I don't want that old story retold. Give us something besides Downey and Evans fighting each other.

With Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards, I was hoping for something like the great classic Secret Wars cover where Doom and Reed are right in each other's faces. I think that's important for setting up the future of the Multiverse Saga, or whatever comes after it. I don't know what Marvel's plans are there, but you would think it matters.

The silver lining: Avengers: Doomsday isn't Secret Wars

Here's the silver lining. Maybe Reed Richards has a much bigger role in Secret Wars. A lot of my complaining has been built on the idea that Secret Wars has to be done right, and that it's Reed versus Doom. But this isn't Secret Wars. This is Doomsday. Maybe in Secret Wars, Reed will be the main hero going up against Doom.

When I say main hero, I'm not suggesting Pedro Pascal should be the star of the movie. These are very much ensemble films. But when Doom has a one on one fight, a one on one debate, or a crucial character moment with someone, I want that with Doom and Reed more than I need to see it again with RDJ and Chris Evans.

Why I'm only a little nervous about the Doom and Steve Rogers report

So yes, to answer Mikey, this report makes me a little nervous. I worry Marvel could retread Civil War, bits of Infinity War, and Tony being angry at Steve in Endgame. I'm hoping we get something new.

But I'm not extremely nervous. I think Doomsday is going to be absolutely brilliant, and I think Kevin Feige and the Russos understood the assignment. Have they each missed making movies? Yes. But have the Russos ever missed on a Marvel movie? No. Their track record is Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity War and Endgame, arguably four of the best MCU movies ever made. I think Feige knows how important this movie is, every Avengers movie has been great, and I don't see a scenario where this one turns out bad.

I don't think Steve Rogers versus Doom is going to be the main part of the movie. Personally, I'd rather see Loki versus Doom. For someone who didn't drop off after Endgame and is invested, I'd find that more interesting. Maybe for marketing's sake, Marvel will lean hard into Chris Evans being back as Steve Rogers, which I'm glad about. Downey, apparently, won't show his face as Doom in the trailers, probably because he doesn't take off his mask until the very end of the movie.

Doctor Doom might manipulate Steve Rogers instead of fighting him

That ties into why I'm hesitant to read this article as meaning Doomsday is Doom versus Steve. Maybe Doom is angry at Steve. Maybe what Steve did damaged the timeline, and that's part of the story. But I'm optimistic it doesn't mean another war between those two characters specifically.

In fact, I could see Doom taking a different approach. He might go to Steve and say, in effect, that what Steve did gave him a life and a family but took away Doom's, and then ask for help saving the multiverse. Maybe he then backstabs Steve. I think it's more likely they go that route. Maybe Reed Richards is the one warning that they can't trust this Doom, while the other heroes wonder why, because he seems like a nice guy. We'll have to see.

As for whether Reed is being benched, I don't know that he is. Maybe he's a little benched for Doomsday, but come Secret Wars, I hope they put Reed in a leader position. I really do.