Avengers: Doomsday teaser photo: what 'Doom is coming' means

The Russo brothers shared a cryptic photo from Avengers: Doomsday with the caption "Doom is coming," and many people think it shows Reed Richards' chalkboard. That makes sense to me, but I think it might be something different, something that lines up with plot reports we'd heard over the months before it appeared. I have three theories about what it could be, and I think two of them are the strongest bets.

I'm not sure the Russo brothers will ever explain it. Remember what they did for Avengers: Endgame? They posted a very cryptic photo, and we all thought the film's name was hidden in it. The Russos never came out and told us what that was, at least not to my knowledge. There were some wild theories going around about this new image, which I loved to see. If we base it on the comic lore and on recent reports, though, there's a chance we can work out what it is.

Did AI find the word Beyond in the Avengers: Doomsday photo?

Quite a few people said they had ChatGPT, Grok or another AI scan the image, and the word beyond came up. That would be a reference to the Beyonder or the Beyonders, both of whom play roles in both Secret Wars stories in the comics.

There's a possibility they could show up in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars, but I don't think Marvel is going to do that. I think they're probably using Franklin Richards and somebody or something else to take the place of the Beyonders. We'll have to wait and see.

Theory one: Reed Richards' chalkboard and a multiverse travel equation

The most obvious answer is the one many people landed on: Reed's chalkboard. While I do think there's a better option, I'll admit this makes sense. It's clearly writing on some type of board or screen, and the yellow bar along the bottom could be the bottom of his chalkboard. Some of the writing doesn't even look like words, which means it could be an equation, maybe an equation for multiverse travel.

Think about The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The team didn't figure out multiverse travel in that film. Reed worked out how to teleport something, to move something through space. He figured out how to move an egg, and then he said it was a scaling thing, but there was no indication that he'd worked out how to move anything to another universe. The plan was to move their planet away from Galactus, but it would still be in the same universe.

There was also no indication that he'd figured out time travel. That isn't necessarily required for multiverse travel, but it might be. You never know. This board could be Reed trying to figure that out. If Doctor Doom does show up and take Franklin Richards, which we more or less know is what happens, and he goes to a different universe, the Fantastic Four will have to work out how to travel the multiverse to find their son. That could very well be what this is.

Theory two: a TVA screen warning that Doctor Doom is coming

I have a different theory, and it starts with the caption: "Doom is coming." I think that means something. Doom is the one coming, but you have to ask where he's going, or who he's coming for. I think this could be a TVA screen, showing some kind of signal the TVA is picking up. A signal that a big threat is on its way, that somebody is moving through the multiverse causing destruction.

That could be Doom killing variants, killing anchor beings, or killing people he thinks have caused incursions. As we've heard, that's why he's going after Steve Rogers back in time: whatever Steve did ended up causing an incursion, and Doom is trying to save the multiverse. Whatever this is, it looks like it could be a sign that Doom is coming for the TVA. What we've heard is that Doom is aware of what Kang did, aware of the TVA and what it did, and angry about it.

So what's his end goal? It's what the insiders have been saying for a long time: to get to the TVA and essentially dethrone Loki. We know the TVA and Loki are going to find out about this. Loki is connected to many different branches at this point, so he could very well see Doom coming. If he does, the TVA will probably look into it, and this might be what they see: a signal telling them that Doom is coming.

Why the 'Doom is coming' caption points to the TVA and Loki

Again, I think the caption matters. We know Doom is coming; the film is called Avengers: Doomsday. So why did the Russos phrase it that way? Why not say Avengers: Doomsday is coming? I think it's because Doom is coming for the TVA, and specifically for Loki.

If you're going to end up controlling the multiverse, the TVA is how you do it. Or Doom could destroy the entire thing, the whole multiverse gets wiped out, and he builds Battleworld, which is what we assume is going to happen. So Doom might destroy the TVA, and it would be beneficial for the TVA to know he's coming.

Theory three: an alien language or code from Doom's Black Swans

Many people think this is some kind of alien language, because you can't make out any English words or even any Roman letters. There could be some in there, but we can't tell what they are. So another option is that it's an alien language or a secret code, possibly tied to the Black Swans or the Black Priests, two different groups in the comics.

The Black Swans originally follow Doom. In the comics, Doom essentially creates a religion built around saving the multiverse. He calls himself Rabum Alal, and the Black Swans help him kill Molecule Men in every universe, because those Molecule Men are bombs designed by the Beyonders to destroy the entire multiverse. Some groups in that story believe Rabum Alal and the Black Swans are the bad guys trying to destroy the multiverse, but that's wrong. Some Black Swans do eventually go a little rogue, but that's beside the point.

The point is that Doom, as Rabum Alal, is trying to save the multiverse, and through this religion he tries to recruit people to help him. This image could be a message sent out to anybody willing to help. The TVA could pick it up, because I still think this is a TVA monitor.

Could Clea and the Black Priests be working with Doctor Doom?

It could also be the Black Priests from the comics, another multiversal group trying to save the multiverse. I think Clea, from the post credits scene of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, could be part of this group. In the MCU, I think it might work much like the Black Swans. I think Clea and her group could be working with Doctor Doom. They might not be called the Black Swans or the Black Priests, but we've heard that Doom is going to have his own team and his own following.

We've also heard that he's trying to save the multiverse. If Clea is part of his team doing the same, her showing up at the end of Multiverse of Madness to tell Doctor Strange he caused an incursion and that he's going to fix it makes a lot of sense. That's what they're trying to do: fix the incursions and save the multiverse. We've heard that's why Doom wanted Franklin, so he could use his powers to stop incursions from happening.

I do think this leads to Doom meeting Strange, and Strange joining Doom because he doesn't want the multiverse to end. So I think this could be a code sent out by Doom's organization, and I think the TVA picks up on it. That's how they find out Doom is coming for them, just as the caption says.

Reed's chalkboard or a TVA screen: my two best options

Those are three good bets, but I think Reed's chalkboard and a TVA screen are the two best options. From there, the only question is what's on the board or screen. I think it's either a multiversal equation for how the Fantastic Four can travel the multiverse and get Franklin Richards back from Doctor Doom, or it's the TVA picking up a signal that Doom is coming.

And if it is Reed's chalkboard, then Doom has already come and gone. Then it's up to the Fantastic Four to travel to the 616 universe and warn them that Doom is coming.