The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)'s Multiverse Saga is racing towards an epic showdown with Doctor Doom, and despite the character replacing Kang, it feels like this is the storyline that was meant to be from the start. After the epic conclusion of the Infinity Saga, with the Avengers defeating Thanos and restoring half of all life in the universe, the MCU needed to find a way to go even bigger for its next saga. And in order to achieve this end, the concept of the Multiverse was given pride of place, with movies almost immediately introducing incursion events like the one seen in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

However, these incursions were just one part of the equation for the Multiverse Saga, and there was a terrifying figure lurking in the shadows ready to become the big bad of this new chapter. Kang the Conqueror was due to be the main villain, but due to complex issues surrounding the actor who was already cast and appearing in multiple projects, Kang was erased from the Multiverse Saga going forward, and the MCU opted to shift their focus to another rival, Doctor Doom. But despite this last-minute lineup change, the Multiverse feels like it was always leading to Doctor Doom.

Despite Kang Being The Original Big Bad Of The Multiverse Saga, Doctor Doom Is The Perfect Final Boss

Doctor Doom Is A Perfect Fit For The Multiverse

Kang is no doubt an impressive villain. In the comics, this dominating tyrant finds ways to travel the multiverse and conquer countless realities. He has been a menace to several major hero teams, but despite all of this, Kang is a slightly more obscured rival in Marvel Comics. Meanwhile, Doctor Doom is a household name on par with several of the most iconic heroes in the MCU. Doom is often seen as a Fantastic Four villain, and the arch-nemesis to Reed Richards' Mister Fantastic, but Doom is so much more. A sorcerer, the leader of a country, and an astonishing genius with suffocating ambition.

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Doom is a serious contender in the comics, and while previous film depictions have played down the characters' power and intelligence, he is an ideal villain for the Multiverse Saga. And considering how the Multiverse Saga is positioning The Fantastic Four as a central hero team, it makes sense to have Doom arrive alongside them. As intimidating and monstrous as Kang may be, Doom is just on another level, and his influence and power throughout the Multiverse, the comics, and now the MCU are something to marvel at.

The Multiverse Saga Has Introduced More Magic & Mysticism To The MCU

Magic Has Taken A Premiere Role In The Multiverse Saga

And here's the thing: the Multiverse Saga has already put a lot of the pieces in place for a character like Doctor Doom to make sense. Kang is a scientist, and a genius inventor, but Doom isn't afraid to dabble in the mystic arts. With that in mind, seeing Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings introduce a magical realm, magic artifacts, and including the Sorcerer Supreme, Wong, it feels like magic and mysticism was given a prime position. Add to that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which builds on these concepts even further, and then Moon Knight with a literal god, and it's clear that the Multiverse Saga is very concerned with the metaphysical.

All of the above are projects that were made and released before Kang was replaced in the MCU, and following the changes, Agatha All Along built on the foundations laid in WandaVision, with even more magic. Doctor Doom is a being whose power is dramatically amplified through his knowledge and mastery of the mystic arts, so having magic play a larger role in the stories that lead up to his arrival makes a lot of sense. It also makes sense to have powerful magic s in place to fight against Doom in a way that they can level the playing field.

The World Has Grown Bigger In The Multiverse Saga With Various Hidden Kingdoms

Latveria Could Be Arriving Soon In The MCU

Beyond the focus on magic, the Multiverse Saga has also spent a lot of time expanding the universe inside the MCU. Black Panther introduced Wakanda before Avengers: Endgame, but Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduced a whole other hidden kingdom, Talokan. These two hidden worlds are additions to the MCU that don't exist in the real world, and they stand out as being places that possess incredible futuristic technology and highly advanced beings, but they also have their own complex relationships as nations that are seeking to keep themselves undetected by the wider world.

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In Marvel Comics, Victor von Doom is royalty. The man who becomes the ultimate rival to Mister Fantastic rules over a kingdom called Latveria, and as another mythical nation, it has its own relations with Wakanda and Atlantis (the comics refer to Namor's kingdom as Atlantis, but it is the equivalent of Talokan in the MCU). The MCU has already proven that the world is bigger than ordinary humans have been led to believe, and these hidden MCU countries are beginning to come out of the shadows. If both Wakanda and Talokan come to light, it's possible that Latveria will have a spotlight shone on the nation that brings Doom out of the shadows and into the light, even if it's from another reality.

The Multiverse Saga Feels Like It Was Always Headed Towards Doctor Doom

Doctor Doom Will Be The End Of The MCU As We Know It

While speculation about Doctor Doom arriving in the MCU has been circulating for years, the reality of his appearing in movies like Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars feels like a historic moment in the MCU. And while it could have felt rushed or like it doesn't make sense, the MCU has sufficiently prepared and laid out breadcrumbs leading to these alternate characters that it feels like Doctor Doom was always going to be the big bad of the Multiverse Saga, even if that was not initially the plan. Despite the shifting tides, and the need for Marvel Studios to pivot away from a character who was originally the title character for one of the final films, namely Avengers: Kang's Dynasty, Doom's inclusion makes perfect sense.

It feels like Doctor Doom was always going to be the big bad of the Multiverse Saga.

It is possible that some elements of his story may be a little more hasty than the studios would have liked, considering this character hasn't physically appeared in any movies up to this point, but the events that have been moving the heroes forward appear to be pushing them towards Doom. While Thanos finds himself traveling towards the heroes in the Infinity Saga, Doom is waiting patiently for his moment. And ultimately, this could lead to one of the MCU's best villains of all time arriving in the Multiverse Saga.