Following the release of the first trailer for the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige addressed fan criticism that the movie lacks sufficient build-up for its central villain, Doctor Doom. Fans have expressed concerns that the film appears to be rushing into another large-scale conflict without adequately establishing the stakes, a sentiment some have contrasted with the gradual introduction of Thanos.
Feige suggested that this perception might stem from a misremembering of how Thanos was initially presented. He recalled that Thanos's presence prior to Avengers: Infinity War was minimal, often involving him sitting or appearing briefly on a screen. "He sat on a chair at the end. He pulled a gauntlet out and said, ‘I’ll do it myself.’ And he yelled at Ronin on a video screen briefly and that was kind of it," Feige stated in an interview at San Diego Comic-Con 2026. He further noted that much of the public's understanding of Thanos was shaped by memes and online discussion during that period, and that Infinity War served as his true introduction.
While acknowledging that Thanos had limited screen time before Infinity War, Feige pointed out that the MCU had been laying groundwork for his arrival and motivations for years. The first cryptic hint about Thanos and the Infinity Stones appeared in a post-credits scene of the original Avengers in 2012. This was followed by further appearances in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), creating a six-year gestation period for the character in the minds of the audience before his central role in the 2018 film.
In contrast, the first mention of Robert Downey, Jr.'s Doctor Doom occurred at Comic-Con in 2024. Doom then appeared in a mid-credits sequence for 2025's Fantastic Four, and the current release schedule places Avengers: Doomsday later in 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars following in 2027. This timeline is considerably shorter than the decade-long build-up for Thanos.
Feige emphasized that Doomsday is intended as an introduction to Doom, with the narrative designed to reveal more about the character as the story progresses. He stated that the film is meant to appeal to both comic fans familiar with Doom and audiences encountering him for the first time. The studio head also posited that a movie should be able to stand on its own narrative merits, irrespective of cross-promotional breadcrumbs. However, the trailer for Avengers: Doomsday did not necessarily suggest a film that could be entirely self-contained.
Fans and critics have noted the rapid pivot from storylines centered on Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror to the focus on Doom, occurring within a few years. This transition differs significantly from the long-term strategy employed for Thanos. The upcoming release of Avengers: Secret Wars, just a year after Doomsday, further fuels speculation about how these narrative threads will coalesce. For now, audiences will have to wait until December to see how Marvel Studios has positioned Doom's emergence within the broader MCU narrative.