Every Marvel fan was left in tears at the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame. Tony Stark, aka Robert Downey Jr., sacrificed himself to save the world, marking the end of Iron Man. Though Marvel Studios may have dropped the curtain on Tony Stark, the studio is not done with the Oscar-winning actor yet. And just like that, on a sun-drenched July day, Marvel’s most bankable star has announced his return to the franchise as one of its most iconic villains, Doctor Victor Von Doom.

Downey Jr. is officially set to don the mantle of Dr. Doom in Russo Brothers' Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Although no one would like to see his character being killed off again, it will inevitably happen. But who should be the one to do the honors?

Tony Stark and Peter Parker's mentor-mentee relationship was well-explored and developed over the years in the MCU. Following Endgame, it was Parker for whom the demise of Iron Man was the most devastating among all the Avengers, which was also shown in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Therefore, seeing Tom Holland's Spider-Man killing Robert Downey Jr.'s Doom would be iconic in its own right and, of course, a hot subject of memes. But that is not all.

Even if the MCU follows the comics, it fits, since Doom's first encounter with Spider-Man happened in The Amazing Spider-Man #5. In the comic series, Doom tried to recruit Spider-Man against the Fantastic Four. However, the wall-crawler refused, leading to a clash between the two. Ultimately, Doom lost to Spider-Man.

Dr. Doom was rumored to be the main villain of The Fantastic Four, given his long-standing feud with Marvel’s first family. However, it was recently confirmed that the role has been locked up by the Devourer of Worlds, Galactus. In 2015's Secret Wars comic series, Dr. Doom replaced Reed Richards by marrying Sue Storm and becoming the father of Franklin and Valeria, twisting the memories of Battleworld's residents.

Towards the end, however, Molecule Man stripped Doom of some of his power with the help of a few distractions. This allowed Reed Richards to turn the tables on Doom in combat and restore the multiverse, finally bringing an end to his reign. Hence, having Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom taken down by Reed in Avengers: Secret Wars would be true to the comic storyline. 

Following Deadpool & Wolverine, it was made clear that Marvel buffs will get to see the dysfunctional duo again in 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars, if not before. As per some reports, Jackman has even shown an interest in returning to the 2027 movie, but only if they have Robert Downey Jr. back as Tony Stark. Well, at least Marvel is halfway to fulfilling Jackman's wish. The only time in Marvel lore that a Wolverine has defeated Dr. Doom was in All-New Wolverine #35.

Laura Kinney, or X-23, as Wolverine added her biggest kill ever to her list before calling it quits from the franchise altogether. In the MCU, this character is played by Dafne Keen, who was also a part of Deadpool & Wolverine. However, considering that Jackman would likely stay in the MCU for a bit longer and is still alive, it is possible that either Logan or X-23 would defeat the Marvel supervillain.  

Maestro is a Hulk variant who boasts both Bruce Banner's brains and Hulk's strength, along with some more malevolent personality traits. In the 2021 release, Maestro: War and Pax #5, the variant was seen giving Doctor Doom one of his worst beatings ever. Back in 2022, even Mark Ruffalo had expressed a wish to play the "next version" of Hulk during an interview with Variety.

Especially after Poor Things, Ruffalo has developed a great interest in exploring darker and villainous roles, which was evident from his selection of roles like the antagonist in Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17. Connecting the dots, it is possible that Ruffalo might return with the evil version of Hulk in Avengers: Secret Wars, and that would only mean trouble for Dr. Doom.

The hottest new addition to the MCU, Deadpool, is on everyone's lips. And it is no secret that he will appear in the upcoming Russo Brothers' movies, maybe even becoming an Avenger in the future. In Cullen Bunn and Dalibor Talajić's Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe miniseries, Doom brainwashed Deadpool into killing his fellow heroes. Once Deadpool broke free from his programming and started hunting the villains, Doom hightailed it to another dimension with Abomination.

Eventually, however, Doctor Doom was killed by Deadpool because, despite all his power, plans, and resources, the supervillain was just a man. Considering how the merc with a mouth faces off against the best heroes and villains, from the Fantastic Four to the X-Men, taking down Doctor Doom in Avengers: Secret Wars will be child's play for him.

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Who do you think will bring Dr. Doom to his knees? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!