An Easter egg in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness confirms that Thanos’ replacement as the next significant threat in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is coming. Marvel has confirmed that the technology used by Reed Richards (John Krasinski) during his appearance in the film is in fact the time platform used by Victor Von Doom, a.k.a. Doctor Doom, taken straight from the pages of the comics. With Doctor Strange 2 offering fans a first look at the leader of the Fantastic Four, and a film focusing on the First Family of Marvel coming in the next few years, it seems Doctor Doom is being slowly introduced as the new Thanos-level villain.
Reed Richards makes his long-awaited entrance into the MCU during Doctor Strange 2 as a member of Earth-838’s Illuminati, using a shimmering blue square as his form of transportation into the Illuminati chamber. In Marvel comics, the time platform is invented by Victor Von Doom, the archenemy of the Fantastic Four. The device is often used as a weapon against the team, but also as a means for Doctor Doom to travel back in time and learn as much as he can about the mystic arts. At one point, the time platform is acquired by Richards, who studies it in the Baxter Building, perhaps pointing to why Richards has the device in Doctor Strange 2.
It’s unknown whether the time platform shown in Doctor Strange 2 has the same time-travel properties as its comic counterpart, but its appearance in the MCU strongly suggests that Doctor Doom is right around the corner. Since Thanos’ defeat in Avengers: Endgame, fans have been wondering who will take the Mad Titan's place as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's next long-term villain. MCU Phase 4 so far has been lacking an overarching storyline beyond the multiverse, but just as Marvel teased Thanos slowly during Phases 1, 2, and 3, the same could be happening with Doctor Doom, as this isn’t the first Easter egg pointing to the Marvel supervillain.
During Moon Knight episode 1, “The Goldfish Problem”, Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac) wakes up in a small village in the Alps that looks like Latveria, an Eastern European nation that, in the comics, is the birthplace of Doctor Doom and the region over which he ends up ruling as monarch. Orange-roofed houses and a looming castle bear a striking resemblance to the Latveria seen in Marvel comics, giving avid viewers a tease of the iconic masked villain. With the potential appearance of Latveria in Moon Knight and the reveal of the time platform in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it seems that Marvel is slowly beginning to lay the groundwork for Doctor Doom’s introduction into the MCU, with a possible arrival in the upcoming Fantastic Four film or beyond. Fans have been waiting for years for a movie adaptation of Doctor Doom that does the character justice, with multiple previous Fantastic Four films missing the mark.
Moon Knight and Doctor Strange 2 Easter eggs teasing Doom’s introduction are exciting for the franchise's future, especially since it seems that Marvel may be building him up to be Thanos’ replacement as the next long-running villain. Doctor Doom is among the most famous and important villains in comic book history, dating back to his 1962 debut in Stan Lee's The Fantastic Four #5. Given the character's status, it is unlikely Marvel Studios would simply introduce Victor Von Doom as a one-note villain, making him arguably the best candidate to fill the Mad Titan's shoes in the MCU going forward. A potential sighting of Latveria and the reveal of Doom’s time platform via Reed Richards in Doctor Strange 2 are surely just the first two teases for the supremely powerful villain, with Fantastic Four on the horizon and no sign of Marvel slowing down, it hopefully won’t be long until Doctor Doom is finally brought into the MCU.
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