Despite the lack of an official announcement, everyone and their cat knows that Doctor Doom is currently stomping his way into the MCU. The iconic comic book supervillain is one of the all-time greatest Marvel villains, as well as an intrinsic part of any Fantastic Four story, and he nicely straddles the line between technology and magic.
The Fox movies famously screwed up their take on the character, meaning there’s a whole bunch of unexplored live action potential to be realized. But Marvel Studios have to get this right, and fans on r/Marvel are pointing to an critically acclaimed six-issue comics run that would make an excellent Disney Plus show that reveals what’s really going on behind the mask.
This is Ed Brubaker, Pablo Raimondi, and Mark Farmer’s Fantastic Four: Books of Doom. The 2006 story chronicles Victor von Doom’s life, showing us his origin story as he ascends from an ambitious young boy to the ruthless ruler of Latveria.
Fans point out that this story shows why Doom isn’t just a two-dimensional bad guy, showing that even his villainous actions are couched in fulfilling his personal mission and that he’s ultimately noble in his own warped way. Replies say that they could see Books of Doom as a kind of mockumentary with him being interviewed about his history and goals, with Doom’s eccentric personality likely resulting in some bizarre humor.
All of this depends on them getting the casting right, however. The internet is abuzz with rumors of Giancarlo Esposito and Javier Bardem, but whoever it is needs to have gravitas and charisma to spare. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait too long for an official announcement.