The teaser trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine finally gives us our first look at the upcoming Marvel Studios movie that brings Ryan Reynolds’ Merc With a Mouth to the MCU, but some fans are convinced that a major Marvel villain was briefly shown in the footage: Doctor Doom. But is it really him? Could Doctor Doom really be the secret villain of Deadpool & Wolverine? Let’s take a closer look at the Deadpool 3 trailer to find out.
Is That You, Doctor Doom?
At the 1:48 mark in the new trailer, we see a figure wearing a mask, green clothes, and a brown hooded cloak. He’s holding a gun and standing atop a machine that has a mechanical arm sporting some sort of science contraption. If you show Marvel fans a masked science-y guy decked out in green, who’s to blame them for thinking it could be Doctor Doom? There’s a fair amount of evidence both for and against this being Doom.
First of all, while the cloak/mask combo does evoke Doom, he isn’t exactly the spitting image of Victor von Doom as we know him from the comics. The Doom we know wears an advanced suit of shiny metal armor, a green tunic and cape, and is always in pristine condition, as is befitting his station as the Supreme Lord and Ruler of Latveria. This dude in the trailer isn’t the ruler of anything. He looks like an extra from Mad Max. His clothes are dirty and his gear looks cobbled together. Plus he’s using an assault rifle, which is far too barbaric a weapon for the high and mighty Doctor Doom. One detail does read as specifically Doom, and it’s the hem of what may be a green tunic sticking out the bottom of his body armor.
Besides, would Marvel Studios really reveal a major Marvel villain in a blink-and-you-miss-it moment in the trailer for Deadpool 3? Given Kevin Fiege’s penchant for announcing that sort of thing at San Diego Comic-Con or Disney Investor Day, it seems unlikely.
Then again, Marvel could be introducing Doctor Doom in an unexpected way, as they often like to keep fans guessing. In the trailer, we can see that a wasteland filled with MCU relics including a Helicarrier and Chitauri Leviathan off in the distance behind this figure.
This place appears to be a major setting in Deadpool & Wolverine, and there is a comic book called Wastelanders: Doctor Doom where Doom travels the wastelands of the Old Man Logan universe, so that could be what we’re seeing here.
In that comic, he wears his traditional costume, but if MCU Doom was somehow stranded here (not unlike how Kang was stranded in the Quantum Realm), it would make sense for Doom to adapt to his environment and cobble together makeshift armor, resulting in this unfamiliar look.
Doom is known for his scientific genius, so perhaps he built the big machine he’s standing on. Probably from a box of scraps in a cave, just like Tony Stark once did.
In another part of the trailer we see a different person in a similar outfit running for safety as a monster attacks, so this guy could just be part of a group of survivors who roam the wastelands and not the archnemesis of Reed Richards. Or perhaps Doom rules the wastelands as a Mad Max-style warlord and these are his minions outfitted in his image.
Why Would Doom Be in Deadpool & Wolverine?
The trailer tells us that Wade Wilson is recruited by the TVA from the Loki series for a special mission, and while we don’t get the specifics, it would appear he’s tasked with protecting the multiverse from the villainous Cassandra Nova (the bald woman we only glimpse from behind). Deadpool hails from the Marvel-Fox Universe, which is home to the X-Men and Fantastic Four, so Doom would be a natural fit for this movie. In the comics, Doom is always open to teaming up with heroes if it benefits him, and if his universe (and his own existence) is at risk, then that would definitely qualify.
Marvel isn’t exactly being subtle with what comics are inspiring the story of Deadpool & Wolverine. Fans spotted a comic book in the dirt next to Deadpool, and it just happens to be Secret Wars #5, which features none other than Doctor Doom on the cover.
Secret Wars tells the story of what happens after Incursions destroy the Marvel multiverse and Doctor Doom uses his power to create and rule over a new world called Battleworld. We know the sixth Avengers movie will be Secret Wars, so it makes sense that Doom would be introduced early to set him up to be the big villain of that movie later, just like Marvel did with Thanos in The Infinity Saga. It could be that the Marvel-Fox Universe will be one of the universes destroyed on the road to Secret Wars, as evidenced by the ruins of the 20th Century Fox logo seen in the background.
In the lead-up to Secret Wars in the comics, Doctor Strange discovered there was a dark god named Rabum Alal from outside space and time that caused the Incursions. Surprise, surprise, this character ended up being Doctor Doom himself, who had journeyed down different planes of reality with the Molecule Man, amassed untold power, and took on the moniker Rabum Alal to start a new religion in his name.
In the trailer, we see a quick glimpse of a man being killed by a purple shadow monster that looks a lot like Alioth, the creature from the Loki Disney+ series, so perhaps the wasteland we’re seeing in the trailer is the same where Alioth dwells at the end of time, consuming beings from purged timelines. It would certainly explain why there’s so much MCU stuff all over the place. Perhaps Deadpool crosses paths with Doctor Doom here in the midst of his quest for godhood, and we’ll see how Doom gains his power and incites the incident that eventually leads to Secret Wars.
It may be a total coincidence, but Marvel Comics just announced a brand new Doom comic book days before the trailer drop. It’s common practice for Marvel to publish new comics featuring characters that are soon making their MCU debut, so the new Doom comic could be part of a larger strategy of corporate synergy. If you want to add even more fuel to this theory fire, the writer of the new Doom comic is Jonathan Hickman, the very same writer of the Secret Wars #5 comic book spotted in the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer. Hmm!
Ultimately, even if that hooded figure isn’t Doctor Doom, there’s certainly plenty of opportunity for him to join the MCU in The Multiverse Saga.
Who Is Playing Doctor Doom in Deadpool & Wolverine?
If the cloaked character is indeed Doctor Doom, then what actor is beneath the mask? Rumors have long been swirling that several actors from the Marvel movies of yesteryear will be reprising their roles for Deadpool 3 (including Jennifer Garner’s Elektra), so perhaps one of the previous Doom actors will return. Actor Julian McMahon portrayed Victor von Doom in the 2005 Fantastic Four film and its sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer, while actor Toby Kebbell played him in the 2015 reboot.
Then again, there are rumors that Marvel may be eyeing Mads Mikkelson for the role of the MCU Doctor Doom, so we may see a fresh face take up the mantle. It’s been all but confirmed that Marvel has locked in a new cast of actors to play Marvel’s First Family in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, so it makes sense that a new actor will play Doom, as well.
