The place was Physician Doom throughout Incredible 4: First Steps?

Earlier than Marvel Studios’ broadly derided film Ethernals hit theaters, it confronted a spread of challenges. It got here shortly after 2019’s large Part 3 climax Avengers: Endgameand earlier than the Marvel Cinematic Universe outlined or constructed a significant hook into Part 4. Ethernals’ launch was delayed by COVID, and affected by critically low post-COVID theater attendance. It facilities on comparatively obscure characters who weren’t interacting with any earlier MCU superheroes or plotlines. And it’s dour, self-important, and stiff in comparison with the perfect MCU motion pictures. Nonetheless, as soon as the Marvel trustworthy noticed it, one other concern trumped these earlier ones, and got here to outline the Ethernals dialog. Followers stored asking, “The place the hell had been all of those supposed planetary-protectors throughout Endgameor Avengers: Age of Ultronor any of the opposite world-threatening crises that stood to intrude with their supposed core mission?”

The newest MCU film, Incredible 4: First Stepshas a a lot smaller model of the Ethernals downside. It’s much less cosmic and fewer essential, however hopefully, it’s already on the minds of Marvel producers going into Avengers: Doomsday. It’s even a reasonably apparent query. But it surely’s price speculating about, as a result of it could be extra proof for some fan theories about what’s happening with Physician Doom main as much as Robert Downey Jr. taking part in the character in Avengers: Doomsday.

(Ed. notice: Minor spoilers forward about what doesn’t occur with Physician Doom in First Steps.)

The place was Victor von Doom when Earth was about to get eaten by Galactus?

First Steps director Matt Shakman and the writers know full effectively that followers had been drooling to get a primary have a look at the MCU model of Physician Doom, and so they tease the opportunity of a Doom cameo all through the film. There’s an empty ambassador seat within the United Nations, labeled “Latveria,” Victor von Doom’s dwelling nation/trendy fiefdom. Latveria will get a fast point out in a TV information scroll, as effectively. Above all, when a vital plan goes unsuitable, it briefly looks as if the large reveal is coming… however the failure has one other trigger solely.

None of this must be a shock to of us who observe film information intently. Shakman mentioned in early June that Physician Doom wouldn’t be in his film. (Which isn’t fairly true, however covers the broad fundamentals — and given previous studies that Marvel administrators don’t essentially direct the post-credit scenes for his or her motion picturesor presumably even have enter into them, it could even be true so far as “his film” goes.)

However nonetheless. In Marvel Comics continuity, Victor von Doom is a scientific genius who takes pleasure in outsmarting his enemies. He could not relish cooperating with heroes, however he does when he deems it essential. As an illustration, when his personal planet’s survival is on the road. We don’t know whether or not he was too busy to make it to these U.N. conferences, simply doesn’t care to be in the identical house because the heroes lauded as Earth’s protectors, or just doesn’t assume it’s price attending any U.N. occasion. (The truth that he didn’t even trouble to ship a proxy is likely to be a touch.) However the whole lot we find out about Physician Doom says he would have been conscious of a planet-wide menace, and would have had some response to it that wasn’t helplessness, apathy, and invisibility throughout a disaster.

There are any variety of methods for Marvel Studios to deal with this query: Perhaps the Victor von Doom of Earth-828 (the alternate-universe setting of Incredible 4: First Steps) is already useless, incapacitated, or off-world. Perhaps he was recovering from no matter model of his origin-story has him carrying that masks. Perhaps this universe doesn’t have a Victor von Doom; perhaps it does, he simply isn’t an influence price reckoning with, and Latveria is dominated by another person solely. Perhaps he missed all the emergency as a result of he’s touring someplace else within the multiverse, establishing the Battleworld plotline that some followers are already theorizing would be the core of the Russo brothers’ Avengers: Doomsday in 2026 and Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027. The MCU’s multiverse setting now means there’s all the time a distinct model of a beloved character someplace.

However a technique or one other, Marvel is finally going to have to elucidate the place ol’ Vic was throughout First Steps. Ethernals director Chloé Zhao did say the rationale the Eternals didn’t intrude within the Avengers-movies occasions that worn out half of life within the galaxy (or in Ultronalmost worn out all humanity) is as a result of they had been instructed to not intrude with “any human battle until Deviants are concerned.”

However that clarification by no means actually held water with followers. Partially, that’s as a result of an eradication of half the life within the universe is hardly “a human battle.” (What if the unborn Celestial they had been guarding was one of many lives that Thanos snapped away?) Partially, it’s as a result of a few the Eternals knew their actual goal on Earth — to maintain humanity alive and effectively to gas the hatching of that new Celestial. And letting Ultron destroy humankind, or Thanos destroy half of it (together with presumably half the Eternals and Celestials as effectively!) isn’t suitable with that mission.

However largely, it’s as a result of followers are usually a closely invested bunch who like their tales hermetic — convincing, partaking, and freed from “Hey, wait, however…” questions. So right here’s hoping Marvel takes the time to deal with this explicit query because the Doom story rolls out, each as a result of it’ll be fascinating to understand how Earth-828’s Doom suits into the bigger MCU narrative, and so we will all transfer on and deal with what Victor’s going to rise up to subsequent.