Avengers: Doomsday just picked up a chilling new rumor that threads directly through the Fantastic Four: First Steps mid-credits scene and straight into Victor Von Doom’s heart. The latest claim suggests Doom’s interest in infant Franklin Richards isn’t only about power; Franklin “reminds [Doom] of his own son,” a beat that reframes that quiet Baxter Building encounter as both tender and terrifying.
That rumor tracks with fresh reporting that places Robert Downey Jr. behind the mask and situates Doom as the prime mover of Doomsday. It also builds on what was teased on screen: at the end of First Steps, Doom appears before Franklin, kneels, removes his mask, and reaches toward the child — a gesture that plays as “touching” and “sinister” in equal measure.
What the rumor actually says about Doctor Doom’s plan
The new detail stems from the reliable scooper MyTimeToShineHello and was surfaced in Klein Felt’s report, which frames Doom’s fixation on Franklin as personal grief turned into strategy. That wrinkle suggests a tragic backstory for this Doom variant and raises a provocative question for the film: is he trying to weaponize an echo of his loss?
There’s comic precedent for Doom parenting an heir — Kristoff Vernard — and for Kristoff intersecting with Franklin Richards in a kidnapping plot. The report even toys with a meta possibility: if Downey’s masked menace is later revealed as Kristoff rather than Victor, it would open the door to recasting the “proper” MCU Doom without retcons. The piece is careful to note, “We know Downey is playing Doctor Doom, but nothing has been said about him being Victor Von Doom.”
The mid-credits clue from first steps — and why it matters to Avengers: Doomsday
Josh Wilding’s breakdown of the First Steps stinger adds concrete staging that’s easy to overlook: it’s “five years into the future,” Doom teleports into the Baxter Building, “kneeling in front of the young Franklin Richards,” holding his mask in one hand and lifting Franklin’s arm toward what is “presumably, his scarred face.” Wilding then relays the same son connection — that Franklin reminds Doom “of his own son.”
That mid-credits scene was “filmed on the set of Avengers: Doomsday by the Russo Brothers,” further knitting the handoff between films. Director Matt Shakman has even described Marvel’s coordination as a “relay race”: “You pass the baton… and then you pass the baton, in this case to the Russo brothers.”
Cast & characters confirmed so far (and who crosses over)
On the record, Avengers: Doomsday boasts one of the MCU’s most stacked ensembles. The roll call includes Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr.
Joining the Avengers franchise for the first time are Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Lewis Pullman. From Fantastic Four: First Steps, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn step into the fray.
X-Men veterans Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, and James Marsden also appear, alongside Deadpool & Wolverine standout Channing Tatum as Gambit.
What about multiple Doctor Doom variants?
While nothing is confirmed on screen, the conversation around Doomsday now frequently entertains the possibility of more than one Doom. ScreenRant’s recent feature floated eight potential variants as crowd-pleasing options — an editorial angle that underscores how a Council-of-Dooms twist could echo (and replace) the franchise’s shelved Council-of-Kangs idea.
Release timing (still in flux)
There’s an active date discrepancy worth flagging. Wilding pegs the release as “December 18, 2026,” while The Direct’s sidebar lists “May 01, 2026.” Until Marvel stamps an official one-sheet, treat the date as not yet confirmed.
Why tying Franklin to Doom’s past could work
Grounding Doom’s crusade in grief is a smart way to humanize a sorcerer-scientist who can otherwise read as invulnerable. Linking Franklin to a lost child reframes the Baxter scene as more than a kidnapping set-up; it’s a thesis statement about motive. It also sets up a high-stakes clash with Reed Richards and Sue Storm that isn’t just cosmic chess — it’s parental terror colliding with parental resolve. If that personal knot tightens across timelines, a multi-Doom gamble becomes less gimmick and more mirror, showing how loss can calcify into different shades of tyranny.
The bottom line for Avengers: Doomsday
Between the son connection, the First Steps handoff, and that massive cast, Avengers: Doomsday is positioning Doctor Doom — not just as a world-ender — but as a character driven by wounds that the Avengers can’t simply punch away. If Franklin Richards is the key, the lock may be Doom’s grief.
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