As we mentioned yesterday, the Avengers: Endgame publicity juggernaut is now starting to roll, and the Empire special has landed, along with quite a few new details on the upcoming blockbuster. An Empire special is traditionally the starting gun firing on the massive marketing effort for any big blockbuster.
One thing that the producer has tackled head-on in the article is the fan theory that Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom is just a variant of Tony Stark from another universe. Marvel big boss Kevin Feige flat out says no!:
“People wondered, ‘Is Doom just a variant of another character? Is this just a shortcut to bringing back another character?’ The answer is no. He’s Victor Von Doom.”
Also chiming in on the new villain is director Joe Russo who talked about what makes Doom such a powerful and frightening adversary:
“Doom is a Gothic character. He says, ‘Hell answers to me,’ and he’s not kidding. He’s a very powerful character with some very dark magic, and he’s not above selling his soul to get what he wants. He’s worth being scared of. He’s a father who’s a victim of trauma. He has lost a child. When people see the film they say it’s a very scary movie. It’s scary because he’s so profoundly damaged.”
Comparing him to previous big-bad Thanos, co-director Anthony Russo said that Doom is much more ego-driven than Thanos, who believed he was serving a greater good. Doom is all about Doom, for whatever reason. Meanwhile, Robert Downey Jr. compares his Doom to the lead character in Joel Schumacher’s Falling Down:
“Remember Michael Douglas at the end of Falling Down? He goes, ‘I’m the bad guy?’ I had that realisation a couple of days into shooting, because all the heroes are over there, and I’m the problem. And then I leaned in, and it was just this glorious time. I like a bit of scorched earth. Whatever you think he may be entertaining, I would ten times it, and you’ll probably be closer to the ballpark.”
You can find a link to Empire’s post on X about their new edition right here:
The Avengers meet their Doom.
Empire’s world-exclusive Avengers: Doomsday issue blows open Marvel’s biggest movie – speaking to Kevin Feige, the Russos, Robert Downey Jr, and a multiverse of heroes. Four collectible covers. On sale Nov 19.
Read more: https://t.co/Fvx5TnOsOb https://t.co/TSpRtM6fOu
— Empire (@empiremagazine) November 12, 2026
Avengers: Doomsday opens in cinemas on December 18th. Brace, brace, brace!
