Captain America Just Got An Impressive Power-Up Thanks To Doctor Doom

Published Oct 25, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT

Adam has been writing in the entertainment news space for over a decade. Beginning his career of covering film and TV at CinemaBlend, he has also appeared on The Flash Podcast and done several radio spots. 

While Doctor Doom is best known for being the Fantastic Four’s arch-enemy, he’s also spent a lot of time antagonizing other Marvel Comics superheroes. That includes Captain America, who’s clashed with the Latverian monarch both on his own and while part of the Avengers many times. In recent months, however, Steve and Victor von Doom have become reluctant allies fighting for a worthy cause together.

Doctor Doom sacrificed himself at the end of the One World Under Doom event to save Valeria Richards’ life, and earlier this year, Steve ended up comatose after fighting Red Hulk in the current Captain America title. While Steve’s body barely clings to life, his consciousness has been transported to Hell by Doom, who requires his help in overthrowing Mephisto as its ruler and installing a demon named Veratok as Hell’s new benevolent ruler. This journey into the realm of the damned has also looped in deceased characters like Valeria von Frazen and the Red Skull.

This storyline ends in a few days, though unfortunately, Steve was in dire straits at the end of Captain America #15. Luckily for him, the preview for Captain America #16 has revealed that, thanks to some quick thinking from Doom, Steve has received a power-up that’s made him capable of hurting Mephisto.

Captain America’s Soul Is Poison To Mephisto

Captain America (Vol. 14) #16, Written By Chip Zdarksy, Art By Valerio Schiti

Things have not been going well for Captain America and Doctor Doom in their battle to topple Mephisto. Though they defeated the Red Skull, their angel-slaying weapon known as the Antidivine was shattered in the process. Mephisto quickly wiped the floor with the protagonists' forces by the time they reached him, but the Satan-like figure offered Steve and Doom their own deals with the devil: Doom would be resorted to life in exchange for Mephisto torturing Valeria for eternity, and Steve would give up his soul in exchange for keeping everyone else on Earth safe.

While it remains to be seen how Valeria will be saved from Mephisto, if at all, the Captain America #16 preview shows that Doctor Doom has already sabotaged Mephisto’s deal with Steve Rogers. He used his sorcery to implant the Antidivine shards into Steve’s soul, thus tainting Mephisto’s “meal” like an “American buffet,” as Doom puts it, and requiring him to retreat.

It’s unclear how much the demon will be incapacitated and for how long, and it also isn’t clarified if Steve’s soul will remain fused with the Antidivine shards after he’s left Hell. Either way, this respite provides enough time for Steve to get back into the fight while Doom easily dispatches Mephisto’s minions. If this is a permanent power-up, then that would mean Mephisto would never be able to take Steve’s soul without making himself terribly sick.

Mephisto May Not Be This Storyline’s Real Villain

Marvel Comics

While there’s no denying that Mephisto is one of the most evil entities to be introduced to Marvel lore, all may not be what it seems with him in this Captain America storyline. The solicitation for Issue #16 teases that Steve will realize “he may have chosen the wrong side.” So although Mephisto is still a bad guy, this seemingly indicates that Doom, or perhaps Veratok, have ulterior motives that aren’t coming to light until now.

However this storyline closes out, Captain America fans can take comfort in knowing that Steve will make it out of Hell intact. That said, the solicitation states that the effects of this war will “spill out into the living world” and somehow impact the Avengers: Armageddon story. Steve also isn’t done spending time with Victor von Doom, or rather, a variation of him. Upcoming Captain America issues will see him going on the run with the young Doom clone known as Vic, who was introduced earlier in this series.

Captain America #16 will be released Wednesday, October 28 by Marvel Comics.