Avengers: Endgame Just Officially Confirmed The MCU's True Thanos Replacement

Published Sep 28, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT

Simon Gallagher has worked in movie and TV journalism for more than 17 years. He has written more than 6000 articles and reviews, and edited thousands more. He is an expert in the entertainment industry, particularly in the golden age of screen superheroes. Simon is also a Rotten Tomatoes approved critic.
 

It’s ironic to think that Thanos’ first appearance in the MCU was pretty much pulled out of nowhere. Joss Whedon famously had no idea how to use him and didn’t really have plans to, but 7 years later, Josh Brolin’s Mad Titan bowed out of the franchise as an icon. And even after he was killed (twice), the MCU still stood in his shadow for longer than anyone could possibly have been comfortable with.

Since his defeat in Avengers: Endgame, Marvel’s flagship franchise has noticeably lacked a single, orienting force to give the Multiverse Saga a tangible focal point. It’s been a messy chapter in which too many projects were unlinked to the Multiverse, and too much time was given over to Endgame’s fallout. And the fact that we’ve not actually seen an Avengers team (other than the impostors) for the 7 years since tells you everything.

In a lucrative move, the Russos have brought Avengers: Endgame Encore back to theaters with new footage, tying the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday to the Time Heist and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ finest victory. That isn’t quite wiping out all the last 7 years of narrative build (for what it was worth), but it gives Robert Downey Jr’s surprising villain an anchor to Thanos in a way that can’t harm his brand.

And even more importantly, Endgame Encore’s new post-credits scenes explicitly confirm that Doctor Doom is Thanos’ true replacement for reasons that go beyond his legendary Marvel status or his threat level. The TVA scene officially confirms exactly why Doom is Thanos’ heir apparent in a way that makes the entire Kang Dynasty mess feel forgivable. Or at least forgettable.

The MCU Has Struggled To Replace Thanos

After Endgame's ending basically destroyed the Avengers Initiative entirely, Phase 4 deliberately held back from introducing the next supreme threat to allow the world to heal. It became a sort of mourning period, as the cost of Thanos’ snap played out and the Avengers were intertwined with the new heroes who were supposed to renew the franchise and allow for regrowth. Some happened, but it always felt like Marvel was looking back over its shoulder.

The cosmic and magic arms of the franchise were built out, and the TV branch, and then, eventually Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror was positioned as the Multiverse Saga's answer to Thanos. And in December, we’ll see exactly how well that worked out when Avengers: Kang Dynasty comes to theaters… Yeah, the Fates weren’t quite aligned on that one, let’s say. But even before Majors was fired, Kang simply didn’t match his billing, and the choice to have his threat represented by variants was a mistake. Particularly when the best two - introduced in Loki - weren’t really villains at all.

In the often strange way fortunes play out, Kang’s removal from the MCU, and the abandonment of the original plan for the fifth Avengers movie has actually set up a better alternative. Yes, it was probably expensive for Marvel Studios, but the way the Russos have plotted Doctor Doom’s arrival, and the climax of the Multiverse Saga suddenly makes the MCU’s second era feel like it’s finally getting to the point. And again, it's not just because of Doom's status as one of the most adored Marvel villains of all time.

Why Doctor Doom is Thanos' True MCU Replacement

Doctor Doom is being positioned as Thanos' spiritual heir because his villainy is rooted in his own profound sense of necessity. Thanos was cruelly christened the Mad Titan by his own people because he proposed killing 50% of the population to save the other half. That detail was explored in depth in the Endgame prequel novel Thanos: Titan Consumed, which was sadly decanonized after release. In the book, Thanos actually proposed he would die as part of the doomed 50%, as a “small price to pay.”

He was obviously a morally compromised character, as his enjoyment at trying to kill Avengers (and succeeding in some cases) proved, but Thanos believed he was doing the right thing. We already had a good idea that Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom was similarly motivated, but Endgame Encore’s TVA scene gives us the exact reason why. We knew there was a threat of incursions and universes being destroyed, but the scale is far bigger than anyone could have imagined.

Ironically, of course, Thanos was always a dark reflection of Tony Stark. Both were driven by their uncompromising belief that difficult decisions had to be made for the greater good, and both saw unfortunate consequences. Tony didn’t quite wipe out billions, but he created Ultron in his misguided need to put a suit of armor around the Earth, and later signed the Sokovia Accords and destroyed the Avengers for the greater good.

And now Doctor Doom is an even closer mirror of Stark, who saw his own universe die, rather than just seeing a vision, thanks to Scarlet Witch of what might happen. And on top of the symbolic similarities, he’s literally got the same face as Iron Man. Talk about the removal of nuance.

The MCU Is About To Go Further Than "Thanos Was Right"

The aftermath of Infinity War and Endgame proved just how easily a compelling villain can sway public opinion, both in-universe and in the real world. The "Thanos Was Right" movement was obviously a fan meme, but it also bled into MCU canon in Hawkeye, showing how ordinary citizens, traumatized by resource scarcity and social instability, were draw to empathize with the Titan's radical solution. And if you thought that debate had some merit, it pales in comparison to the colossal moral dilemma Doctor Doom brings to the table.

With the TVA footage confirming that three thousand universes have already collided and wiped out what must amount to trillions of lives in a matter of moments, Doom’s extreme measures can’t even be called mad. They’re logical, so the idea of the Avengers immediately trying to fight his will puts them rather on the wrong side of history. At least if you ignore the inevitably that Doom has ulterior motives.

Even with that knowledge, which will surely set the plot for Avengers: Secret Wars, a dictator offering survival remains a better option than total annihilation. And when you throw in the fact that there are at least some heroes aligned with him - if the rumors about Doctor Strange are to be believed alongside Hulk’s recruitment - the position becomes ever harder to argue against. There’s hardly even a debate here: Thanos might have been right, but Doom definitely is.