5 Marvel Villains Doctor Doom Could Recruit in Avengers: Doomsday, Ranked

Published Sep 13, 2026, 8:55 AM EDT

Shawn S. Lealos is an entertainment writer who is a voting member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. He has written for Screen Rant,  CBR, ComicBook, The Direct, The Sportster, Chud, 411mania, Renegade Cinema, Yahoo Movies, and many more.
 

Shawn has a bachelor's degree in professional writing and a minor in film studies from the University of Oklahoma. He also has won numerous awards, including several Columbia Gold Circle Awards and an SPJ honor.

He also wrote Dollar Deal: The Story of the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers, the first official book about the Dollar Baby film program. Shawn is also currently writing his first fiction novel under a pen name, based in the fantasy genre.

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In December, Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters, and Doctor Doom will become the Marvel Cinematic Universe's next big bad. The movie will follow similar events to those in the comic book storyline "Time Runs Out," where Earth-616 and Earth-1610 are on a collision course in an incursion. Avengers: Doomsday appears to also deal with an incursion, but without Earth-1610, and if it's like the comics, Doctor Doom saves the day.

This will all lead to Avengers: Secret Wars, where Doctor Doom could become God Emperor Doom and rule Battleworld. In that world, Doom gathers a lot of characters together to follow him, most of whom don't have control over their actions. In the comics, this includes names like Doctor Strange, Thor, the Invisible Woman, and more. However, there is a chance the MCU could have villains team up with Doom instead.

Over almost 20 years, there have been several great comic book villains who have made their movie debuts, and some of them are still around and waiting to make their return. In everything from the mainline movies like Captain America, Iron Man, and the Thunderbolts*, to even shows on Disney+, there have been some interesting villains who could work out great as an ally to Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and beyond.

5 Baron Zemo

Baron Zemo is not the same in Captain America: Civil War as he is in the comics. In the books, he is a Nazi who runs his own version of Hydra and the Masters of Evil. However, in the movie, he is a man whose wife and child are killed when the Avengers fight Ultron, and his home in Sokovia is destroyed. He helps destroy the Avengers and then eventually reappears in the Disney+ series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

While he works with the heroes in that miniseries, he still shows he has evil tendencies, and it is no longer about his trauma. In fact, there is a hint that he can eventually put on the purple mask and become Baron Zemo. With Sharon Carter turning evil in that series, and the MCU never following up on it, it is possible Zemo and even Carter could return. If they run Madripoor, it could be a huge moment if they return to help Doctor Doom in his attempted takeover.

4 Wilson Fisk

Image via Netflix

There have been a lot of rumors that Wilson Fisk can't appear in an MCU movie, and that he is limited to the Disney+ series. There have also been comments that this might not be true, and he could show up in a movie if there were plans that could include him. Daredevil and Punisher both showed up in Spider-Man movies, so there is no real reason that Fisk can't show up as well.

If Doctor Doom wanted to find someone on Earth who could help him, there might not be a better fit than Fisk. Yes, Fisk prefers to be in control, but if Doom could promise to help Fisk regain a modicum of power after all he lost in Daredevil: Born Again, that could be enough to have Fisk return from that island and buy into what Doom is selling. If Doom plans to become a god, Fisk running his own part of Battleworld could be perfect.

3 The Leader

The Leader was unceremoniously dispatched in Captain America: Brave New World. However, he would be the most invaluable MCU villain that Doctor Doom could reach out to. The big thing about the Leader's powers is that he can predict things that are going to happen with almost perfect accuracy. That makes his eventual defeat in the Captain America movie so strange.

If Doctor Doom wants to win the day, there isn't a better person to reach out to than the Leader, a genius who can foresee any problems that Doom might face. Honestly, Captain America: Brave New World didn't treat the Leader the best, because this is a villain whose brain is on a level comparable to people like Doctor Doom, Tony Stark, and Reed Richards, and he should have been a bigger threat. Doctor Doom could help him reach that level.

2 Justin Hammer

Of all the villains who were not in the best movies but were the best part of those movies, Justin Hammer is the best example. Played by Sam Rockwell, he was a perfect villain in Iron Man 2 and was the antithesis of Iron Man in every way. The industrialist and weapons designer is a great villain who should have returned to the MCU by now. The best part is that he isn't a supervillain and is still arrogant enough to think he should win.

Justin Hammer being around to help Doctor Doom with weapons could be perfect, and while Doom doesn't really need anyone to help him, having someone who can supply him with what he needs could be a perfect way to finally bring Justin Hammer back to the MCU. He deserves a return more than almost any past surviving villain in MCU movies.

1 Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine

Via MovieStillsDB

Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine has to play a role in Avengers: Doomsday. She is the person who was running the Thunderbolts*, and she is likely in charge of them as the New Avengers. She is still leading the New Avengers after that movie, and should lead them into action from behind the scenes to stop Doctor Doom, but she is someone who will always side with a winner, and that is Doctor Doom in this case.

If Doctor Doom takes control, Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is surely going to position herself to profit from his rule. Even if she is working as a double or triple agent, there is a great chance that Doom could win her over, and if the heroes lose in Avengers: Doomsday because of her betrayal, it would make the most sense for almost any past MCU antagonist.

• 

  Victor von Doom

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  Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic

• 

  Thor

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  Vanessa Kirby

  Sue Storm / Invisible Woman