Leaked Avengers Concept Art May Reveal A Key Secret Wars Twist
Doom is about to get medieval, or at least early modern, on our favorite heroes.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is Doomed. Ever since Robert Downey, Jr. unmasked himself at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, it was clear that Doctor Victor von Doom’s introduction to the MCU would be a major shake-up for the franchise. Since then, however, details of Avengers: Doomsday and its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars, have been few and far between, with only a handful of casting announcements and quotes from directors Joe and Anthony Russo to go by.
Now, however, a surprise leak of pre-production materials reveals that these projects may deliver one of Marvel Comics’ strangest plot twists.
Marvel concept artist Mushk Rizvi uploaded concept art for unreleased Marvel projects on her ArtStation account, apparently by accident. It was quickly deleted, but not before fans got a look at early visualizations of several Avengers-focused scenes, including the assembly of the Young Avengers, Star-Lord hanging out with Vision, and a new Black Panther. While it was assumed these were all ideas for the next Avengers movie, Doomsday, some images seem to be for its follow-up, Secret Wars.
God Emperor Doom may appear in live-action, and he may even be accompanied by his wife, Sue Storm.
One of the most interesting images shows a white-clad Dr. Doom on a throne surrounded by familiar faces in Elizabethan garb, including Yelena Belova as a knight and Dr. Strange as what looks to be an adviser. It’s similar to the What If episode set in 1602, but the white costume suggests this is our first look at God Emperor Doom, the version of Doom featured in the Secret Wars comics after he created his own reality called Battleworld.
In the comics, Doom shaped this reality to his whims. He made Sue Storm his wife and her children with Reed Richards his, while Dr. Strange became his sheriff. That’s what we see reflected in the art, just in a different period. Could the figure brought to this Doom for judgment be Reed himself?
The leaked concept art appears to be set in the Early Modern period, just like the 1602 episode of What If.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that any of these leaked scenes will make it to the final cut of either upcoming Avengers movie, given that Marvel is notorious for retooling stories. Still, this is a tantalizing glimpse at the MCU’s next era. Secret Wars is a complicated story involving the very fabric of reality, so why not throw in a new setting and a Fantastic Four-based twist for good measure?
