Avengers: Doomsday will introduce Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, a villain we've so far only caught a glimpse of in The Fantastic Four: First Steps' mid-credits scene.
The last-minute pivot from Kang the Conqueror to Victor Von Doom hasn't given Marvel Studios much time to seed the villain throughout its Multiverse Saga projects. Still, we'd bet on Spider-Man: Brand New Day including some a Doomsday tease of some sort.
In that movie, Marvel Studios has to establish Doom as the Saga's new big bad. That likely means we'll get an origin story, but how much are we going to see of Latveria, the fictional Eastern European nation ruled over by the dictator?
As far as we're aware, the country doesn't exist on Earth-616, though The Fantastic Four did make sure to establish that it's part of Earth-828.
In the latest update from insider @MyTimeToShineH, it's said that "a lot" of Avengers: Doomsday is set in Latveria. It's hard to say what ramifications this will have for the movie, but if it's true that Doom and Steve Rogers currently reside on Earth-828, it could mean we'll be spending a lot of time on that retro-futuristic world.
You may recall rumours about Doom's reality being destroyed in an Incursion, which raises another set of questions about how and why Latveria fits into the upcoming blockbuster.
In related news, YouTuber John Campea has shared a few updates. He's confirmed rumours that Steve and Doom are on the Fantastic Four's ship—last seen rocketing to Earth-616 in Thunderbolts*—and added, "[We] know a couple of actors in this movie that we're not telling people about, [but] I'm sure will come out." In other words, expect some big surprises.
You may have also spotted chatter about Avengers: Secret Wars starting shooting earlier than expected in April, the same month Avengers: Doomsday's reshoots are scheduled for. That's based on a listing from last November, so we wouldn't put too much stock in it for now.
Stay tuned for updates on Avengers: Doomsday as we have them.
Avengers: Doomsday officially stars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Mabel Cadena, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, and India Rose Hemsworth all make their Avengers franchise debuts.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, as do X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, with Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum. The trades have pointed to Ryan Reynolds and Hayley Atwell also appearing in Avengers: Doomsday.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's Michael Waldron has also been enlisted to help.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.