Along with our first trailer for Avengers: Doomsday, we officially have our first real poster (that’s not just a logo), and it features Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom, with his back to the camera, looking at an ornate tapestry on a wall. The medieval-looking tapestry features images of what looks like a mother and her child, hovering above the Earth, surrounded by angels. What kind of clues does this poster reveal for the upcoming MCU epic? Well, if you’re a fan of the original Marvel Comics, it might suggest something prominent from Victor von Doom’s tragic past. But we don’t think that particular piece of Marvel lore is what the poster is hinting at.
In the comics, Doctor Doom’s backstory is rather heartbreaking. Growing up Romani in the Eastern European nation of Latveria, Doom’s mother was a sorceress named Cynthia von Doom. A brutal dictator named Baron Vladimir Fortunov ruled her country. To defeat him, she made a literal deal with the devil, getting a power augmentation from Mephisto. However, when she lost control of her powers, resulting in the deaths of several children, she renounced her new magic abilities. One of the Baron’s soldiers took advantage of the moment, and killed her. Making good on her pact with Mephisto, the demon lord dragged her soul into Hell itself. She left behind her infant son, Victor, who would grow up to become Latverian despot Doctor Doom.
As an adult, Victor von Doom became obsessed with piercing the walls between Earth and the Hell dimensions, hoping to save his mother’s soul. He even went into Hell itself once with Doctor Strange to confront Mephisto. This became the motivating factor in the experiment he conducted that resulted in the scarring of his face and turn to villainy. But we don’t think that’s going to be the MCU version of Doom’s tragic backstory. Early reports suggest that the images in the tapestry actually depict Doom’s unnamed wife and son, who died because of the Multiversal incursions. Hence, the angels. And Doom is trying to create a new reality, one in which his family has not died. That feels far more streamlined and relatable for a live-action version.
Of course, Mephisto now exists officially in the MCU. He finally appeared in Ironheart on Disney+, played by Sacha Baron Cohen. But we have heard nothing about the former Borat actor appearing in either Doomsday or Secret Wars. We have a strong feeling he won’t have anything to do with Doctor Doom’s backstory in the MCU. It’s just too convoluted. Both of the early teasers for Doomsday focus on both Captain America and Thor having children of their own. So we have a strong feeling that Doom having had a child will now factor heavily into his characterization. After all, many would break the world to save their wife and kid, Anakin Skywalker style? It’s a pretty relatable motivation. Maybe we’ll find out more about Doctor Doom’s motivations at the Avengers: Doomsday panel at San Diego Comic-Con.
Avengers: Doomsdayhit theaters everywhere on December 18, 2026.
