Disney Reveals First Look At Doctor Doom's Second Costume For Avengers: Doomsday [D23]

The jury is out on how well "Avengers: Doomsday" will handle its main villain, Doctor Victor Werner Von Doom (Robert Downey Jr. making his Marvel Cinematic Universe return). There's a lot riding on this. None of the previous live-action "Fantastic Four" movies have adapted Doctor Doom well, when Doom is arguably the greatest creation of Jack Kirby & Stan Lee, as well as the greatest villain in American superhero comics. 

Remember, back when Disney purchased 20th Century Fox and reclaimed the film rights to Doom, many Marvel fans cheered that the MCU would finally deliver a proper live-action version of Doctor Doom. The "Doomsday" marketing is definitely playing up Doom's grandeur, but can a single overcrowded movie do justice to his downright Shakespearean layers and tragic faults?

But, hey, at least "Doomsday" has gotten the costume right! Doom's iron mask looks suitably intimidating, revealing just enough of his severe eyes to craft a piercing gaze, and his armor is cloaked with a green hooded cape and tunic (strung together with two large broaches and a chain). Doom's comic costume is the perfect super-villain look, and the movie honors it.

Yet, it seems that Doom will not have just one outfit in the movie. /Film is in attendance at Disney's D23 event, where costumes used in "Avengers: Doomsday" are on display. That includes a softer, more streamlined costume for Doom (see below).

Static Media

Static Media

This costume has the same basic, Jack Kirby-esque look as the previously-shown Doctor Doom suit — the one he's wearing in the first "Doomsday" trailer while smacking around Thor (Chris Hemsworth). But look at the costume's detailing, and it suggests a different Doom.

The second suit lacks the armored plating pattern on the chestpiece. Moreover, the cape (with only one clinging broach) drapes over Doom's shoulders rather than behind them, and there doesn't seem to be any armored shoulder pads on this suit. Doom is also wearing only leather gloves and boots, not metallic ones like on the first-revealed costume. Then there's the mask, which is smoother and more friendly/innocent-looking, especially the larger, rounder eyeholes.

All of this suggests a Doom who isn't as prepared for a fight. Take this with a grain of salt, but leaks surrounding "Doomsday" have suggested this Doom is a former hero fallen to the dark side. (How fitting, since Doctor Doom is the original Darth Vader.) Perhaps this costume will appear in flashbacks during Doom's more benevolent phase, with the one he wears for the rest of the movie being a sign of his heel turn?

"Avengers: Doomsday" is scheduled for a theatrical release on December 18, 2026.