Doctor Doom Assembles Allies: Robert Downey Jr. Could Team Up in Avengers Doomsday

Okay, so here’s the latest wild Marvel rumor making the rounds—and if you’re into shadowy villain teams and masked henchpeople, this one’s probably up your alley. It’s all about Avengers: Doomsday, the big MCU event movie set for December 18, 2026. And no, Doctor Doom apparently isn’t content to be a lone wolf this time.

Doctor Doom Brings Friends (or Clones, or... Followers?)

According to everyone's favorite Marvel movie whisperer Daniel Richtman (aka DanielRPK), Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom won’t just be stealing the show solo. Richtman says the movie will feature a bunch of masked sidekicks—both men and women—by Doom’s side. What’s a little fuzzy: are these backup dancers Doombots, true believers, or maybe multiversal variants of Doom himself? No one seems totally sure yet, and Marvel’s obviously not confirming anything this far out.

Just to flag the weirdness: we might be looking at a council of Dooms... or just a collection of followers with a thing for capes and masks. Either way, expect plenty of masked mystery faces when the Russos’ Avengers: Doomsday arrives.

Wait, Did You Say 'Harbingers of Doom'?

Now, if you’ve been scanning the rumor mill on social media, you might’ve seen a name popping up: 'Harbingers of Doom.' Some Marvel scoopers insist Doctor Doom’s little squad of villains is going to have an official title, and (because why not?) that they’ll be stacked with some wild picks.

• Captain Hydra (yep, an evil Steve Rogers variant)
• Maestro Hulk (gray-bearded, murderous, and grumpy as hell)
• King Thanos (because Marvel can never have too much purple chin action)
• Possible appearances by more Doom variants or classic Doombots

But here’s where it gets muddier. Alex Perez (Cosmic Circus) jumped into the online melee, shutting down the 'Harbingers of Doom' label. According to him, there isn’t some official supervillain team name—'I'm fairly certain they wouldn't have time to come up with a team name.' If any of this is real, Marvel’s likely skipping the cheesy group intros and just letting the characters be menacing.

TL;DR: Yes, expect Doom to bring backup, but don’t count on them all wearing matching uniforms and striking poses for a team photo.

Is Doom Actually Teaming Up With... the Fantastic Four?

In another twist, the Fantastic Four rumor machine is also fired up. Longtime scooper MyTimeToShineHello claims that Doctor Doom won’t just be fighting our heroes—at least, not right away. In fact, the story goes that Victor von Doom himself will recruit the Fantastic Four to help stop those meddlesome multiverse-destroying “Incursions.”

Supposedly, Doom and the FF hitch a ride in their spaceship to Earth-616 (the main MCU timeline, for those keeping score), deliver a dire warning, then make a pit stop in the X-Men universe—which, according to the leaks, is about to go kaboom if somebody doesn’t step in. So, not exactly classic villain moves from Doom. Is he playing the hero? Or is this just another one of his galaxy-sized ego trips? Don’t trust him too quickly is all I’m saying.

'I'm fairly certain they wouldn't have time to come up with a team name.'
- Alex Perez, Cosmic Circus, on the "Harbingers of Doom"

Who’s Actually Confirmed?

Here’s the hard facts we know (so far):

Avengers: Doomsday is directed by Joe & Anthony Russo, with a script from Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely. Marvel Studios and AGBO are producing, and Disney is handling distribution. The movie is currently set to hit theaters December 18, 2026. Everything else? File under 'strong rumors with a side of wishful thinking.'

So, are you gearing up for a Doom-centered superteam, an awkward Doom/Fantastic Four road trip, or something even weirder? Keep your theories coming—and start working on your own villainous team names, because apparently Marvel’s not doing it for us.