Never underestimate a Marvel fan’s attention to detail. In the case of the imminent arrival of Victor von Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) in Avengers: Doomsday, they’ve already noticed that the new nemesis of the MCU already has symbols for Thor’s hammer and Captain Marvel’s symbol on his cape buckles, but now an extra potential detail has been noticed that has since been easily overlooked.
Over on Reddit, a Marvel fan did a side-by-side photo comparison between Doom and Shang-Chi's villain, Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung). On closer inspection, it appears that whatever style of armor the father of Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) wore, Doom has taken note and is wearing a similar kind. Naturally, the theory sparked other ideas from fans about what this could mean for Victor and his reality-hopping antics, and if any of them hold weight, it could only mean trouble for our heroes.
Did you notice this? Just design choice or something else?from r/marvelstudios
“Robert Downey Jr finally defeated a proper Mandarin and took a trophy,” wrote one fan, referring to the identity mix-up from Iron Man 3 that bled into Shang-Chi with the inclusion of world-famous "ac-tor," Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley). Additionally, another fan suggested that Doom might just be building a collection of victories and wearing his spoils out and about.
“I wonder if his suit incorporates bits from major players he's defeated? The wrap on his arm could be from the Ancient One's robe? Or I'm just reaching haha.” Another fan expanded on the idea, suggesting that Doom might’ve simply replicated the might and magic of previous opponents he’d faced.
“I was wondering whether the metal bands on his upper arms could be the ten rings," they continued. "Or maybe some form of it he copied. The MCU Tony was able to reverse-engineer and Thanos’ gauntlet, Peter’s web shooters, Wakanda’s nano bots, and freaking time travel based on Pym Particles. Who is to say a more motivated and focused Tony Stark couldn’t do the same for the sorcerer’s magic and the Ten Rings? Doom is potentially just Tony Stark if he never became a partying nepo baby and went full speed 24/7.”
We might still very much be in the “reaching” stage of Doomsday theories, but Victor's connection to the original Mandarin, perhaps from another reality, could help tie some threads together in the future. Let’s not forget that in the mid-credits of Shang-Chi, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) were very concerned about our heroes’ new accessories, which hasn't been addressed since. Perhaps Doom has already come up against them in another reality.
Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait to learn more about the MCU’s new big threat causing trouble for our heroes when Avengers: Doomsday lands in theaters on December 18. For every other upcoming Marvel movie and show, check out our guide.
