Avengers: Doomsday Theory Explains Why Doom May Be After Super-Babies

We may already know who the primary antagonist of Avengers: Doomsday is, and we know that the events that unfold in the movie eventually yield an adaptation of the famous Secret Wars story from comic lore, but we don't have a ton of information about what will actually unfold in the 2026 blockbuster. With 11 months remaining in which to rewatch the entire MCU, theories will continue to surface about what comes next.

Naturally, the biggest question mark is Robert Downey Jr.'s Dr. Doom, which many assume will be a multiversal version of Tony Stark/Iron Man a la the Infamous Iron Man run of comic books. With only a small appearance in the post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, we still have virtually no confirmed information about Doom's MCU background or intentions.

A new theory indicates that the Dr. Doom we saw in First Steps may fuse some of the known comic lore surrounding the masked villain with a fresh story. Unsurprisingly, the theory relates to young Franklin Richards, the first MCU character we saw interact with Doom and a famous target of Doom's from the comic. However, this theory implies that Doom's plans for the MCU may go far beyond Franklin Richards.

We've Now Seen At Least Three Super-Powered Children Associated With Doomsday

In the comics, Dr. Doom frequently pursues Franklin Richards, the super-powered son of Reed and Sue, because of his immense, nigh-unfathomable power. As one of the strongest beings in the entire multiverse, Franklin Richards can warp and rewrite reality at will, which is precisely why Doom takes an interest in him.

While Franklin's appearance in connection to Doom is unsurprising, it doesn't appear to be a coincidence that two of the Avengers: Doomsday trailers that have been released feature the children of superheroes. The first trailer showed Steve Rogers picking up a child, implied to be his child with Peggy Carter in a reality in which he lived out his life with her instead of freezing in 1945.

The second trailer features Thor praying to the All-fathers so that he might return home to his adopted daughter, Love, who was resurrected by the all-powerful cosmic entity known as Eternity. Love herself is featured in a sweet moment in which Thor appears to be tucking her into bed. With three children conspicuously associated with the events of Doomsday, it seems likely they're part of a grander plan.

Dr. Doom May Be Collecting Super-Children To Replace Anchor Beings

Dr. Doom's frequent motivation in the comics in the context of the Multiverse is to stop its collapse, but only so that he can control it and ultimately remake it in his own image. Perhaps the most famous comic storyline sees him steal the power of the Beyonders to craft a planet of the fragments of decaying realities known as Battleworld, which he ruled over as "God Emperor Doom".

That storyline is the rough framework for Secret Wars, but a new theory states that the events of Avengers: Doomsday may see Doom attempt to stabilize the Multiverse first. The theory posits that Dr. Doom may take a special interest in super-powered children so that he can replace the anchor beings of decaying realities with puppets under his own control.

Anchor beings are typically powerful individuals, and we've already seen an example in the MCU: Wolverine was the anchor being of Earth 10005, which is the Fox X-Men Universe, which is on a path to collapse since his death in Logan. As the rules about anchor beings have not been fully laid out and set in stone in the MCU, it's possible that Doom plots to use his own super-powered substitutes to stabilize things.

The children that have been associated with Doomsday so far certainly fit the bill as beings that a universe's fabric of reality could depend on. Franklin Richards' power is limitless, as mentioned above, while the son of Steve Rogers (who in theory inherits super-soldier abilities) makes sense as well. Thor's daughter Love has the power of Eternity within her body, and while her actual abilities haven't been explored, the final scenes of Thor: Love and Thunder indicate that she's far from an ordinary child.

There Are More Super-Children Already In The MCU

While we've only seen three super-children associated with Doomsday so far, there are many others that could certainly fit the mold as an anchor being. The most obvious choices would be the other children of Avengers, which at this point would include T'Challa's son T'Challa II, Hulk's son Skaar, and Wanda Maximoff's children Tommy (the hero Wiccan) and Billy (the hero Speed).

Elsewhere in the MCU are younger heroes like Cassie Lang, Kamala Khan, and Kate Bishop, who may not have the power of Franklin Richards or Love, but who could certainly still function as anchor beings as heroes with special abilities. Even Morgan Stark, who played a significant role in Tony Stark's arc in Avengers: Endgame could be a factor in Doom's plans.

Future trailers will likely provide us with more information, but based on what we've seen so far, the recurring theme of children in the trailers simply doesn't seem to be a coincidence. Considering Doom's comic history with Franklin Richards, it seems all but certain that super-children will play a big role in how Avengers: Doomsday unfolds.