Doctor Doom Vs Thanos: One Marvel Big Bad Is Stronger, Eviler & A Better Villain

In the past, the Marvel Cinematic Universe thought it had the ultimate problem on its hands with the mad Titan known as Thanos (Josh Brolin). Looking to the future though, and all we see is doom — Doctor Doom, to be exact.

Announced at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel has called Robert Downey Jr. back to don a different kind of armor as the leader of Latveria. It has been confirmed that the franchise's first-ever frontman will be arriving to torment Earth's Mightiest Heroes in "Avengers: Doomsday" on May 1, 2026. But while there's no doubt that Downey will deliver another sterling performance (albeit wearing a cloak and a shiny new suit), just how much of a villain is Victor in comparison to the violet-tinted, universe-slashing psychopath?

Over the years, both iconic Marvel Comics bad guys have committed some pretty nefarious deeds, forcing our heroes on their collective back foot and even going up against each other to ensure supervillain supremacy. There are some essential elements required to check the boxes of a grade-A baddie, though, and now that Doom's arrival has become inevitable, we're going to break down just what kind of threat we're looking at. Could he hold his own against Brolin's big-chinned alter ego, or is Doom set to fall just as hard as the universe-halving threat did at the hands of the new Captain America and company?

Victor von Doom may have been a feared genius since his 1962 debut in "Fantastic Four" #5, but he's gone on to reach legitimately wild levels of power in the years that have followed. He has been a self-proclaimed Destroyer of Worlds and even reached ethereal levels in Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic's "Secret Wars," where he became God Emperor Doom. He was so powerful at this point that when Thanos dared believe he could take him on, the legendary Latverian turned the Titan to dust, assuring that the Mad Titan's theory was, in Doom's words, "untrue."

While Doom may have performed one of the biggest mic (and spine) drop moments in history during "Secret Wars," his feats of incredible power weren't permanent. Eventually, once the reality he had created turned to ruin, Doom's powers declined. While they were still at a formidable level, he was no longer at the godlike tier he'd been touting. This in itself highlights the flaw in Doom that even on occasion he's been forced to acknowledge; strip everything away, and he is just a man.

Thanos, on the other hand, is a Titan. Thanks to his otherworldly heritage, even if he were to lay down the universe-breaking Infinity Gauntlet he loves so much, Thanos can still hold his own. And not just against a mortal like Doom, but even the likes of The Incredible Hulk, as was jaw-droppingly displayed in "Avengers: Infinity War." We might never see the return of Thanos in the MCU, but if we're being totally honest, perhaps it's a good thing Doom won't meet him, either.

Just how bad can a bad guy be? Well, in the case of Doom and Thanos, the answer is: very, very bad. Firstly, Doom's rap sheet is impressive in all the wrong ways. Sure, he's taken over his homeland, the world, and reality itself, but he's also performed heinous acts like sending Franklin Richards, the son of Reed and Sue, to Hell — literally. This was all before Doom cut a deal with demonic trio the Hazareth Three to be gifted a magic suit of armor that was bound together by the skin of his former lover. Doom was literally wandering around in someone else's skin. Gross.

But where Doom's deeds are typically driven by a combination of love and rage, Thanos' villainous actions generally come from his tyrannical nature and sheer spite. He might've snapped half the universe out of existence in "Avengers: Infinity War," but some of the worst things Thanos has done never even made it into the MCU. Deeds such as dissecting his mother or killing his own offspring and the mothers that birthed them (and that's before all the mass genocides).

One of the purple planet-wrecker's worst acts, though, was ruining the life of a man named David by visiting him every birthday since he was just a year old. One year, Thanos kills David's father; another, he wrecks his first relationship, poisons a party full of guests, and kills David's cat on the same day he's fired just ... because. When you factor that into the equation, it's obvious that Thanos is more than evil — he's an absolute d**k.

Over the years, both Marvel villains have hatched plots that, much to the frustration of our heroes, have often paid off. Just like in the MCU, Thanos really did succeed in snapping his fingers and cutting the universe's population in half, turning worlds (including his own) to dust for the attention of Mistress Death herself. Sure the heroes of the Marvel universe have fought back against the mad Titan to wreck, or even revert his plans so they never happened, but if he puts his mind to things, Thanos really can get the job done.

Doom's work review on the other hand, while sometimes smaller in scale have often ended the way he wanted. From invading countries to exacting his revenge against The Fantastic Four, a lot of the time he's relished in accomplishing what unhinged thing he's set out to do. That is, until the heroes he's wronged set the record straight and he returns back to his regularly scheduled programming of cursing the heavens and swearing his return. But even with these cliched proclamations and looking down on his adversaries, there have been times when Victor has surprised superheroes he so often battles, by reluctantly being one himself. 

Love, humility, respect, and honor. As rare as these traits might be, what's surprising is that Doctor Doom has displayed all of the above — which only serves to make him all the more unpredictable. And there's nothing more dangerous than a villain you can't anticipate. There have been instances where, even when his power and supremacy have reached their peak, Victor has been forced to accept that the end goal wasn't enough. That better men, even sworn enemies like Reed Richards, would be better suited to wield the power he's turned worlds over for. It's this aspect of Doom that makes him a greater villain than Thanos, simply because sometimes he has the chance to be a good person but ultimately chooses not to be.

Doom has been a mourner of fallen heroes, a midwife to others, and even donned the mantle of Iron Man following Tony Stark's passing. Despite his potential for heroism, Doom's nature is to linger in an area as gray as his iconic armor, which makes his constant return to dastardly deeds all the more frustrating. It's also what makes him so complex, which is why fans have been anticipating the fun storytelling opportunities his arrival into the MCU will bring. Ultimately, Doom has always been the villain Marvel most needed to introduce to its live-action universe, and we can't wait for our first encounter.