Of all the rumours surrounding Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, one of the most persistent has related to a possible appearance for iconic Marvel villain Doctor Doom – who is expected to play a key role in upcoming Phase 6 movies Fantastic Four and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Although Namor has long been confirmed as the chief antagonist in the sequel, many fans believed that there could also be a minor appearance for Doom either in the film itself or a post-credits scene, ahead of his more significant MCU contributions in the future.
Now that the film has been released, we can reveal whether Doctor Doom really does appear in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – so read on for everything you need to know.
Does Doctor Doom appear in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?
No, despite the earlier rumours to the contrary, Doctor Doom does not appear in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – although it probably won’t be too long before we do see him starring in the MCU, with the villain expected to take on a key role in Fantastic Four and Avengers: Secret Wars during the upcoming Phase 6.
Of course, the character has appeared in numerous non-MCU films before now – most recently played by Toby Kebbell in the 2015 Fantastic Four movie – and Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler previously spoke about the “baggage” the character will bring to the franchise because of this.
“Unlike Namor [the main antagonist of Wakanda Forever] there’s been several different representations of him in film. So I think that’s what excited me the most about Namor, where it was that there hadn’t been any representations. Like you didn’t have any baggage of any other actors, or any other performances, or any other movies. It was just publishing for Namor.
“I think Doom is a little different when it comes to that, but man, what an incredible character, man,” he added, “I think he’s often in people’s list of like favorite characters overall, not just villains. So I think I would understand people wanting to see Doom represented.”
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Coogler had earlier dismissed the rumours that Doom would be appearing in his new film – and in this case it turns out that this wasn’t simply part of some plan to keep an appearance secret.
Meanwhile, producer Nate Moore had also ruled out a role for Doom in the film, explaining that he wasn’t ever considered for an appearance.
“He’s such a great character and the world of Latveria is so fantastic and Ryan is a fan. But once we decided Namor was the antagonist, that was always going to be the focus,” he told ComicBook.com’s Phase Zero podcast.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now playing in UK cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage and visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide for more to watch.
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