Is Doctor Doom Putting Together a Team in Avengers: Doomsday?

Avengers: Endgame – Encore, the limited rerelease of the Infinity Saga's finale, is a significant event for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Alongside the existing footage, the new version features additional scenes set post-credits, connecting to Avengers: Doomsday. These extras suggest a storyline where Doctor Doom assembles his own team of heroes, mirroring Jonathan Hickman's New Avengers run in the comics. This tale involves a group of Marvel's brightest minds working to prevent the multiverse's destruction.

In comics, the Illuminati consist of Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Black Panther, Namor, Doctor Strange, Beast, and Black Bolt. They secretly try to halt the Incursions, catastrophic events where Earths collide and annihilate each other. However, their efforts only delay the inevitable multiverse collapse. In the film, Doctor Doom seems to be the MCU's take on this Illuminati, as he collects power from the Beyonders to create Battleworld and reinvents himself as the God Emperor Doom. His ultimate goal appears to be staving off the collapse of the multiverse.

The new footage and trailers hint that Doctor Doom could lead this team of heroes, working to prevent the impending doom. Given the clues from the TVA scene and Bruce Banner's kidnapping, it seems plausible that Banner may join Doom's team, perhaps as the first member of the new Illuminati. This would allow for Reed Richards to potentially join forces with his archenemy, creating an intriguing dynamic between the heroes and the villain.