Will Doctor Doom face off against Franklin Richards in Avengers: Doomsday? Details explored

Marvel's upcoming film Avengers: Doomsday might just be setting the stage for one of the most explosive power struggles in the multiverse. The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) quietly plants the seeds by introducing Franklin Richards, a child born with cosmic, reality-warping powers, who uses those abilities to save his mother in the film’s final act. Then comes the chilling mid-credit scene: four years later, Doctor Doom appears, unmasked and kneeling before a visibly older Franklin, his expression unreadable, his agenda still a mystery.

In Marvel Comics, Doom’s fixation on Franklin is legendary. He views the boy’s near-limitless powers as the key to creating and ruling Battleworld, a twisted reality of his own making as seen in Secret Wars. Now, with Robert Downey Jr. confirmed to portray Doom and the Russo Brothers taking charge of Avengers: Doomsday, the tension is more than cinematic, it’s mythic.

Is Franklin a hero in the making, or the ultimate weapon waiting to be shaped? With multiversal collapses and incursions looming large, their relationship could become the MCU’s most emotionally volatile conflict yet, not just a battle of power, but one of legacy, identity, and control.

---

How does The Fantastic Four: First Steps establish Avengers: Doomsday?

The Fantastic Four: First Steps may be set in a retro alternate universe, but one thing is very clear: Franklin Richards is going to be a big deal. And not just a cute superhero kid. We’re talking reality-warping, cosmic-level threat big. The movie introduces Franklin as a miracle child, born under cosmic radiation, already displaying dormant powers when he instinctively revives Sue Storm using what looks suspiciously like the Power Cosmic.

The mid-credits scene drives it home: a flash-forward to Franklin as a toddler, being approached by a cloaked figure who places a familiar silver mask in front of him. That mask? Unmistakably Doctor Doom’s.

It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it nod, but comic readers know this story well. The film also introduces “The Bridge,” a Reed-Richards-built device that can peer into alternate timelines. This, combined with Earth‑828’s designation, heavily hints at multiversal play, lining things up perfectly for Avengers: Doomsday.

With the Russo brothers directing and Robert Downey Jr. stepping into the role of Doom, all signs point to Franklin being at the centre of the next great Marvel showdown. Not a sidekick. Not a subplot. But the spark that might ignite Doom’s endgame.

---

More details about Franklin Richards

In The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Devourer of Worlds Galactus threatens to consume Earth‑828 unless the Fantastic Four hand over baby Franklin, who, even in the womb, pulses with a mysterious force known as the Power Cosmic. It’s a power traditionally held by Galactus himself, granting god-tier abilities like telekinesis, matter manipulation, interdimensional travel, and even the creation of life.

Throughout most of the film, Franklin is a passive presence, just an adorable infant bundled up amidst interstellar chaos. But in the climax, after Sue collapses from cosmic overload, Reed places baby Franklin on her chest. Moments later, she breathes again. Resurrection? Yeah, this kid’s no ordinary newborn.

While his comic counterpart doesn’t wield the Power Cosmic, Franklin has always been Marvel’s ultimate wildcard. First introduced in Fantastic Four Annual #6 in 1968, he’s warped entire universes, created pocket dimensions, and flexed powers like telepathy, telekinesis, astral projection, and immortality. He’s been called Powerhouse, Tattletale, and in one storyline, he even becomes Galactus.

Talking about the junior Richards' role in the film, Kevin Feige told CBR,

"Well, I think, as always, look at the comics. Look at the comics. There is great potential with Franklin. Really, the reason to do it first is because it had never been done before. There have been four [Fantastic Four] movies, as you're all well aware, and Franklin had never been a part of that. So as we were looking for ways to set it apart, to do a definitive version of Fantastic Four, we thought the notion of that child, and his importance to come, would be a good place to start and embrace, and that's certainly what Matt [Shakman] embraced."

Though The Fantastic Four: First Steps marks his first on-screen appearance, Franklin’s entrance suggests he’ll be central to the Multiverse Saga. And with Doom looming over the horizon, that crib might as well be a throne.

---

Why does Doctor Doom want Franklin Richards?

Avengers: Doomsday shows that Doctor Doom’s obsession with Franklin Richards isn’t just a power grab, it’s a calculated move rooted in fear, ambition, and multiversal dominance. Born to Sue Storm and Reed Richards, Franklin is anything but an ordinary child. He holds the Power Cosmic, an energy force once wielded by Galactus himself. That kind of cosmic potential makes Franklin a magnet for villains, but to Doom, he’s not just powerful, he’s dangerous.

In the comics of Avengers: Doomsday, Franklin is one of the most powerful mutants to exist. He can warp reality, create universes, and defy death. Doom, who thrives on control, sees Franklin’s unchecked power as a challenge to his superiority, and an opportunity. He has long been obsessed with outshining Reed Richards, and by targeting Franklin, he attacks Reed both intellectually and emotionally. In the Future Foundation comics, Doom even tries to manipulate Franklin by mentoring him, attempting to mold him into a tool for domination.

Avengers: Doomsday hints at this layered dynamic. In The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Franklin revives Sue Storm using his latent powers, proving his ability to resurrect the dead. Galactus once tried to capture Franklin, underscoring his cosmic significance. Now in Avengers: Doomsday, Doom may intend to exploit Franklin’s abilities for his own ends, possibly to resurrect Wanda Maximoff. With Wanda dubbed the “Destroyer of Worlds,” Doom might use her as a living power source, echoing Secret Wars (2015), where he used Molecule Man to power Battleworld.

Franklin’s presence on Earth-828 and Galactus’ pursuit may have drawn Doom’s attention, prompting four years of research into multiversal anomalies. Now, with incursions rising and realities collapsing, Doom seems poised to use Franklin to shape the multiverse in his image, or destroy it trying. Either way, Franklin Richards may be the key to Doom’s next reign and will definitely be a crucial part of Avengers: Doomsday.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now in theaters.

Avengers: Doomsday is slated to release on 18 December 2026.