Doctor Doom is one of the most formidable villains in the Marvel Universe, and the same will likely happen when he makes his MCU debut. Victor von Doom is a supervillain whose power levels often fluctuate depending on circumstances. However, it’s interesting to see where it inherently ranks compared to Thanosobjectively the biggest villain in the MCU and one of the most powerful.
The overarching enemy of the MCU’s Infinity Saga, most of the Marvel films released between 2008-2019 created Thanos, the Mad Titan, and his desire to claim all six Infinity Stones to “balance” and save the universe by erasing half of your entire life. Now, Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom is likely being positioned to become the climactic villain of the current Multiverse Saga. To that end, this is where Doctor Doom’s power levels and how he compares to Thanos are typically ranked.
Thanos’ power levels have always been greater than Doom’s
The Mad Titan is inherently stronger and more powerful
In terms of inherent strength and power, Thanos has always had the edge over Doctor Doom on the page, and the same will likely be true on screen. Born on the planet Titan, it has been proven that Thanos was formidable and extremely dangerous long before he got his hands on the Infinity Gauntlet and all six Infinity Stones. After all, Thanos incapacitated and brutally defeated the Incredible Hulk in early 2018 Avengers: Infinity Warusing nothing but his brute strength and bare hands.
Likewise, Thanos is also a skilled warrior and uncompromising conqueror, commanding all manner of forces when he was still halving populations across the galaxy, one planet at a time. Likewise, Doctor Doom rules as dictator over the entire nation of Latveria in the comics, commanding vast resources and armies of his own Doombots at his disposal. That said, Doctor Doom alone is hardly on the same level of inherent power as Thanos.
Ultimately, Doctor Doom was born as a mortal man from Earth, while Thanos was born with much more strength and skill due to his Titan physiology. That said, Doctor Doom’s brilliant intelligence and cold ambition are where his true power lies. As such, Victor von Doom is always looking to increase his power levels in the comics through various scientific and magical means, and the same will likely be true in the MCU.
Doom’s sorcery means he can still take on Thanos
Leveling the odds, but still very challenging
Doctor Doom’s magical ability as a sorcerer is probably the best way he would stand a chance against Thanos (assuming the Mad Titan doesn’t have the Infinity Gauntlet and necessary stones). As seen in the MCU, magic appears to be where Thanos was most vulnerable. One of the first examples occurs in Avengers: Infinity War with Doctor Strange nearly having the Mad Titan tied up and incapacitated before Thanos used the Infinity Stones to regain the advantage.
Ultimately, Doctor Strange was one of the last Avengers on Titan before deciding to give up the Time Stone. After all, Strange looked into the future and knew it was the only way to defeat Thanos later on. End of the game. To that end, Avengers: Endgame itself provided another excellent example where magic almost brought down Thanos at the hands of Scarlet Witch. During the Battle for Earth, Thanos had to have his battleship fire on his own troops to free himself from Wanda Maximoff and her paralyzing chaos magic.
To that end, It stands to reason that Doctor Doom’s magical ability as a gifted sorcerer would be his best chance of taking down Thanos. However, a Thanos armed with the Infinity Gauntlet would still make this conflict challenging, as not even the Sorcerer Supreme could fully stop him in the MCU. Plus, perhaps a combination of Doctor Doom’s magical ability and his scientific prowess would be enough to push his power beyond its limits and make it a fair fight (under the right circumstances).
How Doctor Doom beat Thanos in the comics
Doom had the power of a God (Secret Wars)
Curiously, it was in 2015 Secret Wars comic book crossover by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić, where Doctor Doom killed Thanos in a solid and brutal way. Likewise, the circumstances were more than prepared in Doom’s favor. In Secret Warsthe multiverse begins to collapse, and it is only through the efforts of Doctor Doom that fragments of multiple dying realities are saved and forged into Battleworld, a patchwork reality where Doom rules all as “God Emperor”.
Doom’s becoming the savior of existence came from his daring act of stealing the Beyonders’ omnipotent power through Molecule Man. While he saved chunks of the multiverse, he essentially forced everything that was left to bend the knee as well. That said, two lifeboats of heroes and villains saved themselves without Doom’s help, meaning they weren’t similarly brainwashed by his power and remembered their pre-existing realities. This included Thanos, who wasted no time challenging God Emperor Doom’s rule. That being said, Thanos vastly underestimates the full extent of Doom’s power as a godeven if he doesn’t have the Infinity Gauntlet at his disposal.
After criticizing how Doctor Doom wielded his power as a god in comparison to Thanos himself, who believed he wielded similar power with the Gauntlet as a god he mustThe Mad Titan demands that Doom be the one who bows down to him. However, Doom’s response is to simply rip Thanos’ skull and spine from his body, a brutal murder that apparently requires very little effort.. To that end, this is a very rare and impressive moment in the comics when Doctor Doom was substantially overpowered, allowing him to put a good end to Thanos.
“Depending on how faithful 2027 is Avengers: Secret Wars is for the source material, it’s likely that the MCU’s Doctor Doom could gradually become much more powerful than Thanos…”
Depending on how faithful 2027 is Avengers: Secret Wars is for the source material, it’s likely that the MCU’s Doctor Doom could gradually become much more powerful than Thanos. However, Doom’s typical power levels would make a conflict with the MCU’s Mad Titan quite challenging. Either way, it will be fascinating to see what kind of Doctor Doom the MCU delivers when Robert Downey Jr.’s version finally debuts in 2026. Avengers: Judgment Day (or perhaps earlier, with a possible appearance in 2025 Fantastic Four: Getting Started).