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In all of the conversation surrounding Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe — albeit playing an entirely different role, that of Doctor Doom — one detail from his appearance onstage at Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 seems to be curiously overlooked. Namely, what he said onstage: “New mask, same task.” What could that mean? The answer might be found this very week, in an entirely unexpected place: the pages of Marvel comic book Blood Hunt #5.

Spoilers for Blood Hunt #5 follow. Don’t read further unless you’re ready to have the issue spoiled for you.

As has been previously strongly hinted by Marvel — which is to say, stated outright in publicity for upcoming projects — Doctor Doom takes on the mantle of the Sorcerer Supreme in the final issue of Marvel’s big summer 2024 event series. He can’t do it by force, however, or else he’d have done so before; instead, he convinces Stephen Strange to surrender the title (and powers that come with it), arguing, “I alone possess the knowledge of the ritual to turn back the darkness. But I cannot enact it without the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme.”

Strange, thankfully, knows just who he’s dealing with, and makes a deal with Doom: “I want your oath, Victor,” he says. “I want your word. Once the world is saved, you will return to me what is mine.” Doom agrees, in classic Doom fashion: “You have my word. The word of Doom.”

There is, of course, a twist coming. And that’s where Robert Downey Jr.’s commentary in Hall H comes into play.

The Twist

The thing is, Doom wasn’t lying, per se, when he gave his word — but that’s not to say he was entirely upfront with Stephen Strange, either. He does, in fact, use magic to dispel the Darkforce that has been assisting the vampiric invasion of the Earth, which ultimately allows for the fall of Varnae’s forces. So, in that respect, Doom really did save the world… except, as it turns out, he’s not done yet.

As Strange congratulates him and asks him to follow through on his promise to return the mantle (and power) of the Sorcerer Supreme, Doom… well, he says this: “Yes, my oath. To surrender the office of Sorcerer Supreme back to you once I saved the world. And I have only just begun, Stephen. Doom does nothing halfway.” With that, he seemingly dispels Strange’s spirit form, before saying, “Now. Let me show you what it means to save the world.”

This is set up for the One World Under Doom! teaser that Marvel released at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, which appears in the back of this issue, but with one important difference… whereas the SDCC version of the image said “Coming in 2025,” the Blood Hunt #5 version reads, “And coming in NOVEMBER…” (Emphasis theirs.) Looks like the new Doom order is starting earlier than it seemed...

So what does this have to do with RDJ and the MCU?

The comic book Doom is, as he makes clear, planning on saving the world his way. What if the cinematic version of Doctor Doom is trying to do the same thing in his own way? That is, after all, the “same task” that Iron Man had… even if the definition of what it took to save the world was a very different thing altogether. What if the MCU version of Doctor Doom is less outright villain — at least to begin with — than misguided anti-hero? After all, if Marvel Studios is continuing to center the Multiverse Saga around the idea of incursions, as mentioned in both Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, then the cinematic Doom might have a similar mission to the comic book Doom: to save the world at any cost, even if it means destroying other worlds.

Is a new team of Avengers ready to face a genocidal anti-hero who shares the face of one of their fallen friends? We might find out in May 2026, when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters. While you’re waiting, check out Blood Hunt #5, in comic stores now, and the next few months’ worth of Marvel comics — just in case further MCU clues are being dropped in the process.

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Keep up to date on Popverse's Marvel coverage, with these highlights:

• How Disney+'s What If...? is the moonshot for the next 50 years of Marvel Studios & the MCU
• Marvel Studios has accidentally created a new Phase that predates Phases 1 - 6: the MCU Phase Zero
• Overgrown children of the atom: Marvel's X-Men can't evolve past their '90s commercial peak
• The biggest outstanding questions of the Marvel Studios' movies & TV shows
• Donald Trump is the landlord for Marvel's House of Ideas
• Marvel Studios swapping out Doctor Doom for Kang offers the chance to jettison the Multiverse Saga
• What Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige is saying (and not saying) about the MCU X-Men franchise says a lot about the future of the Mutant Saga
• If Marvel is going to bring Loki back for Secret Wars, it's time to give him an upgrade
• With Daredevil, and spinoffs from Black Panther, What If, and more, Marvel Studios' 2025 Disney+ slate is bigger than ever, and that might be a big deal for the future
• If Kraven the Hunter flops, Sony's Spider-Man Universe could look for a Marvel-assisted reboot
• In 2021, Sony's boss said people won't miss Spider-Man in its Spider-adjacent movie. Turns out, they do.