MCU Theory: Loki Is Secretly Doom’s Replacement For Avengers 6’s Secret Wars

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Loki season 2, episode 6

Loki’s new status quo in the MCU could see him replacing Doctor Doom in Avengers: Secret Wars. Played by Tom Hiddleston, Loki season 2 saw the titular God of Mischief become a whole new kind of god for the sake of the entire multiverse. To that end, it’s possible that Loki could fulfill a major role from the original Marvel comics once the teased Multiversal War begins, likely kickstarting the MCU’s version of the massive Secret Wars crossover event.

As seen at the end of Loki season 2’s finale, Loki was finally burdened with his ultimate “glorious purpose” in the MCU, sacrificing himself and destroying the TVA’s Temporal Loom to end He Who Remains’ grip on the multiverse with his Sacred Timeline. Using his new powers as the God of Stories, Loki has restored free will to his friends and everyone living the various timelines and branches, effectively re-forming the multiverse as a tree with himself sitting at its center holding all the timelines together. As a result, Loki’s new role could see him replacing Doctor Doom in Avengers: Secret Wars set to release in 2027.

MCU Secret Wars Will Be A Variant Of The Comics Version

It Won’t Be An Exact Adaptation

When looking ahead at Avengers: Secret Wars which will reportedly be the culmination of the MCU’s current Multiverse Saga, it’s important to remember that Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić’s Secret Wars event released in 2015 is far too massive in scope to ever be adapted perfectly on-screen. The MCU is not nearly developed enough to do so even if it wanted to. There are far too many characters and ideas that have yet to be introduced on-screen, and likely won’t as the interconnected universe gets ever closer to 2027.

Furthermore, the MCU has always been inspired by the original comics as a foundation. While there may be similar core narratives with Easter eggs and references, there’s never been any kind of direct adaptation of the stories seen on the page. It wasn’t the case with Captain America: Civil War, and it certainly wasn’t the case for Secret Invasion. As such, the same will be seen with Avengers: Secret Wars effectively being a variant of the epic comics crossover. This could result in new characters fulfilling similar roles, such as Loki potentially replacing Doctor Doom and his pivotal role in the 2015 comic.

Doctor Doom’s Role in Secret Wars Explained

Evolution Into A God Emperor

Following the multiple incursions of realities in the multiverse thanks to the Beyonders, Secret Wars saw the classic Marvel villain Doctor Doom using the incredible powers of Molecule Man to salvage what he could from the dying multiverse. The result was Battleworld, a patchwork realm of various timelines with Doom ruling over it all as a new and powerful God Emperor, sitting upon his throne made from the roots of the Asgardian World Tree known as Yggdrasil representing Doom’s apparent command over all existence. Likewise, all of his new subjects had their minds erased of their former lives except for Doctor Strange who was present when Doom remade the whole of reality.

Although Doom couldn’t resist giving in to his villainy such as claiming Mister Fantastic’s family for himself and punishing the other members of the Fantastic Four, the undeniable fact was that Doom saved the multiverse by saving what remained. As such, it certainly seems as though saving the multiverse is exactly what Loki has done in his new role as the God of Stories, though he’s certainly done better than Doom with everyone still having their free will and nothing was remade in his image (something an earlier and darker version of Loki might have wished for).

MCU Doom Won’t Be Ready For His Secret Wars Role (But Loki Will)

Doom Hasn’t Even Been Introduced Yet…

Even if he’d already been introduced in the MCU (which he hasn’t), there’s just not enough time to get Doom where he needs to be to become his ultimate self as God Emperor, at least not in any kind of meaningful or satisfying way. In all likelihood, Doom will be introduced in 2015’s Fantastic Four reboot, though that would only give Marvel Studios two years to give him any kind of further development beyond his introduction. Debuting Doom and going straight to God Emperor would be extremely unfortunate.

Likewise, there are far too many elements in Secret Wars connected to Doom’s role that don’t yet exist in the MCU either such as the Beyonders and Molecule Man. Thankfully, incursions and multiversal tampering have already begun in the MCU as seen with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and with the Council of Kangs seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Now, Loki seems to wield the power necessary to keep reality together in the face of a dying multiverse as it likely will in the MCU’s Avengers: Secret Wars (even if it’s a patchwork realm of timelines and branches).

Theory: Loki Will Replace Doom And Create Battleworld In Avengers 6

Loki Will Salvage What He Can From The Multiverse

All in all, Loki’s new role as the God of Stories does make it seem like he’d be the perfect Doctor Doom replacement, giving Marvel Studios some welcome breathing room when it comes to debuting the classic Marvel villain. Across his 14-year MCU career, Loki has typically been a villain who’s now trying to save everything as a redeemed hero thanks to the Loki series. It makes him the perfect Doom counterpart despite his genuinely heroic intentions, especially now that Loki has clearly become the most important character in the MCU multiverse.

It’s also worth noting that his new throne at the end of Loki season 2 is right in the middle of the new multiverse tree he created out of the old Sacred Timeline. Beyond the connections to Asgard’s World Tree alone, this could also be a tease to Doom’s Yggdrasil throne seen in the Secret Wars comic. Perhaps becoming the God of Stories is only the beginning with Loki season 2 perfectly positioning Loki to become his own kind of God Emperor in Avengers: Secret Wars (though only time will tell).