‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Director Joe Russo Explains What Makes Doctor Doom a Different Kind of Villain Than Thanos

Few villains in superhero movie history cast a shadow quite like Thanos. When Marvel announced that the Russo brothers would return to direct ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ the obvious question was how Doctor Doom could possibly follow the Mad Titan.

Robert Downey Jr. now wears the iron mask, and the film arrives in theaters on December 18. With a sprawling cast of Avengers, Fantastic Four and X-Men heroes caught up in a collapsing multiverse, the stakes are as high as they’ve ever been.

Ahead of the release, the directors have been making the rounds to promote ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore,’ the theatrical re-release of their 2019 blockbuster. That tour has produced some of the clearest hints yet about what separates Doom from the last big bad they handled.

In a conversation with Fandango correspondent Chris Tait, part of Big Ticket’s first-ever double-feature interview, Joe Russo told Fandango that the difference between the two villains comes down to brains and brawn. He described Thanos as a force of nature who simply pushed his way through every problem, while Doom is “much more Machiavellian and manipulative than Thanos.”

The directors were responding to a question about the ‘Endgame Encore’ scene in which Doom uses Latverian magic to grab Bruce Banner, played by Mark Ruffalo, from a secure underground prison. They said Doom’s magic is ancient and that he is a genius who studies his foes and understands them, as seen in the trailer.

Joe added that Doom is not someone who does anything off the cuff. Everything is meticulous, and he makes sure he has a tactical or power advantage before stepping onto a battlefield, which is why the directors called him very difficult to beat.

The re-release includes four new post-credits scenes that recontextualize ‘Endgame’ to preview ‘Doomsday.’ Two of them star Doom, and in one he forges his trademark iron mask to the same metal clanging sounds heard at the end of the original film.

That detail matters because it ties Downey’s villain directly to the character who ended ‘Endgame.’ Joe called it an interesting exploration of good and evil to have the actor play both Tony Stark and Doom, saying there is a duality to explore there.

Anthony Russo has also spoken about the character’s complexity. He said Doom has an underlying validity to his worldview, which makes him relatable even when his choices are wrong.

The directors have been just as eager to emphasize how different the film will feel. Asked whether it might be the scariest ‘Avengers’ movie yet, Joe stopped short of that label but called it intense and said it differs from anything else Marvel has made. He also said audiences will be very surprised by what happens, and that the tone is very different.

He added that Downey brings a level of gravitas and energy to Doom that can be frightening. Taken together, the comments suggest a villain who unsettles through intellect rather than raw power.

That shift is a smart one. The Russos spent years building ‘Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame’ around Josh Brolin’s Thanos, a unstoppable threat who made the heroes pay for every inch. A calculating schemer who manipulates his enemies would be a natural contrast, and it opens the door to storytelling that a pure powerhouse villain can’t deliver.

He used to be different. Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters everywhere December 18. Get your tickets now: https://t.co/J5PUbxvAkc https://t.co/OUutSMZneq

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) August 15, 2026

Fans have been debating whether Doom can match the impact of Thanos, especially since Thanos had years of buildup across the MCU while Doom has had far less time on screen. The Russos’ comments suggest they are betting on depth of character, not just scale.

The filmmakers are working from a script credited to Michael Waldron, Stephen McFeely, Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. Doom is also expected to carry over into ‘Avengers: Secret Wars,’ meaning this version of the villain has to work across two movies.

That is a tall order, but the early signals are promising. By positioning Doom as a patient, brilliant and unpredictable adversary, the Russos appear to be giving him a clear identity of his own rather than asking him to copy the Mad Titan.

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