I’ll be honest with you, I’m not very optimistic about Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four. I’m usually the first to get excited about a new Marvel Studios project, but I can’t allow myself to be let down by yet another Fantastic Four movie. At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Kevin Feige announced that the Fantastic Four project will kick-off Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a part of the Multiverse Saga. In late 2024, it will be followed by two Avengers movies: Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2025), and Avengers: Secret Wars (2025), closing out the Multiverse Saga.

While I’m not jumping for joy over Fantastic Four, I am looking forward to a character that is closely tied to the superhero group: Dr. Doom. It’s widely believed that Dr. Doom will follow Kang the Conqueror as the next big bad. His arrival to the MCU has been long-awaited, as he is one of the most powerful beings in Marvel Comics’ character compendium.

There are rumors that Dr. Doom could have a very minor role in the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever movie, but it’s unlikely that he would appear this soon. During a commercial break on The Howard Stern Show, Stern and his crew were overheard speaking with producer Gary Dell’Abate (mics seemed to be “mistakenly” left on) about future guests on the radio show, and how Stern wouldn’t be talking to him much “in the summer.”

Stern: “That would just be better for me.”
[unintelligible]
Will Murray: “Can I be heard right now?”
Monkey: “Yeah.”
Murray: “My Zoom craps out at the end of every show.”
Robin Quivers: “Really? Cause I was like, ‘Why’s Will in the dark?'”
Stern: “Alright, let’s do this.”
Monkey: “So I just wanna run a couple of names by you for guests who are gonna be around in the Fall. I’m not gonna talk to you so much in the Summer.”
Stern: “What I’m saying is let’s do it… I’m burned out. That would just be better for me.”

Monkey: “OK, Kevin Feigeman from the office called and wants to know if that schedule works for you.”
Robin: “Kevin Feigeman, I’ve never heard that name before.”
Murray: “I think he means Kevin…”
Stern: “Kevin Feige, Gary. Tell him it works, but they’re going over the schedule with me and it’s gonna suck.”
Robin (to Stern): “Are you working this summer?”
Stern: “Well, I’m gonna do ‘Doctor Doom.’ But believe me, I’m fucking miserable about it.” [unintelligible]

Stern: “Cause I’m an asshole. That’s what I did on ‘America’s Got Talent’.”
Robin: “Are you excited about it?”
Stern: “Yeah, I called Robert Downey…I was asking him acting technique.”
Robin: “Really?”
Stern: “Gary, do you have the number for Jon Favreau?”
Monkey: “I do. I have his cell phone.”

I’ve said this many times, but it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that this could be a new tactic from Marvel Studios to throw fans off their scent. With a lot of chatter around the Fantastic Four project and its involvement with Avengers: Kang Dynasty, not to mention Dr. Doom’s comic book history with Kang the Conqueror, it is very possible that Dr. Doom’s arrival into the MCU is sooner rather than later.

In case you missed it, here’s some Marvel cosplay do’s and don’ts for New York Comic-Con coming next month.

Photo via Kevin Mazur