Avengers: Doomsday Highlights MCU Power Level Issues
The upcoming Avengers: Doomsday introduces a new major villain, Doctor Doom, who must be portrayed as the most powerful figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Yet, the power escalation in the MCU since Avengers: Endgame has complicated this task.
Power Creep in the MCU
Marvel has continually increased the strength of both heroes and villains to top previous movies. This relentless power growth now makes it difficult to depict any new character, including Doctor Doom, as truly threatening.
Recent MCU Power Examples
- The MCU has introduced immensely powerful entities like the Council of Kangs, the Celestials, Mephisto, and Galactus.
- For heroes, Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel) is so strong that she was kept off Earth during Avengers: Infinity War.
- Hulk's strength became so overwhelming that the MCU reduced it by making him more intelligent, limiting his raw power.
Challenges for Doctor Doom
With power levels already sky-high, making a man in armor appear threatening is difficult. As the movie nears, Marvel faces the challenge of solidifying Doctor Doom's dominance without undermining past developments.
“Doctor Doom has to appear all-powerful, but the MCU has made it hard to make a man in armor seem any kind of threat after the past decade of movies.”
Potential Solutions
Marvel could address this power creep by rebalancing character strengths or limiting future escalation. However, with Avengers: Doomsday imminent, it may already be too late to fully resolve the problem.
Author's summary: The MCU’s steady rise in character power has complicated portraying new threats like Doctor Doom, challenging Marvel’s ability to make fresh villains truly menacing.