Multiversal Showdown
Multiversal Showdown: Marvel Heroes Assemble to Face Doctor Doom in New Prose Epic
NEW YORK — While fans eagerly await the live-action clash of the century in Avengers: Doomsday later this year, Marvel is whetting appetites for multiversal chaos with a high-stakes team-up arriving on the printed page. A newly announced prose novel, Marvel: What If…The Multiverse Was Doomed?, is set to drop this summer, featuring an all-star roster of nexus beings uniting against the greatest threat to reality: Doctor Doom.
An Unlikely Alliance
Published by Penguin and scheduled for an August 4, 2026 release, the novel serves as the fifth entry in Marvel’s What If…? prose series. The story follows America Chavez as she assembles a desperate group of heroes to prevent Victor von Doom from seizing total control over all of reality.
The lineup is a veritable "who's who" of powerhouses from across the dimensions, confirming that the following fan-favorites will join forces:
-
Loki: The God of Stories, whose knowledge of the multiverse will be pivotal.
-
The Scarlet Witch: Bringing her reality-warping mastery to the front lines.
-
Kitty Pryde: Armed with the volatile power of the Phoenix Force.
-
Venom-Moon Knight: A unique symbiote-infused variant of Marc Spector.
The Doom Threat
The narrative centers on a desperate Doctor Doom, who has scoured infinite dimensions in search of a home—specifically, a world where he can reunite with his son, Franklin Richards. After discovering that Franklin is the child of his arch-nemesis, Reed Richards, Doom attempts to weaponize the boy’s reality-altering abilities to reshape the multiverse in his image.
"With Doctor Doom only a heartbeat away from gaining unlimited control over all reality, America Chavez must gather a team of nexus beings... to make one last stand," the official synopsis teases.
A Prelude to ‘Doomsday’
While Marvel: What If…The Multiverse Was Doomed? is not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity, its timing and themes have sent fan speculation into overdrive.
With Avengers: Doomsday, starring Robert Downey Jr. as the MCU’s Doctor Doom, hitting theaters on December 18, 2026, this prose release functions as a thematic appetizer. The book’s focus on the Franklin Richards connection mirrors persistent rumors regarding the MCU's version of Doom, who was teased to have encountered the young Franklin in the post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Whether or not the Scarlet Witch or Loki will share significant screen time with Robert Downey Jr.’s Doom in the upcoming Avengers films remains one of the MCU's most guarded secrets. However, as Marvel's latest publication makes clear, when Doctor Doom is on the warpath, the heroes of the multiverse have no choice but to answer the call.
