Avengers: Doomsday Highlights the MCU’s Power Level Problem
The upcoming Avengers: Doomsday aims to introduce a formidable new villain, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s power escalation has created unexpected challenges. Doctor Doom must be portrayed as one of the most powerful being ever seen in the franchise, yet recent films have raised the power bar so high that doing so may prove difficult.
Since Avengers: Endgame, the powers of heroes and villains alike have continuously increased to keep each film more impressive than the last. This constant escalation has now made it harder to craft believable threats or introduce characters who feel genuinely dangerous.
“Marvel has had to keep making its heroes and villains stronger and stronger so each movie could outdo the last.”
Characters such as the Council of Kangs, the Celestials, Mephisto, and Galactus have already shown cosmic-level power. Among heroes, Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel) is so immensely powerful that she was kept off-world during Avengers: Infinity War to maintain narrative tension. The Hulk, once unstoppable, had to be balanced by making him more intellectual, reducing the raw might that defined him.
With Avengers: Doomsday approaching, Marvel faces a narrative dilemma: how to make Doctor Doom—a human in armor—feel menacing in a universe that now includes near-godlike beings. The studio must find creative ways to restore a sense of danger and scale within its storytelling.
Author’s Summary
The MCU’s growing power creep makes it difficult for upcoming villains like Doctor Doom to appear threatening, forcing Marvel to rethink how to reintroduce genuine tension and balance in its future films.