Avengers: Doomsday Highlights MCU’s Power Level Shift
As Avengers: Doomsday prepares to introduce a new major villain, it reveals how much the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) power scale has evolved—and why that poses challenges.
The Challenge of Showcasing Doctor Doom
With the arrival of Doctor Doom, the MCU needs to establish him as the most powerful character yet. However, the dramatic increase in power levels throughout recent MCU films makes it difficult for any new villain to stand out.
Power Creep in the MCU
Since Avengers: Endgame, heroes and villains have grown exponentially stronger. Each film tries to outdo the last, but this escalation has reached a point where it undermines the impact of introducing formidable new threats.
- The MCU has introduced immensely powerful entities like the Council of Kangs, the Celestials, Mephisto, and Galactus.
- On the hero side, Carol Danvers is so powerful that she was kept off Earth during Avengers: Infinity War to balance the story.
- Hulk was nerfed by giving him intelligence, which reduced his previously limitless strength.
Implications for Avengers: Doomsday
Doctor Doom must appear overwhelmingly strong, yet the decade-long trend of escalating powers in the MCU makes it difficult to depict a man in armor as a true threat.
"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 through careful storytelling and recalibrating power levels, but with Avengers: Doomsday imminent, it may already be too late to reverse the trend.
Author’s Summary: The MCU’s escalating power levels challenge its ability to introduce genuinely threatening new characters like Doctor Doom, risking diminished narrative impact.