One of the most intriguing Black Panther: Wakanda Forever rumors suggested that Doctor Doom would appear in the film’s post-credits as a teaser for future MCU adventures. The topic has come up frequently in recent weeks, with the latest reports saying the big Fantastic Four villain won’t be in the Black Panther sequel after all. Now, Marvel is addressing those rumors directly.
Marvel producer Nate Moore did not shy away from the question during interviews that followed the Black Panther 2 red carpet premiere, saying that Doctor Doom was never part of Wakanda Forever. Mind you, some spoilers might follow below.
Wakanda Forever’s Doctor Doom leaks
Some of the Black Panther 2 leaks that we saw earlier this year claimed that Marvel had shot mysterious Doctor Doom scenes for Wakanda Forever. These scenes would be placed at the end of the movie in one of the film’s tags.
Moreover, reports claimed that Marvel had not cast the Doctor Doom role, so the scenes might feature a stand-in wearing the new armor.
Finally, the rumors said that the credits scene involving Doctor Doom would do more than just offer audiences a tease of the legendary Fantastic Four villain. Doom would be the real mastermind behind the conflict between Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and Wakanda in the movie. Therefore, Namor would not necessarily be the film’s true villain.
That narrative changed completely in recent weeks. New reports said that Wakanda Forever will not have Doctor Doom in the credits scene. And reactions after the premiere confirmed that. We think we know what happens in the sequel’s credit scene.
Despite these developments, we explained that Doctor Doom might still be behind the events in Wakanda Forever, even though Marvel would not tease that explicitly in the film. After all, Tenoch Huerta’s interviews still hint that Namor isn’t necessarily a villain, though he is an antagonist in this movie.
Marvel debunks the exciting Black Panther 2 rumor
However, given Nate Moore’s comments on the matter, it sure looks like Doctor Doom isn’t in the cards for the sequel. The producer talked to Phase Zero and addressed the film’s credits scenes.
First, Moore said that Wakanda Forever is tonally different than the first movie. Director Ryan Coogler might have wanted to introduce Namor at the end of the first film. But there were no similar intentions for the sequel. Doctor Doom aside, Marvel did not want to have a next villain teaser in the final tag scene.
“The weight of this movie is a bit different,” Moore said. “We felt the ending was kind of poetic to then go back and say, ‘Hey, there’s a tag at the end credits.” Such a scene would have felt “a little disingenuous” from what Marvel wanted to do.
Moore also compared Wakanda Forever with Avengers: Endgame, another MCU movie that didn’t have a tag at the end. But the producer never mentioned Doctor Doom in this context.
Later in the interview, Moore actually addressed the Fantastic Four villain. He said Doctor Doom wasn’t considered for Wakanda Forever.
“It wasn’t, to be quite honest, although I get why,” Moore said. “He’s such a great character, and the world of Latveria is so fantastic, and Ryan is a fan. But once we decided Namor was the antagonist, that was always going to be the focus.”
We have no idea when we’ll see a Doctor Doom teaser in the MCU, but Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premieres on November 11th. The full interview follows below.
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