The Marvel Cinematic Universe has featured no shortage of iconic supervillains, from Thanos to Killmonger, from Baron Zemo to the Green Goblin. But despite the many great villains it’s introduced over the years, there’s still one legendary Marvel Comics antagonist who has yet to cross over into the MCU — Victor Von Doom, better known as the diabolical Doctor Doom.

Doctor Doom has been beloved by fans for decades for his tragic backstory, nuanced yet larger-than-life characterization, and his many memorable schemes to achieve absolute power. But despite his storied comic book history, there’s no telling when, where, or how Doom will make his MCU debut. Here are just a few upcoming MCU films and shows that could potentially give fans their first glimpse of this infamous evil mastermind.

RELATED: 5 Characters That Should Show Up In Marvel's Halloween Special

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness

doctor strange in the multiverse of madness title

The MCU’s next film seems like it’ll be one of the most ambitious entries yet, exploring the infinite possibilities of the multiverse and bringing in some truly unexpected characters — including Patrick Stewart as Professor X, if the latest trailer is any indication. But while Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom have had quite the rivalry in the comics, it doesn’t seem likely that this movie will be setting up Doom’s MCU debut. After all, the film looks like it’ll be plenty crowded just judging by the trailers, so it likely won’t have any room to establish a major new villain like Doom while still telling a coherent story. Even so, it’s not impossible that there could be a subtle reference to Doom’s impending arrival.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Black-Panther-Wakanda-Forever-Logo

A much more likely candidate for Doom’s MCU introduction is another one of this year’s upcoming films: namely, the sequel to Black Panther. Like Doctor Strange, Black Panther has a long-standing grudge against Doom in the comics, so he’s a natural fit to be featured in Wakanda Forever. After all, Doctor Doom is a king in his own right, ruling over the tiny European nation of Latveria. That said, persistent rumors point to Namor — another Fantastic Four antagonist who’s often clashed with T’Challa in the comics — as the film’s main antagonist. However, Doom could easily be foreshadowed in the film, with mentions of Latveria’s growing influence as a rival to Wakanda. He might even be saved for a post-credits reveal in the vein of Thanos.

She-Hulk

Official logo of the She-Hulk TV shows.

This one is more than a bit of a long shot, but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless. She-Hulk’s longtime arch-nemesis — Mary MacPherran, aka Titania — is set to appear in her Disney Plus series, played by Jameela Jamil of The Good Place fame. In the comics, Titania was introduced in the 1984 Secret Wars crossover series, in which she was granted her powers by Doctor Doom’s experiments. While Titania hasn’t had a particularly close relationship with Doom since then, their connection is notable enough to bear mentioning here. It’s very likely that Titania’s backstory will be changed for the MCU, but it’s not impossible that her origin could still have some Latverian ties.

Armor Wars

Official logo image of the MCU show Armor Wars.

This upcoming Disney Plus series is still a long way off, so very little is currently known about its premise. All that we know for sure is that War Machine will be the show’s protagonist, with Don Cheadle reprising his role once more. However, the series takes its name from a major storyline from the Iron Man comics, which sees Tony Stark’s technology falling into the hands of several high-tech villains. While Doctor Doom is brought up as a potential candidate for the story’s mastermind, he never actually appears in any major capacity. Even so, a story about Stark tech being stolen by villains could easily lend itself to setting up a certain armored antagonist’s rise to power.

Fantastic Four

The MCU's Fantastic Four logo

Of course, the most obvious place to introduce Doctor Doom to the MCU is in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, directed by Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Jon Watts. After all, Doctor Doom was first introduced in the Fantastic Four comics, and while he’s eventually settled into the role of a shared big bad for the entire Marvel Universe, the FF remain his most frequent and personal foes to this day. However, that’s no guarantee that he’ll appear in their MCU debut film.

In fact, Doom’s past appearances in every previous FF movie could very well contribute against his odds of being introduced in Watts’ Fantastic Four. Not only would Doom once again serving as the main villain feel repetitive, it’d also give him less room to make an impression. After all, a FF movie has to establish all four of the main characters and their dynamic first and foremost, meaning that the main antagonist would have less time to be developed by comparison. That same phenomenon is why Doom has been sidelined in past films, preventing him from being fleshed out into a character worthy of his comic incarnation.

Even so, Doom’s story is so intertwined with the FF that it would feel equally wrong to have a Fantastic Four film where his presence isn’t felt at all. So even if Doom wouldn’t be a good fit for the main villain of the FF’s first MCU movie, it’s likely that he’ll at least be foreshadowed, potentially even showing up as a background manipulator or a post-credits reveal. That way, the stage would be set for him to take over as the FF’s true nemesis in future films.

MORE: Fan Artist Shares Ideas For Multiple MCU Sue Storm Variants