Marvel Quietly Revealed Huge Doctor Doom Secrets At Its Avengers: Doomsday 'Surprise'

SXSW London is here, and with it are many surprises, such as the Russo Brothers appearing to promote the next Marvel Cinematic Universe event film, Avengers: Doomsday, which hits theaters on December 18, 2026. While a trailer is teased but not confirmed, a Doctor Doom-themed pop-up coffee shop opened that’s filled with Easter eggs.

It’s been rumored that Doctor Doom could get an origin story in the film, but still, nothing has been confirmed. However, the drinks in the pop-up add more fuel to this fire as they explore aspects of his rise to power leading to Avengers: Doomsday.

Doctor Doom’s Rise To Power Is Explained Through… Coffee?

Everyone knows that Doctor Doom is the ruler of Latveria, but it’s never explored how he obtained such power. With the pop-up coffee shop for Avengers: Doomsday, all of that may change as the drinks tease parts of his origin, such as his rise to power.

At the bottom of the menu is “Hassenstadt Dark,” which references what Latveria was called before Doom took control from Vladimir Fortunov. After Doom’s father failed to cure the queen of cancer, the king forced the two into exile, where Doom’s father died of exposure. Years later, he would kill the king, ending the family’s 600-year reign and changing the capital city’s name to Latveria.

Finally, coffee shop visitors got a card that mirrored the flag of Latveria, a green, red, and black design where the crest is similar to Doom’s mask. This flag is somewhat similar to the one shown in The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), which could tease an evolution of the design as Doom fully completes his rise to power in Latveria.

Doctor Doom’s Relationship With His Mother Is A Key Factor

In the comics, Doom’s relationship with his mother, Cynthia von Doom, is one of the most important in his life. Her selling her soul to Mephisto is the reason that Doom got into the mystic arts and even had him work with Doctor Strange to travel to his realm to save her soul.

The menu of drinks at the pop-up coffee shop teases elements of Cynthia’s connection to Victor, as well as how it affected him growing up. Firstly, a drink called “Zefiro” ties to the clan Doom’s parents were a part of. It’s also where Doom met his first love, Valeria, whom he named Reed Richards and Sue Storm’s daughter after. The clan’s ultimate goal was to take power away from King Fortunov by any means.

The second drink, called “Cynthia’s Blend,” was a direct reference to Cynthia von Doom, a woman who sold her soul to Mephisto to gain the power to crush her enemies. But, in doing so, she inadvertently killed women and children, leading to her being killed by a soldier of the King.

The final drink, called the “Rapprochement,” is a Latvian holiday where those who wronged someone can ask for forgiveness. It also lands on the same day as Cynthia’s death. These drinks show that it’s possible an aspect of Doom’s origin could show his time with his mother and how her death impacted him.

Doctor Doom’s Rivalry With Reed Richards Is Alive And Well

The most overt Easter egg on the menu was at the bottom, where it’s stated “Richards Was Wrong,” in reference to the Fantastic Four’s leader, Reed Richards. In the comics, the feud between Doctor Doom and Reed Richards is legendary and culminates in a massive battle between the two in Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars.

In relation to the MCU, Reed Richards was only just introduced in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and Doom was teased in the after-credits scene, but they never met. The line on the menu not only confirms that their feud is very much still a thing in this universe but also that there’s a deeper debate going on between them.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps teased Reed Richards talking about parallel Earths during the opening montage, where he’s talking about physics to children. With that in mind, it’s possible this was a debate between them long before they got their powers. Perhaps Doom always anticipated an incursion, and Richards didn’t? Now he’s wrong, and Doom will stop at nothing to stop it while also seizing power for himself? Anything is possible, but one thing that’s for certain is that Doom still thinks he’s smarter than Reed Richards.