Avengers: Doomsday and VisionQuest: The Doctor Doom and Vision Keys to Know

Avengers: Doomsday and VisionQuest: The Doctor Doom and Vision Keys to Know

Welcome back to On Screen Soon, our look at the comics behind the movies and shows coming next. Marvel has two big stories running at once right now. Vision is back on Disney+, and in six weeks Doctor Doom takes over theaters. That means two sets of keys to watch, and most of the fun in both is in the bookshelf issues collectors skip right past.

Avengers: Doomsday: Doom Wears the Mask

The news: Avengers: Doomsday opens December 18, 2026, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. Robert Downey Jr. is back in the MCU, this time as Victor von Doom, the film's main villain. The cast also includes Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby as Reed and Sue, plus Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd and Tom Hiddleston, with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen returning from the Fox X-Men films. With the Fantastic Four on board, this is a Doom-and-FF movie as much as an Avengers one.

The keys

  • Fantastic Four #5 (July 1962): 1st appearance of Doctor Doom, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This is the top book, and everything else on this list follows from it.
  • Fantastic Four Annual #2 (1964): the first full telling of Doom's origin. If the movie spends any time on where Victor came from, this is the source.
  • Fantastic Four #84–87 (Mar.–June 1969): a four-part Lee/Kirby/Sinnott story set in Latveria. The FF cross the border, get captured, and find out what life under Doom really looks like, robot army included. It's the classic look at Doom as a ruler, not just a guy in armor.
  • Fantastic Four #236 (Nov. 1981): the FF's 20th anniversary issue, by John Byrne. Doom traps the team in a fake small town with the Puppet Master's help. It's a fan-favorite Doom story from the start of Byrne's run.
  • Fantastic Four #258 (Sept. 1983): "Interlude," by John Byrne. The FF don't even appear. It's a whole issue set in Latveria with Doom as the lead, and it's one of the best single-issue character studies he's ever had.
  • Fantastic Four #278 (1985): Byrne retells Doom's origin and gives a new answer to the question every fan asks: what's under the mask? Doom puts it on while the metal is still hot. Kristoff is also programmed with Doom's memories in this two-parter with #279.

In stock at RSC

Fantastic Four #5 and Fantastic Four Annual #2 aren't in stock right now. Email us to get on our want list.

VisionQuest: The Synthezoid Comes Home

The news: VisionQuest premiered on Disney+ on October 14, 2026. It's an eight-episode series created by Terry Matalas (Star Trek: Picard), and it closes out the trilogy that started with WandaVision and Agatha All Along. Paul Bettany is back as Vision. James Spader returns as Ultron for the first time since Age of Ultron. T'Nia Miller plays Jocasta, and Ruaridh Mollica plays Thomas Shepherd, the former Tommy Maximoff. That's Vision's whole family tree on screen, and every branch has a key.

The keys

  • Avengers #57 (Oct. 1968): 1st appearance of the Vision, "Behold... The Vision!" by Roy Thomas and John Buscema. Ultron builds him to destroy the Avengers, and he switches sides.
  • Avengers #55 (Aug. 1968): 1st full appearance of Ultron. He's unmasked as the Crimson Cowl and names himself Ultron-5. (Avengers #54 is the cameo.)
  • Avengers #162 (Aug. 1977): 1st appearance of Jocasta, by Jim Shooter and George Pérez. Ultron builds her as his bride. With Miller in the role, this is the affordable Bronze Age key to watch.
  • West Coast Avengers #45 (June 1989): 1st appearance of the White Vision, from John Byrne's "Vision Quest" storyline. Yes, the show shares its name with this arc. The cover is a Byrne homage to Avengers #57.
  • Vision and the Scarlet Witch #12 (Sept. 1986): the birth of Wanda and Vision's twins, Thomas and William, by Steve Englehart and Richard Howell. These are the comic origins of Tommy and Billy.
  • Young Avengers #1 (Apr. 2005): Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung launch the team, including Wiccan, who turns out to be Billy reborn. His twin Tommy turns up later in the series as Speed. With Billy (Joe Locke in Agatha All Along) and now Tommy both on screen, the Young Avengers keep creeping closer.

In stock at RSC

Avengers #55 and #57 aren't in stock right now. Email us to get on our want list.

Where it all goes: Doomsday leads into Avengers: Secret Wars next December, and Doom is the center of the 1980s and 2015 Secret Wars comics alike. If you're stocking up on Doom books now, you're covering two movies, not one. Browse the rest at Fantastic Four comics and Avengers comics.

What We're Watching Next

  • Man of Tomorrow: July 9, 2027
  • Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse: June 18, 2027
  • Avengers: Secret Wars: December 17, 2027

Expect keys tied to all three in upcoming issues of On Screen Soon.

The Fine Print

On Screen Soon is for fun and for collectors. It is not investment advice. Comic values go up and down, release dates and casting change, and a hot book this week can cool off by next month. Buy what you love. Sales figures are as reported by the sources listed and may not reflect current market value.