Summary
There has been much speculation regarding theMCU’sdirection with the upcoming filmAvengers: Doomsday. Aside from the fact that Robert Downey Jr is set to playthe infamous Marvel villain Doctor Victor von Doomand that the film would feature several returningMCUstars, not much is known about the plot other than it will lead into the highly anticipatedAvengers: Secret Wars. TheMCUis known for taking iconic stories and characters and making original alterations to the story, such as Ultron’s origin inAvengers: Age of Ultron. Yet, if the comics are any indication, one group of villains who could make an appearance in the film is The Cabal.
Not to be confused with the Cabal that formedduring Norman Osborne’s tenureduring theDark ReignandSiegeevents, The Cabal that formed beforeSecret Warswas composed by Namor, once a member of the Illuminati, who decided to take a more hands-on approach to stopping the incursions threatening the 616 Universe. The story brought villains like Thanos, Terrax, and Maximus the Mad together for one common goal: using brutal tactics to destroy other universes. Could this team of villains, or a version of it, form in theMCU’sAvengers: Doomsdayto face the threat of the Incursions and later the rise of God Emperor Doom?
The Cabal, EXPLAINED
When the threat of the Incursions first began, the Illuminati, featuring heroes like Reed Richards, Black Panther, Iron Man, Beast and others, joined forces to find a solution to the incursion problem. Originally, the group built an anti-matter bomb to destroy one of the collapsing worlds in order to save their own, but Black Panther couldn’t commit to it,leading Namor to take the detonatorfrom him and destroy that world. This led to Namor being expelled from the Illuminati, and as a result, he formed the Cabal, with Maximus the Mad, Thanos, Terrax, Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, and Black Swan all joining Namor as they became Earth’s protector, destroying each world set to collide with their own.
Amidst this turmoil, the Illuminati continued to work to find a solution,while Captain America and the Avengersworked with S.H.I.E.L.D. to capture the Illuminati members and hold them responsible for the destruction of the worlds at the hands of the Cabal. Eventually, Namor begins to see that his Cabal has become more ruthless and uncontrollable than he planned, and asks for the Illuminati’s help in banishing the group to the next world set to be destroyed. However, at the last minute, Black Panther and Black Bolt leave Namor with the Cabal, where they meet what will be a new member of the group, the Maker, the Ultiamte Universe’s evil version of Reed Richards.
As the 616 Universe and Ultimate Universe become the last two universes remaining, the Maker and the Cabal find safety from the destruction using a life-pod,where Miles Morales of the Ultimate Universesneaks aboard before his world’s destruction. They all land later on in Battleworld, created by God Emperor Doom. The group begins attacking the locals of the world and causing chaos, with God Emperor Doom ultimately facing Thanos. Thanos is shockingly defeated quickly by Doom, who banishes other members of the Cabal to other corners of Battleworld, ending their threat to his reign. Ultimately, the Maker would team with the surviving Reed Richards of Earth 616 to defeat Doom, but not before his attempt to backstab the hero backfired on him.
The Cabal in the MCU
With the upcoming filmAvengers: Doomsdayset to introduceDoctor Doom to theMCU, it only makes sense that a group of powerful villains like this would enter the picture. As with all things in theMCU, changes will likely be made in order to make sense to this particular story. With Thanos no longer in the picture, either a variant of the Mad Titan or a new villain may take his place in the group, while other figures like T’Challa are no longer part of theMCUstory and other characters like Maximus and Terrax have yet to be introduced.
However, a different group of villains or powerful anti-heroes could serve as the new version of the Cabal. King Thanos is set to be the new villain being faced in the multiverse through the upcoming Disney ParksAvengers Academyattraction being developed, and if the ride connects at all to theMCU, having a multiversal tyrant like King Thanos join this Cabal could be an interesting plot point. Also, introducing Reed Richards into theMCUin theupcomingThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsfilmwill give filmmakers a chance to explore a version of The Maker, adding more depth to this group. Villains such as Ultron have been confirmed to be appearing in the upcomingVisionDisney + series, and other foes like The Leader or Red Hulk could help round out the cast of what could be an interesting foil to Doom’s firstMCUappearance.
MCU
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a sprawling movie and television franchise that weaves together individual stories of superheroes including Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and many more. The first film in the franchise, Iron Man, was released in 2008. The MCU has garnered critical praise and financial success, earning billions at the box office and becoming a cultural phenomenon.
