The Falcon and The Winter Soldier reveals a bleak fate for Sokovia that could set up Doctor Doom's introduction in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ever since Disney acquired Fox and gave Marvel Studios access to X-Men and Fantastic Four characters, fans have been waiting to see how the MCU would deal with introducing some of Marvel's biggest characters. Doctor Doom is near the top of the list of characters fans hope the MCU can do justice by, and there's a chance The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is already laying the foundation for Victor von Doom.

The third episode of Marvel's new Disney+ series continued the team-up between Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, but it also brought Baron Zemo back into the fold. The heroes formed an uneasy alliance with the villain in an effort to learn more about who restarted the super-soldier program. Their mission takes them to Latvia and provides more information on Baron Zemo's past. This includes The Falcon and The Winter Soldier providing an update on the state of Sokovia after a chunk of the country came crashing down in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It was already known that this event devastated the country, but now it's been revealed that Sokovia no longer exists.

Related: Who Is The Wakandan Hunting Zemo? Identity & Previous MCU Movies

Baron Zemo revealed that after the Battle of Sokovia, other nations came to the land and took it for their own. The MCU hasn't revealed what neighboring nations came and made Sokovia part of their territory, but one answer could be Latveria, the home country of Doctor Doom. Latveria is a relatively small European country in the comics that is the home base for Doom as he plots a path to rule the world. Since both Sokovia and Latveria are fictional countries, they could be located near each other in the MCU. Once the land was in chaos and up for grabs, it is possible Doom expanded his empire by absorbing parts of Sokovia into Latveria.

Doctor Doom

Doom taking on the role of a conquering dictator would be a fresh way for the MCU to introduce the villain. A version of him appeared in each of Fox's Fantastic Four franchises, but neither one adequately captured this side of Doom. His technological and magical abilities could be introduced down the road potentially to keep his current focus on expanding his empire. Taking control of Sokovia might even be a way for some to view Doom as more heroic. If the country was in shambles after the Avengers dropped a piece of the Earth on it, Doom and Latveria could offer the support and resources to clean it up - as long as they submit to joining his growing empire.

If Doctor Doom is responsible for taking over what remained of Sokovia, could the iconic Marvel villain appear in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier? That seems like a long shot at the moment, but the show can continue laying the foundation for his eventual arrival. The idea of Doom conquering other countries could see him gain a lot of power rather quickly during Avengers: Endgame's five-year time jump, if he was still around. This could also present a story link for Doom to be the villain of Black Panther 2, which has been heavily rumored. His growing empire could threaten Wakanda and lead them to intervene in his conquests. Regardless, we'll now be on the lookout for more potential Doctor Doom clues in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.

Next: Falcon & The Winter Soldier: Every MCU Easter Egg In Episode 3

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