Warning: SPOILERS for Thor #31Marvel Comics is trying to turn Doctor Doom into the next Thanos by making him retrace the steps of the Mad Titan, but it's ignoring the fact that Doom is already a charismatic and established villain on his own.
In Thor #31, by Torunn Grønbekk, Donny Cates, Nic Klein, and Matt Wilson, Thor and Jane Foster team up to find out who is behind the recent troubles affecting Asgard. Valhalla is mysteriously empty and abandoned, and when the two heroes go to Hel to investigate, they find out that the Goddess of the Dead, Hela, is also missing. At the end of the issue, it is revealed that Doctor Doom is keeping Hela prisoner, and he is possibly also responsible for whatever is happening to the realms of the dead.
Doctor Doom Is Retracing Thanos' Steps
In the previous issue, Doom appeared to be also pursuing the mysterious seventh Infinity Stone, created by Odin's father, Bor, and sought by Thanos in the past. If the parallels were not enough already, Doom makes a whole speech to Hela about Armageddon and finality. To sum it up, Doctor Doom is after an Infinity Stone (made famous by Thanos during Infinity Gauntlet), has developed an interest in a Goddess of the Dead (just like Thanos is obsessed with Lady Death), and he also seems intrigued by the end of the world and other apocalyptic events (Thanos is known for being a nihilist and has, on one occasion, killed half of the universe).
It seems that Marvel is committed to turning Doctor Doom into the new Thanos, perhaps as part of a coordinated effort to establish the Latverian ruler as the new big villain for the MCU (after Kang). This seems plausible, considering the prominent role that an alternate version of Doom, called Doom Supreme, has in the current Avengers multiversal storyline. However, Doom does not need to follow in Thanos' footsteps to become Marvel's top villain. In fact, during his long career, Doom has accomplished a lot more than Thanos, including saving the entire Multiverse and then ruling over its remains as God Emperor Doom in the Secret Wars event.
Doom Is Already The Perfect Candidate To Be Marvel's Next Top Villain
While both Doom and Thanos are complex, layered villains who add value to any story they are in, they also are very different from each other. Doom never shared Thanos' fascination for death and destruction; he is a ruler, not a destroyer. Doom is not "evil" in the classic definition of the term, but rather an absolute egotist who has no moral compass outside his own judgment. If Marvel wants to make Doctor Doom its next top villain, it should not make him follow in Thanos' footsteps but rather rely on the character's many strengths that already make him very popular among fans.
Thor #31 is available now from Marvel Comics.