Josh Brolin Teases a Thanos vs. Doctor Doom Showdown in 'Avengers: Secret Wars'

At New York Comic Con 2026 this past weekend, Josh Brolin was on the ground to promote his new movie Whalefall. Directed by Brian Duffield and based on a novel by Daniel Kraus, Whalefall is the story of a scuba diver (Resident Evil's Austin Abrams) who gets swallowed whole by a sperm whale. Josh Brolin plays the diver's father, whose remains the diver was searching for when he was swallowed.

Polygon spoke with Brolin about Whalefall, which releases on Oct. 16, but we couldn't resist asking a Marvel question as well, since Brolin played Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. With the upcoming release of Avengers: Doomsday, it seems that Robert Downey Jr.'s take on Doctor Doom may dethrone Brolin's Thanos as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's biggest-ever villain, so we asked Brolin, "Could Thanos take down Doctor Doom?" He seemed intruigied by the idea, suggesting a showdown could happen in a future MCU project — assuming Marvel Studios allowed it.

"I don't know," Brolin replied. "Any confrontation with Downey, I like the idea of. I love that he’s doing that, by the way. I can’t wait to see it."

Beyond that, Brolin didn't give a definitive answer to the showdown. But if the comics are any indication, Doctor Doom would at least be a formidable opponent for Thanos. In 2015's Secret Wars, Doctor Doom gained the powers of the Beyonders, and when he confronted Thanos, Doom ripped the Mad Titan's spine — skull included — from his body. Perhaps we'll see the same in 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars?

Whalefall is in theaters Oct. 16. Avengers: Doomsday arrives on Dec. 18.