A powerful, ancient Marvel comics and MCU artifact has reemerged in Doctor Doom #10. When and where will we see it next?
In Marvel’s Comic Universe, the Casket of Ancient Winters is one of the most powerful objects in existence. The artifact just made a surprising return in Doctor Doom #10 - where in an alternate universe it is housed with some of the other most powerful weapons in all of existence.
The Casket of Ancient Winters is imbued and powered with the essence of Ymir (the first frost giant, who is said to be one of the oldest beings in the known universe). The Casket unleashes the power of Fimbulwinter (a “great winter” which serves as a precursor to Ragnarök, the apocalyptic end of a realm). When used sparingly, the relic freezes enemies and objects. When opened entirely, for a long period of time, it can in essence terraform a realm/planet, ushering in an ice age, devastating or ending life. Worse yet, there is no common cure to its effects. In order to reverse the Casket’s devastation, one must wield a reality-warping artifact (like the Ultimate Nullifier or a fully powered Infinity Gauntlet) or the Gem of Infinite Suns, another of Odin’s treasures which are said to contain the distilled power of a myriad of suns. The object appeared in 2011's Thor and was wilded by Loki.
The Casket of Ancient Winters reemerged recently in a predictable place: the visions of a maniacal supervillain. In the pages of Doctor Doom #10, Victor Von Doom comes face to face with the Casket in the company of a multitude of Marvel Universe artifacts. Marvel launched a Doom miniseries in 2019, which saw the legendary Marvel figure experiencing visions of alternate selves. In issue #10, the series finale, Doom meets a handsome, non-disfigured Victor Von Doom on an alternate Earth. This version of Doom has used his power and intellect for good, to build a better world. The alternate Doom explains that he and other Earth leaders have formed an alliance with the likes of the Kree, Shi'ar, Asgardians, etc. As part of mutual disarmament, the universe’s most powerful and destructive objects have been rounded up, locked away in Doom’s quarters. The Infinity Stones, the Ultimate Nullifier, the Necrosword, the Cosmic Cube, they’re all there. And among them: the Casket of Ancient Winters.
Granted, for the Doctor Doom we know, these are alternate versions of such artifacts of power on an alternate Earth. This isn’t the Casket of Ancient Winters of his universe, which debuted in Thor #346 thanks to fabled Thor scribe Walt Simonson. The Casket played a vital role in Simonson’s "Surtur Saga" of the mid-’80s. It was mostly shelved during the ’90s and reappeared prominently during Thor: Volume 2. It has been used more regularly since. It’s last known appearance - prior to this alternate version in Doctor Doom #10 - was in the War of the Realms event. Laufey the frost giant ate the Casket, powering him with the Fimbulwinter. It is eventually cut out of Laufey by Loki, who’d previously been eaten by the Frost Giant. It is currently unknown where the main Marvel Universe’s Casket of Ancient Winters is following the events of War of the Realms.
Over in the ever-expanding MCU, the object has not been used since its vital role in the first Thor film. It was briefly seen in Thor: Ragnarok, when Hela waltzes through Odin’s treasure room in Asgard. She calls the Infinity Gauntlet a fake, Surtur’s skull “smaller than [she] thought it would be,” and the Casket of Ancient Winters “weak.” In the MCU’s central timeline, in all likelihood the weapon was destroyed when Surtur laid waste to Asgard, forcing the survivors to immigrate to Earth. But with the multiverse opening in Phase 4, particularly in Loki’s series, it’s possible we may see some version of the Casket of Ancient Winters again in the MCU. For now, the comic tease reaffirms its existence in the multiverse.
