Robert Downey Jr. has become the new Doctor Doom and the next main villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The shocking announcement was made during a presentation at Comic-Con in San Diego, and the fan reaction was, to put it mildly, mixed. But while the directors, the Russo brothers, unequivocally stated that the actor who portrayed Tony Stark would indeed transform into Victor von Doom, many are expecting a twist, as Disney and Marvel studios have a habit of pulling the rug out from under fans by staging last-minute surprises. How could Iron Man become Doctor Doom in the movie “Avengers: Judgment Day”? Let’s try to clarify the situation.
In the comics, the fates of these two characters have intersected multiple times, and the multiverse already shown on the big screen creates endless possibilities for their interaction. However, in no storyline has Iron Man ever become the classic nemesis of the Fantastic Four in the form of Doom.
For example, there was Iron Maniac, introduced in 2004. In this version, Tony Stark from Earth-5012 fought Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four in armor resembling Doctor Doom’s suit. Richards sent Iron Maniac to the main Marvel universe, where he battled characters like Spider-Man and Captain America.
Alternatively, one could also recall the infamous comic series where Victor von Doom created a new Iron Man suit after Tony Stark’s disappearance during the Second Civil War. While this doesn’t explain why Doom and Stark have the same face in the MCU, it’s clear that the paths of these two iconic fighters have crossed.
There’s also a possibility that Disney and Marvel studios might have been inspired by the antagonistic and “evil” version of Tony Stark presented in the “Superior Iron Man” series, which was rumored to be adapted and even associated with Tom Cruise for a time. Although this villain is not directly related to Doctor Doom, Marvel Studios is known for drawing inspiration from various comics rather than following their plots directly.
In the end, Robert Downey Jr. could simply portray Victor von Doom, which would have nothing to do with Tony Stark. Given that the character is mostly hidden behind a mask, the actor might have been convinced to be just the voiceover, allowing viewers to separate this character from his previous role as Iron Man.
While many fans will likely struggle to distance themselves from the familiar Tony Stark, Robert Downey Jr. certainly has enough acting range to attempt to achieve this. As audiences have seen with Bradley Cooper, who played Rocket, sometimes a famous actor’s voice becomes completely unrecognizable. We’ll have to wait and see what Disney and Marvel have up their sleeve.
The movie “Avengers: Judgment Day” will be released in 2026.