Robert Downey Jr. Re-Joins The MCU As Supervillain Doctor Doom

There have been two rumors boiling in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a while now. One, that with Jonathan Majors out as Kang the Conqueror, the forthcoming "Avengers" films would pivot to a new villain: Doctor Doom. Second, Marvel would be looking to bring back Robert Downey Jr. After he stretched his acting muscles and got an Oscar by playing Lewis Strauss in "Oppenheimer," the theory goes, a truck full of Disney money could look appealing again.

Well, at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Marvel confirmed that both of these rumors are true — because they're one and the same. Downey is returning, but not as a revived "Sacred Timeline" Tony Stark. Rather, as Victor Von Doom. The actor came out on the Hall H stage in a green suit, adorned with shoulder pads connected by a golden chain, mimicking Doom's eternal Jack Kirby designed costume.

"Avengers 5," previously subtitled "The Kang Dynasty," is now titled "Avengers: Doomsday." Both that and follow-up film "Avengers: Secret Wars" will be directed by previous "Avengers" directors Joe and Anthony Russo. Doom is the villain of the "Secret Wars" comics, both the 1985 original and the (much better) 2015 version by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic.

Funnily enough, Downey once auditioned to play Doom in the 2005 "Fantastic Four" film. Looks like he got the part, only 20 years delayed. But is this the right move?

Doctor Doom's primary nemeses are the Fantastic Four ("RICHAAAAAARDS!"), but he also has a longstanding rivalry with Iron Man. Both Victor Von Doom and Tony Stark are men clad in armor, after all. In the 2016 comic "Infamous Iron Man" by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, a reformed Doom even rebrands as Iron Man to fill in for a comatose Tony.

My initial thought is that Doom was going to be rewritten as a Tony Stark variant, which would have been a terrible choice. He is far too big a personality to be just a variation on the familiar. I'll just present this panel from Hickman's run on "New Avengers" (part of the build-up to his "Secret Wars") which I think sums it up.

Marvel Comics

Before introducing Downey on stage at Hall H, though, the Russo brothers explicitly referred to his character as "Victor Von Doom," not Tony Stark from another universe. So, it sounds like Downey is playing the Doctor Doom. Plus, the "Fantastic Four" cast is confirmed to be appearing in both "Doomsday" and "Secret Wars," so hopefully, Doom's enmity with them (especially Mister Fantastic) will be kept intact.

But that still feels like semantics. This casting alone transforms Doom into a dark mirror of Iron Man. That's not getting into other issues, like Doom's Romani heritage (never acknowledged in the actors chosen to play him) or how he never removes his mask, whereas Downey and Marvel will definitely want the face time.

In my mind, Doom is the greatest Marvel Comics villain, even surpassing Magneto and Thanos. I'm not sure such a risky gambit is the best way to adapt him.

"Avengers: Doomsday" arrives in theaters in May 2026.