Marvel Comics That Combined Doctor Doom & Iron Man Before Avengers: Doomsday

Marvel Studios was the reigning king of Hollywood cinema during the 2010s, led primarily by Robert Downey Jr.'s career-reviving turn as Tony Stark/Iron Man. In the new decade, though, the series has floundered a bit after "Avengers: Endgame."

So, in a Hail Mary move, Marvel has brought back Downey — not as Iron Man, but as Doctor Doom. Yes, Downey is trading one man in an iron mask role for another, and he will be the main villain of upcoming "Avengers: Doomsday" and "Avengers: Secret Wars." How exactly is this going to play out? Will Downey simply keep Doom's mask on the entire time, with only the audience knowing what he looks like underneath? (Fat chance, unfortunately.) Will he be from a universe that's different than the so-called "Sacred Timeline"? 

In any case, I think it's regrettable that this is how many will meet Doctor Doom, the greatest villain of Marvel Comics (yes, greater than Thanos). The MCU's Doom will be only a shadow of Iron Man, with borrowed gravitas rather than his own immense power as a character. Though it's a pretty ridiculous plan for the movies, Doom and Stark do have a history. I'd even say Iron Man is one of Victor von Doom's five greatest nemeses, along with Reed Richards, Stephen Strange, Mephisto, and Doom himself as his own worst enemy.

The most famous Iron Man/Doom story is 1981's "Doomquest" ("Iron Man" issues #149-150, by writers David Michelinie & Bob Layton and artist John Romita Jr.), where the two get thrown back in time to Camelot in the fashion of Mark Twain. Doom also menaced Iron Man in cartoons "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" and "Iron Man: Armored Adventures."

"Doomsday" is presumably going to even more permanently link them. (That movie is also clearly one reason why Marvel's comic crossover event of 2025 is "One World Under Doom.") Yet believe it or not, the movie will not be the first, second, or even third story to make Doom and Iron Man into one character. They are both arrogant geniuses in suits of high-tech armor, so they make sense as foils and shadow selves of each other.

Judd Winick and Mike McKone's "Exiles" features a team of heroes hopping across different realities. One of the realities they encounter is the first time Iron Man and Doom became one. "Exiles" #23-25 is an arc titled "With An Iron Fist," named because it depicts a world where Tony Stark is the world's undisputed monarch.

This Tony Stark did not begin as Doctor Doom. "Exiles" #23 introduces his world by saying it had been afflicted by disaster, "plagues, wars, famine, and natural catastrophe beyond imagination ... in times of great weakness, strong leaders must assume control." Only, Tony was the one who created that great weakness in the first place.

Using Stark Industries' economic stranglehold, he created disasters, from food shortages to a war with mutantkind, that made him look like a savior. After being elected President, Stark struck a bargain with Doom to destroy Washington D.C. so that Iron Man could assume total control. Doom obliged, but tried to kill Iron Man too. He failed, and Stark took his cape as a trophy.

Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

Like Doom, Stark has a disfigured face (his face is green and melted from a radiation blast) that he hides behind a mask. Instead of metal, though, Stark uses a hologram that projects his previous, handsome face for the world to see. Doom's narcissism means he wants no one to see him as imperfect, while Stark's demands that everyone see he is.

2004's "Marvel Team-Up" (written by "Invincible" and "Walking Dead" creator Robert Kirkman) introduced an alternate Tony Stark who wore the armor and persona of Iron Maniac. In issue #2, a Doctor Doom crosses dimensions into the main Marvel universe, then in issue #3 goes to attack the Fantastic Four.

The Four at first believe it's their Doom, but something is off. His armor isn't quite right; it has a mask resembling Iron Man's gunmetal grey original and bare chest plate with a circular power core.

Marvel Comics

He also talks about killing the Human Torch, which obviously didn't happen to "our" Fantastic Four. At the end of issue #3, this Doom reveals himself as Richards' former colleague — not Victor von Doom, but Tony Stark.

In Stark/Doom's world, the Earth suffered a devastating war with the Skrull Titannus. Details are vague, but this somehow turned him into Reed Richards' archenemy. (It's unclear if this world had an original Doctor Doom before Tony.) Stark initially tries to build a portal to get home, but the heroes foil and imprison him.

This Stark/Doom returns later in the run for Kirkman's finale arc: "Freedom Ring." He escapes captivity and reforges a SHIELD Life-Model Decoy android into new purple-and-blue Iron Man armor, takes a new name (Iron Maniac), and rampages through NYC. He's defeated again and never returned to his own dimension, but Iron Maniac hasn't been seen since.

Michelinie and Layton, the ones who first pitted Iron Man and Doctor Doom against each other, did so again in 2010. The issue was "What If? Iron Man: Demon In An Armor."

In 1979, Michelinie and Layton wrote the most famous Iron Man story ever: "Demon In A Bottle," where Tony Stark descends into alcoholism. The cover of "Iron Man" issue #128 depicts Tony, unshaven and haggard, staring at himself in horror at what he's become. The title and cover of this issue evoke "Demon in a Bottle," but while it's Tony Stark's face in the mirror, it's not him behind the eyes.

In this alternate history, Tony was Victor's college roommate instead of Reed Richards. Victor looked down on the fun-loving Tony, grumbling that: "You were born to privilege, while I've had to fight for every grant, every scholarship. The burden I shoulder would break a lesser man. But my destiny is to lead, and that inevitability is worth any sacrifice!" 

And then, like the Grinch on Christmas Eve, Victor got an awful, wonderful idea. Instead of building a machine to contact the afterlife, this Victor builds a machine to swap bodies (and erase the memory of the victim). He uses it on Tony so that he might seize the Stark family fortune and company.

Deported to Latveria, "Victor" spirals even further until, one day, he can't take it anymore. So, proving the true Doom wrong, Tony-believing-himself-Victor grinds his way to the top, working menial jobs to fund his education. This "Doctor Doom" actually has an accredited PhD, and revitalizes Latveria not as a dictator but as a successful tech capitalist. Doom Industries becomes so successful that it threatens the monopoly of Stark Universal, leading Victor-as-Tony to attack it.

Because of the switch, Victor-Tony develops a green and silver Iron Man armor. Meanwhile, Tony-Victor builds a golden set of Doctor Doom's armor with a red cloak. 

Marvel Comics

Doctor Doom triumphs, and Iron Man reveals the truth and offers to switch them back. With the paths they've taken, though, Tony declines and reaffirms his new life as Victor von Doom, "an honorable man."

The most long-running take on Doctor Doom + Iron Man is in Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev's 12-issue "Infamous Iron Man." 

Due to the success of Dan Slott's 2013 series "Superior Spider-Man" (where Doc Ock takes over Spider-Man's body and tries to best Peter by being a better hero), Marvel went all in on heroes turning evil/villains turning good for a bit. "Infamous Iron Man" comes out of that trend, spinning out of Bendis' run on "Iron Man" itself.

After the "Civil War II" event, Tony Stark is in a coma. Victor, who has gotten a new lease on life and is out to atone for his past sins, decides he will step up and fill in for Tony. He takes one of the Iron Man suits, paints it grey, and adds his trademark hooded cape. 

Marvel Comics/Alex Maleev

While he's doing good and his motives are true, he is still Doctor Doom and on SHIELD's most wanted list. Hence, Infamous Iron Man.

More than the previously discussed stories, "Infamous Iron Man" is the comic that MCU fans have invoked to defend double-casting RDJ. But one must consider the context of the series: It wasn't an introduction to Doom, but rather an introspective look at an established character. It's also a story contingent on Doom's relationship not only with Tony Stark, but with Reed Richards.

"Infamous Iron Man" comes after "Secret Wars," where Reed Richards healed Doctor Doom's scarred face. In their climactic conversation, Reed tells Victor he doesn't think he is better than him like Victor has always claimed; Reed wants Victor to be the best version of himself he can be. Victor has always been too fixated on the undeniable truth that Reed is even smarter than him to reach that full potential, so Reed removes the main block of Victor's frustration and rage in hopes that Doom can move on. Doom, who just had a taste of godhood and realized it wasn't all he dreamed of, decides he should try altruism and see if that will make him more satisfied than megalomania ever did.

Doom may be acting in the stead of Tony Stark during "Infamous Iron Man," but he's not trying to outdo Iron Man so much as live up to Reed's faith in him. Marvel Studios would do well to remember that it's Reed Richards, not Tony Stark, who is Victor von Doom's greatest enemy.