How Iron Man became Doctor Doom

Robert Downey Jr shocked San Diego Comic-Con last summer by revealing that – six years after hanging up his Iron Man suit – he is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He will play arch-villain Dr Victor von Doom in "Avengers: Doomsday", due for release in May 2026, and its follow-up "Avengers: Secret Wars".

Now, in a live stream posted on its YouTube channel, Marvel confirmed MCU stalwarts such as Chris Hemsworth's Thor and Tom Hiddleston's Loki will also star in the new instalment. Among the new additions joining the cast of "Doomsday" are Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the Fantastic Four.

It has not gone unnoticed, however, that absent from the announced cast of "Avengers: Doomsday" are "key characters who would have the strongest reaction to Doom's resemblance to Tony Stark", said ScreenRant.

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Among these are Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, who "arguably had the deepest emotional connection to Stark, treating him as a mentor and father figure", as well as fellow scientist Bruce Banner/Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo. This might be a deliberate ploy to throw fans off the scent or it could just be a way of "avoiding a potentially complex plot point rather than tackling it head-on".

Why is Robert Downey Jr playing Doctor Doom?

Downey Jr's surprise return to the MCU caused a multiverse-melting mix of joy and confusion among fans – because he was, of course, the star who kickstarted the multibillion-dollar Marvel franchise back in 2008 with his charismatic interpretation of Tony Stark and his Iron Man alter ego.

After more than 10 years and a string of $50 million paydays, Downey Jr hung up his "Iron Man" suit in 2019. But it has been a "challenge" for Marvel to find a protagonist to replace the large hole left by his retirement, said The Hollywood Reporter. That surely goes a long way to explaining why Downey Jr strode onto that stage in Doctor Doom costume to say, "New mask, same task."

Who is Doctor Doom?

Dr Victor von Doom, also known as Doctor Doom, is one of the main villains of the Marvel Universe, and creator Stan Lee's "favourite". An evil but brilliant scientist and sorcerer with a trademark metal mask that hides his scarred face, he is best known as the "eternal nemesis" of the Fantastic Four, said comic book database Comic Vine.

The "tyrannical ruler of the technologically-advanced European country known as Latveria," Doom "believes himself destined" to expand his power over "the rest of Earth, as well as the entire universe", according to fan encyclopaedia Villains Wiki. Over the years, Doctor Doom has sparred not only with the Fantastic Four, but also Spider-Man, Red Skull, Mephisto and the Avengers.

So how can Downey Jr be Doctor Doom and Iron Man?

Downey Jr's casting as Doctor Doom is a "huge development in the MCU timeline and has prompted fervent debate around how it will manage the fact he resembles the MCU's most important hero: Iron Man", said ScreenRant.

The most likely theory had been that the arch-villain would be played as an "evil Tony Stark variant", said Forbes. "That's not just pulled out of thin air" given there is an "actual comic source material precedent for this kind of storyline". The 75-year history of Marvel Comics includes countless variations on body-swap and alternate reality plotlines, and indeed "there are versions of Doctor Doom in the Marvel multiverse who actually are Tony Stark", said IGN.

But Downey Jr – who is said to have "so immersed" himself in Doom's character development that he is "writing backstory" and even contributing "costume ideas" – has publicly dismissed the Stark-variant idea.

That leaves a more obvious workaround for the double casting of Downey Jr: "you'll never see Doom's face" behind his mask, said Den of Geek. That the Oscar-winning actor will play Doom with "no Stark-strings attached" is the most "simple explanation", said Forbes.

It would also be the "laziest" solution, said ScreenRant. "While Marvel had an opportunity to explore this uncanny resemblance in a meaningful way, their casting choices suggest they're avoiding the issue entirely."

While this may prove frustrating for some die-hard fans, "it may not matter much in the end", said IGN. This is a villain "who's egomaniacal to an extreme", a "twisted inversion of everything Iron Man stands for". So, casting Robert Downey Jr as Doctor Doom "is a chance for the MCU's most pivotal actor to play a completely different kind of character, but one who can have an equally profound effect on the future of this universe".

Who else is joining for "Avengers: Doomsday"?

Among the old favourites and new additions revealed in Marvel's live stream, "perhaps most surprising" was the confirmed return of several figures from the "X-Men" movies, said Radio Times. These include Patrick Stewart's Professor X and Ian McKellen's Magneto. Joining them are Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler and James Marsden as Cyclops, as well as Channing Tatum following his turn as Gambit in last year's hugely successful "Deadpool & Wolverine".