EntertainmentMoviesAction MoviesMarvel MoviesMCUHow is Robert Downey Jr back in the MCU? We break down the potential ways he’ll go from Iron Man to Doctor DoomWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentMoviesAction MoviesMarvel MoviesMCUHow is Robert Downey Jr back in the MCU? We break down the potential ways he’ll go from Iron Man to Doctor DoomWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
Marvel Studios' panel at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con was pretty subdued for the majority of it’s hour-long slot, as it predictably showed afirst look at The Fantastic Fourand atrailer for Thunderbolts*, andrevealed who Giancarlo Esposito is playingin Captain America: Brave New World.
That was, until Kevin Feige andnewly-appointed Avengers 5 directors Anthony and Joe Russodropped the bombshell of all bombshells: Robert Downey Jr. will be the MCU’s Doctor Doom.
Well, we’re here to cater to the latter group, as we try and break down how the Iron Man actor can feasibly return as an entire different character, as well as who Doctor Doom is. Of course, Avengers: Doomsday is still a long way away yet, and anything can happen between now and then – hey, who’s to say Marvel doesn’t already have a few tricks planned. For now, though, we’ll work with what we’ve got…
So, who is Doctor Doom?
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)
Following his expulsion from State University in Hegeman, New York, he travelled the world, eventually stopping in Tibet, where he forged himself a metal mask and suit and learned how to master the mystic arts. Eventually, he became so powerful that his wizardry was considered secondary only to the Sorcerer Supreme.
His most common enemies in the comics include Spider-Man, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, the X-Men, the Avengers and, of course, Marvel’s First Family.
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How can Robert Downey Jr be Doctor Doom?
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
The most likely justification for Doctor Doom having the exact same face as Tony Stark is that he’s a variant; a separate character wholookslike Iron Man, but has lived an entire different existence than him on another timeline. Perhaps even on another Earth? Think Sylvie in Loki, theDisneyPlus show that ushered the concept of ‘variants’ into the MCU.
Variants can, well… vary when it comes to how similar they are to their multiversal counterparts. Sylvie is a Loki variant, but has her own unique personality and, of course, looks entirely different from Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief. The Loki in the same show, though, is technically a variant, too, and is basically the exact same person as the Loki who was introduced in Thor (2011). In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Benedict Cumberbatch’s titular hero encounters a few different versions of “himself”, though we don’t spend enough time with them to find out how alike they all were. That said, we can assume Sinister Strange and Stephen Strange are poles apart…
Downey’s Doom looks set to be a new type of variant altogether; like Sylvie, in the sense that he’ll be his own character, but like Loki and Strange, in that he’ll look just like Stark. That is, if he we actually see his face onscreen…
Finally, the character could be entirely CGI and Downey just does the motion-capture work and voice for him, like Josh Brolin did with Thanos, While it’s possible, that doesn’t really seem necessary, however, given that Doom is human-looking, rather than a ginormous purple alien.
After Downey’s casting was announced at SDCC,Marvel Comics writer Deniz Camp took to Twitter to say: “If you want to understand Robert Downey Jr. as Doom, you MUST read Ultimates 4 on Sept 4th. (or whenever it comes out).” In that series, Doom is actually Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards and is considered a hero, which is especially interesting when you notice how, on stage, Joe Russo explicitly namedropped “Victor Von Doom”.
Other actors that have played dual Marvel roles
Despite the controversy it’s stoking, Robert Downey Jr won’t be the first actor to play more than one Marvel character on screen.
Warning! This section contains major spoilers for Deadpool and Wolverine. If you’ve yet to see the movie and don’t want to know anything that happens, turn back now!
Josh Brolin brought Avengers villain Thanos to life across multiple movies, playing antagonist Cable in Fox’s Deadpool 2 in between. Gemma Chan played Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel, before portraying Sersi in Eternals. Linda Cardellini is Hawkeye’s wife Laura Barton, but also voiced Lylla, the ill-fated otter in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Mahershala Ali, who’s geared up to Blade, was Cottonmouth in Netflix’s Luke Cage and Defenders, while Michael B. Jordan has played both Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Black Panther’s Erik Killmonger – and there’s a few more where those came from, too!
Most notably, perhaps, though, and one that is most on-par with Downey’s double-dipping is Captain America himself, Chris Evans, famously playing Johnny Storm/Human Torch in Tim Story’s Fantastic Four (and hereprised the role in Deadpool and Wolverine, just recently).
Avengers: Doomsday is due to be released in May 2026. For more, check out all theupcoming Marvel movies and showson the way, as well as our guide to how to watch theMarvel movies in order.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
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5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”