Will Doctor Doom Be Connected to Iron Man?

This article contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.

Marvel Studios has made a shocking and exciting announcement. Robert Downey Jr. Will be back Marvel Cinematic UniverseBut it wasn't like Iron Man. In fact, it was another masked, armored character. Marvel Studios has officially confirmed that Robert Downey Jr. will play Doctor Doom. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Doom will be the main villain in both films in 2026. Avengers: Judgment Day and 2027 Avengers: Secret Wars.

Downey Jr.’s announcement received a great response from the Hall H crowd, but the online discussion from fans was certainly more mixed than Marvel Studios anticipated. It also generated a lot of fans theorizing about what this means for Doctor Doom’s role in the future of the franchise and whether he has any connections to Iron Man. After all, Robert Downey Jr.’s performance as Iron Man built the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he was the central hero of the Infinity Saga, so casting him as the main villain in the multiverse saga has to mean something.

While it certainly carries a lot of symbolic weight, fans may be reading more into it than is there. While Iron Man and Doctor Doom have connections to each other in the comics, the rules of the MCU multiverse suggest that the same actor doesn’t make two versions of the character. Fans may be thinking a lot about Doctor Doom and Iron Man’s connection while not considering what it means for the Fantastic Four: The First Steps, Avengers: Judgment DayAnd Avengers: Secret Wars Also how focusing too much on the “changing” aspect of character can be a way of ignoring the larger issue at hand.

Just because Downey Jr. is Dr. Doom doesn't mean he's a clone of Iron Man.

The first thing many said when Downey Jr. was confirmed as Doctor Doom was disappointment at the idea that Marvel’s legendary villain would be nothing more than a clone of Tony Stark. That idea should have been put to rest when the Russo brothers confirmed that Robert Downey Jr.’s Doom would be Victor Von Doom. However, just because Downey Jr. played Tony Stark in the MCU, People still assume that Victor Von Doom is a copy of Tony Stark.The fact that the same actor plays Doom and Iron Man doesn't make them two different versions. Marvel Studios may have made that clear in their latest release, Deadpool and Wolverine.

in Deadpool and WolverineChris Evans returns as Johnny Storm/Human Torch from 2005. The Fantastic Four And 2007 Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver SurferEvans is also best known for his portrayal of Steve Rogers/Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While Deadpool certainly plays on the joke that he thinks he's Captain America only to be shocked by the Human Torch, it does demonstrate that the same actor can portray different faces in the Marvel Multiverse and be two different characters. Evans' Human Torch is not a clone of Captain America but a clone of Johnny Storm, played by Joseph Quinn in Fantastic Four: The First Steps.

Downey Jr. being Iron Man and Dr. Doom not necessarily meaning that Dr. Doom is a copy of Tony Stark. That’s an assumption, but it’s not based on anything in the movie. Fans certainly have reason to believe this after the MCU changed Ultron from being created by Tony Stark to Hank Pym, but it’s still a leap to suggest that Dr. Doom will be the villain of Iron Man.

It seems unlikely that Doctor Doom is a fictionalized version of Iron Man.someone who has gone wrong at some point in the sacred timeline. Instead, it will be a character from another universe with his own origin who looks like Iron Man from the sacred timeline. What universe does Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom belong to? It's probably the same universe as The Fantastic Four.

Downey Jr. is likely to star in Fantastic Four as Doctor Doom.

Fantastic Four: The First Steps The film has been confirmed to take place in another universe, a retro-futuristic world in the 1960s. Robert Downey Jr. will likely be playing Doctor Doom from this version of the Fantastic Four timeline, making him a bitter rival to Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic. This means that Doctor Doom, who the Avengers will face in Avengers: Judgment Day And Avengers: Secret WarsHe will have a personal history with the upcoming Fantastic Four.

This would certainly make sense in 2015. Secret WarsDespite being a major Marvel comic, it was essentially a Fantastic Four story with Doctor Doom and Mister Fantastic at the center. This now means that the personal history between Reed Richards, played by Pedro Pascal, and Victor Von Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr., will be front and center for the latest entry in the Multiverse saga. It forms a great link between The Avengers and Fantastic Four for this epic crossover.

With the appearance of Galactus in Fantastic Four: The First StepsThere are rumors that the film will end with the Fantastic Four's world destroyed, them lost in the multiverse and only appearing in a mid-credits scene. Avengers: Judgment Day With their escape pod (possibly the Fantasti car) opening in Battleworld similar to the lifeboat in Secret Wars This means that Doctor Doom is also a victim of the destruction of his world, leading to a lot of interesting motivations behind his fight against the Avengers in Avengers: Judgment Day Before the Marvel Multiverse was reshaped in Avengers: Secret Wars.

Doctor Doom and Iron Man in Marvel Comics

It is worth noting that There is some history between Doctor Doom and Iron Man in the comics. This would make one think that Marvel Studios is trying to draw a line between the two characters. In the 1981 film “Doomquest,” which took place in Iron Man #149–150 Writers David Michelinie and Bob Layton, along with artist John Romita Jr., set Iron Man and Doctor Doom on a mission through time.

The creators have said that they always saw Doctor Doom as the most suitable archenemy for Iron Man of the Fantastic Four, since Tony Stark and Victor Von Doom are mirror images of each other in that both men are wealthy, wear powerful armor, and have incredible engineering skills. While Doctor Doom is still primarily seen as a Fantastic Four villain, there is a rivalry between him and Stark that can be seen in series such as Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Or comic book series 2016-2017 The infamous iron man Written by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, it sees Victor Von Doom transform into the new Iron Man.

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This isn't the first time Downey Jr. has stepped into the role, having almost played Doctor Doom 20 years ago. Robert Downey Jr. auditioned for the role of Victor Von Doom as Doctor Doom in the 2005 film. The Fantastic FourBut the role went to Julian McMahon. Downey then landed the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man in Marvel Studios’ first feature film, the one that launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and grossed $30 billion. Now the wheel is on Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom.

The only major problem with Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. Doom

The casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom excited many fans and turned many away from the film.Casting Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom is interesting in the sense that they didn't cast an actor who was tied to a role in another installment. It's a safe choice to bring Robert Downey Jr. back into the MCU, but it's more serious than just the easy nostalgia of having the actor return as Iron Man, much like Hugh Jackman returned as Wolverine in the film. Deadpool and WolverineIt's an obvious choice but also a risky one.

The biggest issue is the representation issue. Many were hoping that whoever was cast as Doctor Doom would be of gypsy descent, since it’s such a key part of Doctor Doom’s legacy and story in the comics. Marvel Studios actually removed that element when they cast Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Quicksilver in the MCU. While Olsen is great as the Scarlet Witch and has a lot of fans who have fallen in love with her character, the representation issue is still worth addressing. Marvel Studios got into a lot of trouble when they whitewashed The Ancient One by casting Tilda Swinton in a role that in the comics was an Asian character.

Downey Jr. would make a great Dr. Doom and surprise everyone. He's a great actor and recently won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film. Oppenheimer. However, this raises the question of whether this is enough to justify whitewashing Doom's gypsy origin. All the concerns about Doctor Doom being a copycat of Tony Stark and not like the comics are all based on speculation. The fact that a gypsy actor is not playing Doctor Doom is a fact worth considering. Avengers: Judgment Day The film is scheduled to be released in theaters in May 2026. Fantastic Four: The First Steps It will be released on July 25, 2025.