Avengers: Doomsday will mark Robert Downey Jr’s highly anticipated debut as the MCU’s next big bad, Doctor Doom – unless he isn’t exactly what he seems.
Around one year ago, Downey unveiled himself as the franchise’s Victor Von Doom in front of a screaming crowd at San Diego Comic-Con. It’s one of the most unforgettable moments in Marvel history – for better or worse.
Some fans have said it’s a smart move: bring back the series’ most bankable, beloved star and upend expectations by having him play one of the most formidable villains we’ve ever seen. Others are more cynical, accusing Kevin Feige, the Russo brothers, and co. of being creatively bankrupt.
Whether or not it was a good choice to cast Downey as Doom remains to be seen (the excitement around the world at Fantastic Four’s post-credits scene is definitely an indicator), but what if he isn’t the real Doom?
What if Doctor Doom is using Robert Downey Jr as a disguise?
At the end of Fantastic Four, we see Doom crouched in front of Franklin, but we never see his face. Director Matt Shakman has since confirmed (via Phase Hero) that it was Downey in that scene, and it was directed by the Russo brothers.
The Russos have kept schtum regarding why Downey is playing Doom, with Anthony teasing: “There’s nobody else in the world who could play this character the way he’s about to.”
According to one fan, Austin Medeiros, Downey’s casting may be a trick.
“Doctor Doom is using Tony Stark’s image to manipulate everyone. He knows the heroes will trust him if he looks like Iron Man,” he theorized.
“At the end of Doomsday, his face will revert back to reality and the real Doom’s face will be revealed.
“Robert Downey Jr. will return as an Iron Man variant in Secret Wars to help fight Doctor Doom who stole his identity and tricked everyone.”
It’s an interesting theory. Technically, we don’t know that Downey will be playing Doom in both Doomsday and Secret Wars. He’s contracted for both movies (for a whopping $75 million), but he could make an appearance in the latter project as an Iron Man variant from the multiverse (unless Marvel does the unthinkable and resurrects the main timeline’s Stark, which seems incredibly unlikely).
Medeiros also had another theory about why Franklin held his hand up to Doom’s face in Fantastic Four. “Franklin Richards healed Doctor Doom’s face in the post-credits scene,” he predicted. Franklin is already one of the most powerful characters in the MCU, so this is well within the realm of possibility.
Reddit and Discord’s UK age verification can be defeated by Death Stranding’s photo mode