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At the 2024 SDCC, it was announced that Robert Downey Jr. would be portraying the supervillain Doctor Doom in the retooled fifth Avengers film retitled Avengers: Doomsday, directed by the Russo brothers.[5][6][7] On stage at SDCC, Downey Jr. noted that he likes "playing complicated characters", and used the phrase "new mask, same task" to tease his role.[8] Downey Jr. previously portrayed the superhero Tony Stark / Iron Man in various MCU media during the franchise's first saga, the Infinity Saga.[7] In an interview on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, Downey Jr. noted that Kevin Feige and other Marvel producers began conversations with him after Major's arrest on returning after becoming "aware that it was not going to work out to have Kang as The Multiverse Saga's villain".[7]
Screen Rant writer Ollie Bradley initially theorized that because of Downey Jr.'s casting, Doom may be a variant of Stark, recalling the 2016 American comic book storyline, Infamous Iron Man, where Doom impersonates Stark.[9] Additionally, in Marvel Team-Up #2 (2004), by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Scott Kolins, a variant of Stark assumes Doom's role, leading to am "inevitable and shocking confrontation between the heroes of the primary timeline and a Doctor Doom with a very familiar face".[10]
Downey Jr. being casted as Doctor Doom received polarised responses.[10]Game Rant writer Kevin Stewart listed his previous film roles–specifically Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer (2023)–as reasons why he is "perfect for the role".[11] Conversely, New York Post writer Elizabeth Karpen reported that some fans found the decision to bring Downey Jr. back as "lazy" and a "cash-grab", adding that they "have long waited to see Doctor Doom return to the big screen, and many were disappointed by what they saw as a casting gimmick".[12]
Collider writer Kelcie Mattson found the casting to follow the precedent set by the comics where Iron Man and Doctor Doom are "distinctly similar intellects", turning them into narrative foils.[10] She added that "Downey Jr.'s return to the role that revitalized his career could be either a nostalgia-reliant misstep or an effective hook that re-energizes the MCU".[10] Joe Russo also opined that Downey Jr.'s return is "proof of the unimaginable possibilities in the Marvel multi-universe".[13]
The page Victor von Doom (Marvel Cinematic Universe) in the mainspace is currently a redirect to Doctor Doom in other media.
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