Marvel Could Bring Robert Downey Jr. Back To The MCU - As Doctor Doom?
There's no actor more integral to the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe than Robert Downey Jr. His performance as Tony Stark in 2008's "Iron Man" launched the multi-billion dollar franchise. Honestly, things haven't been quite the same since Tony Stark hung up his suits in "Avengers: Endgame."
However, Robert Downey Jr. almost played another armor-plated Marvel character – Victor Von Doom. In a recent conversation between Kevin Feige and Jon Favreau on Marvel Entertainment's YouTube channel, the duo shared that Downey Jr. met with producers during the casting of 2005's "Fantastic Four" film to discuss playing Dr. Doom. Ultimately, the role went to Julian McMahon.
The rumored combination of Doom's upcoming arrival to the MCU combined with the character's association with Iron Man in the comics are leading some fans to speculate that Downey could play the part for real. There are several ways this could happen in the MCU.
Doom once took over the mantle of Iron Man
In the Marvel Comics miniseries "The Infamous Iron Man," the man inside Iron Man's armor is no longer Stark: It's Victor Von Doom! The chain of events that led to this scenario doesn't have any connection to the MCU. Still, it'd give Robert Downey Jr. a chance to return to the MCU as a supervillain while also nodding to one of the most unusual storylines in the history of Marvel Comics.
Another possibility here lies in the well-known territory of the Multiverse. The MCU has gone mad for the multiverse lately, priming viewers for an alternate universe where Tony Stark becomes Dr. Doom instead of Iron Man. After all, both are somewhat egotistical men who shield themselves in superpowerful battle armor of their own making. An alternate timeline where The Avengers or the Fantastic Four battle with an evil Tony Stark could be the next best thing to Downey playing Doom.
Of course, it's all speculation. There's been no indication that Downey is going to return to the MCU. But if he does decide to make a comeback, these avenues could give him a way to do that without cheapening the saga of Tony Stark and treat fans to seeing how Downey interprets one of Marvel's most iconic supervillains.