Doctor Doom And Iron Man's Marvel Comics History Explained Before Avengers: Doomsday
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Robert Downey Jr. is best known for playing Tony "Iron Man" Stark. As the box office success of "Avengers: Endgame Encore" has no doubt reminded us, Tony dies while saving the universe from Thanos (Josh Brolin) — but Downey's MCU presence continues as Doctor Doom. It seems virtually guaranteed that the two are connected in one way or another, and watching Looper's video above will get you up to speed with Doom's comic book history with Iron Man.
As our video explains, the history between Doctor Doom and Iron Man is a lengthy one, and goes way deeper than the occasional "hero against villain" battle. There are, in fact, multiple times when Tony Stark has appeared as Doctor Doom in the comics and vice versa. So, if the MCU wants to explore a similar tale with Downey's version of Doom, it has a wealth of source material to draw from.
There are clues that the MCU Doctor Doom and Iron Man are connected
There are many hints that the Marvel Cinematic Universe Doctor Doom has a connection to Tony Stark, and could potentially even be an alternate timeline variant of Robert Downey Jr.'s previous MCU character. Apart from the fact that Downey is playing both characters, the "Avengers: Endgame Encore" post-credits scenes heavily imply that something peculiar is afoot. Not only do we see Doom forge his mask in a similar manner to Tony's armor-building process in 2008's "Iron Man," but the heavy presence of the Time Variance Authority organization from "Loki" and "Deadpool & Wolverine" strongly suggests that timelines and variants will play a considerable role in the upcoming "Avengers: Doomsday."
It remains to be seen just how "Doomsday" intends to play the connection between Iron Man and Doctor Doom –- or whether the movie opts to play its Downey cards close to the chest and table the issue until "Avengers: Secret Wars." Regardless of how things work out, it's worth knowing a thing or two about the characters' connections in the comics, and watching Looper's video above is the best way to get that insight.