Ever since we first learned that Robert Downey Jr. would be making his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, fans have wondered whether the actor would play an evil Multiversal variant of Tony Stark or the actual Victor Von Doom, and we may finally have an answer.
According to scooper MTTSH, Doom is not a Stark variant, and simply bears a striking resemblance to the late Avenger. Apparently, the villain will use this to "present himself as an ally to the MCU."
This would appear to back up previous plot rumors that Doom will lead an evil group of Avengers that come from another earth, initially posing as allies to help prevent more incursions. It's also been said that "the entire point of creating these characters that reflect the original line-up, is because they'll be facing off against each other."
Exactly why Doom will look so much like Stark is not clear, but if he's not going to be a variant, we assume there will be some other explanation.
Here's what co-director Anthony Russo had to say when asked how Downey Jr. can return to the MCU as a completely new character during a recent interview.
. "We can’t explain that as it’s part of the story. But there’s nobody else in the world who could play this character the way he’s about to."
What do you make of this latest Avengers: Doomsday rumor? Be sure to drop us a comment down below.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on May 1, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027. Both films will be directed by the Russo brothers, who also make their MCU return after helming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
"Being able to create stories and explore characters within the Marvel Universe fulfilled a life-long dream of ours, and we discovered a powerful connection with audiences in each film that we made. We’re thrilled to collaborate once again with Kevin, Lou and the entire Marvel team to bring this epic adventure in storytelling to new and surprising places for both the fans and ourselves”, said The Russos in a statement after the SDCC panel.
Have another look at some photos Downey Jr. shared to Instagram after the big reveal below.