AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY Rumor May Reveal If Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom Is A Tony Stark Variant - SPOILERS

A new rumor is claiming to reveal whether Robert Downey Jr.'s Victor Von Doom will be a Tony Stark variant, or simply a villain that resembles the Armored Avenger...

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By MarkCassidy - Mar 20, 2025 12:03 PM EST

Filed Under: Avengers: Doomsday

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.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Robert Downey Jr. (@robertdowneyjr)

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57 Comments

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NoDaysOff - 3/20/2025, 1:01 PM

My assumption would be that this Doom is aware of the multiverse and the different variants and look a likes etc...knowing the MCU's Tony sacrificed himself and is quite well recognizable and purposely does something (magic perhaps) to look like RDJ/Tony. For it to then be revealed when he's defeated at the end or end of secret wars it's actually Kevin Feige.

Save this post!

DrDReturns - 3/20/2025, 1:24 PM

@NoDaysOff - That is at least a creative explanation for a very dumb decision. In my opinion.

NoDaysOff - 3/20/2025, 2:10 PM

@DrDReturns - I would have to agree. I like RDJ but his Stark has a really good send off for such a huge and important character in the MCU... his return no matter the role (unless a flash back of sorts) cheapens that.

IAmAHoot - 3/20/2025, 1:03 PM

"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."

There is no reason for Human Torch and Captain America to both look like Chris Evans.
That's just one example, but they've shown just enough, if just passingly, that one person can look like two unrelated unrelated people in the multiverse.

McMurdo - 3/20/2025, 2:25 PM

@IAmAHoot - this is nonsense. He is 1000 percent a Stark variant. When the Russos literally state. "We can’t explain that as it’s part of the story.", that isn't because he JUST HAPPENS to look like Tony Stark. What a dumb scoop by My Time to Shine.

newhire13 - 3/20/2025, 4:43 PM

@McMurdo - 😂 The fact that he looks like Tony but isn’t Tony is 100% a plot point. The guy looking to end them looks exactly like the guy that saved them. But, like it or not, they’ve already established that people can look a like and be 2 completely different people.

dragon316 - 3/20/2025, 6:07 PM

@IAmAHoot - marvel loves there variants and clones maybe marvel is taking some ideas from ultimate comics movie costumes are ultimate looking isn’t there doom in ultimate universe two who is reed?

WeaponXCII - 3/20/2025, 1:04 PM

I’ve been saying it since the announcement: he’s not playing a Tony Stark variant, he’s playing a Victor von Doom variant.

(If it’s all true, and Marvel isn’t just hiding his return as Iron Man.)

99OPTIMISTPRIME - 3/20/2025, 1:28 PM

@WeaponXCII -

McMurdo - 3/20/2025, 2:36 PM

@WeaponXCII - "We can’t explain that as it’s part of the story."

So he isn't a variant he just intentionally happens to look identical to Tony Stark.

Lol nope. He's a variant.

newhire13 - 3/20/2025, 4:44 PM

@McMurdo - So Human Torch is a Captain America variant?

McMurdo - 3/20/2025, 11:10 PM

@newhire13 - the Russos didn't say they Human Torch looks like Chris Evans for a story reason like they did in regards to the Doom casting.

Spidey91 - 3/20/2025, 1:10 PM

Trying to find an in-universe explanation as to why Doom looks like Stark when the reality is just "they just called the same guy" is just dumb. The Human Torch looks like Cap, the blue chick from Captain Marvel is one of the Eternals, War Machine and Hulk have two faces, it just is what it is.

TheVisionary25 - 3/20/2025, 1:13 PM

@Spidey91 - yeah

He’s from another universe and just happens to look like Tony which they could play into the story but doesn’t need an explanation imo…

Unless that’s not his real face?..🤨

ShimmyShimmyYA - 3/20/2025, 2:11 PM

@Spidey91 - correct but people act like they’re toddlers that can’t stop asking why and just suspend their disbelief for 2 secs

That being said a leaker revealed the in film reason and it’s kind of dumb but also whatever , maybe they’ll change it

TheFinestSmack - 3/20/2025, 1:12 PM

Only way i can see this working well is if there's a main Doom that ISN'T RDJ, and that main Doom uses a Doom variant that looks like Stark as a way to trap the Avengers/Spiderman.

tylerzero - 3/20/2025, 1:20 PM

So pretty much this...

Goldboink - 3/20/2025, 1:24 PM

Here's the thing. We shouldn't even know what Doom's face looks like. He's a guy in a mask who was horribly disfigured.

Comicmoviejunki - 3/20/2025, 1:45 PM

@Goldboink - but the Russos said him looking like Stark is part of the story. I was hoping what you said was true until they said that.

MG0019 - 3/20/2025, 2:11 PM

@Goldboink - EXACTLY.

It's the core problem. No matter what the decision is, all outcomes seem unsatisfying to me. And it mostly comes down to getting a diluted version of a great villain. Marvel used to be the pinnacle of "doing it right." Now it seems the executives have their hands all over it, and creativity has taken a back seat to profit.

Fares - 3/20/2025, 1:27 PM

I don't think we should define what is a variant and what in hard categories. It can't be more of a spectrum sort of thing.

If they have the same DNA, they are variants of each other, no question about it.

If they have identical powers and/or superhero identites and they're unique in their respective universes in that regard but they don't look similar or don't have the same names, they're still variants of each other in my mind.

If one universe has both an Iron Man/Tony Stark and a Doctor Doom/Victor Von Doom at the same time, but in another universe there's only a Doctor Doom/Victor Von Doom that looks like the Tony Stark of the first universe, then the Iron Man and Doctor Doom of the first universe are both variants of the Doctor Doom of the second universe.

It can be a loosey goosey definition IMO.

SpiderParker - 3/20/2025, 3:50 PM

@Fares - You can have similar DNA but different facial features. Even Identical Twins have different facial features a lot of the times. But let me give you a better example that would fit this well.

Suppose that Abel had kids before his death. If there exists a universe where Cain looks like Abel and Abel looks like Cain, their descendants will have the same personality as the original universe but their facial features will change drastically. As in, Tom Cruise could like like Brad Pitt and vice versa but their personality or nature won't change unless affected by environment.

So would it actually be wrong to say, that two identical twins are variants of each other and you and me are variants of Adam and Eve? But by Multiverse logic, Stark and Doom don't need to be variants of each other to have same facial structure from two different Earth. Human stats are a dice roll anyway. On a different earth, that dice roll could end up with Doom with Stark's face.

Fares - 3/20/2025, 4:42 PM

@SpiderParker - I'm not quite sure I'm following but I'll respond to the best of my ability.

I don't know how twin DNA works, I won't comment on that, but if I were to take your word for it, there should still be environmental factors that make twins look slightly different. Either way I wouldn't call them variants of each other because they simply exist in the same universe. Originating from separate universes is a necessary starting point for defining variants IMO.

Would Brad Pitt still behave like Brad Pitt if he had Tom Cruise's face? I wouldn't think so, because his face will determine how people perceive him and how he perceives himself and that will change things about his life and his personality, even if slightly.

Now when it comes to two people from two different universes looking identical, why would I consider it enough to call them variants?

Well let's say there exists a parallel universe to ours where not a single person in the history of humanity happens to share any resemblance with me in any significant aspect, except for one single person, who's only resemblance to me is that he looks identical to me. Our family trees down to our respective parent are different in every way, we don't speak the same language, we don't live in the same place, etc. but we look 100% identical. Is it near impossible? Absolutely, but in an infinite universe it's not completely impossible. If that were to be the case, would it not be fair for me to call that person my variant? I would say it is fair.

Now let's add another person to that universe who's life is 100% identical to mine in every way, down to the smallest unit of time, except that he looks as different from me as possible. Yes the fact that he looks totally different from me makes it difficult to believe that his life would unfold precisely like mine, but again, in an infinite multiverse, it's not outright impossible. Would it also not be fair of me to call him my variant? I would say it is fair.

Putting these two people in the same universe may make one pale in comparison to the other in terms of who's more worthy of being my variant, but if we keep each in isolation, I don't think we can just ignore either. This makes the definition of a variant less straightforward than some may suggest.

SpiderParker - 3/20/2025, 5:42 PM

@Fares - You are only considering the face of a person to be defined as a variant. That is less than a 0.01 percent of a DNA (in reality, it is way less than that). There are many people that might have looked like you in the history of this universe. If you had the face of Brad Pitt, it doesn't make you Brad, you are still the same person. Would your life go a little bit different? Maybe but that's why we talk about the said person as a variant.

Identical twin would be variant of each other cause they share the same DNA but mutation do happen differently. Same reason why you could call ourself a variant of Adam and Eve. Ultimately, when it comes to Multiversal variant, we consider it as being most similar to the original but mutation will exist depending on environment and different life structure. If you think less than 0.01% of the same DNA is enough to call someone a variant then I'm lost with you. You and me share 99.9% of the DNA, it is very possible that my descendant might look like you in a 1000 year, so will my descendant be a variant of you? In fact, 99.9% DNA pretty much makes you my variant as well. But actually it is all a dice roll, no point stressing too much about external appearances. Or else we might as well call every Labrador in the planet is a variant of each other.

Batmangina - 3/20/2025, 1:29 PM

If it's NOT a Stark variant played by RJD, then they're 100X more retarded than even I thought they were and they should [frick] right off into the abyss.

Disney: Oh, hey Mr. and Mrs. Gen Pop, yes, yes it is RJD. No. No, it's not Tony Stark - it's someone totally different and he's the BAD GUY now.

Mr. and Mrs. Gen Pop: Oh. Nevermind then. We'll stay home and watch Friends reruns on Netflix. Thx.

RedFury - 3/20/2025, 1:33 PM

Can't help but feel this rumour is fan-fic based on the plethora of theories floating around.

I won't say that it's fake, because it seems really plausible that this is the route they're taking. But this idea has been around since the minute it was revealed Downey was coming back. So like all the others I wouldn't really put any stock in it until we get a trailer, or a synopsis at the very least.

McMurdo - 3/20/2025, 2:37 PM

@RedFury - oh it's fake. It's as fake as it gets.

RedFury - 3/20/2025, 2:51 PM

@McMurdo - hahaha yeah. It's a pretty generic idea that seems to hinge on other rumours being true.

WruceBayne - 3/20/2025, 1:34 PM

Doom isn’t a Tony Stark variant, Tony Stark is a Doom variant. 🤯

TheVisionary25 - 3/20/2025, 1:36 PM

@WruceBayne - that sounds like something Doom would think or so lol

WruceBayne - 3/20/2025, 1:44 PM

@TheVisionary25 - that is 100% Dooms attitude. Doom could be talking to a Doom variant and both of them think they’re the version all other versions are based off of.

Montezuma - 3/20/2025, 3:16 PM

@WruceBayne - The Doom we meet will be a Howard Stark variant, as if the Stark family never emigrated to the US.

TheVisionary25 - 3/20/2025, 1:41 PM

Given the Russo’s comments , seems like we may get an explanation as to why this version of Doom looks like Tony but going by the rumor I don’t think we need it (if it’s true that is).

It could just be a Chris Evans Johnny Storm situation where they happen to look the same but otherwise are entirely different…

He finds out about The Tony Stark of that world and his resemblance to him which he uses to his advantage which could be interesting

Anyway , I’m down for Hydra Cap vs Sam Cap and such since it could be a way to see the original actors play something different which could be fun while also furthering the growth & cementation of our legacy heroes…

However no OG six versus their doppelgängers please.

OrgasmicPotatoe - 3/20/2025, 1:41 PM

They've effectively stuck themselves between a rock and a hard place with this casting. On the one hand, if he's just a Stark variant, that's super cheap. On the other hand, if he'snot a Stark variant but is played by RDJ and just so happen to look like Tony Stark, that's insulting your audience's intelligence.

Either way, it [frick]ing sucks.

newhire13 - 3/20/2025, 4:47 PM

@OrgasmicPotatoe - Or you’re just incredibly shortsighted lol

TheVisionary25 - 3/20/2025, 1:41 PM

Also it’s stupid that people are still hung up about Doom being a Stark variant or not when they have explicitly mentioned that RDJ is playing Victor Von Doom…

It’s not like Chris Evans Steve Rogers & Johnny Storm are variants of each other since they are different characters and not really the same person.

BruceWayng - 3/20/2025, 1:47 PM

Let me start off by saying I absolutely hate this casting and in now way condone this theory or want to say it’s what they should do. I’m merely making an assumption based on what’s already been laid out in the MCU…

It’s been established that spirits can inhabit different/new bodies in the MCU and that certain mystics have the ability to take over the consciousness and physical form of another person by using the Darkhold to “Dream Walk”.

Since Doom is an expert sorcerer and has an extensive knowledge of the Mystic Arts, I could see him scouring through the multiverse to locate a Tony Stark to inhabit and then use that to try and convince hero’s form the sacred timeline to join him in ending the incursions.

We may not even get to see his actual real face and he will start the movie off in his mask and armor.

Pictilli - 3/20/2025, 2:02 PM

Not a fan

Huskers - 3/20/2025, 2:09 PM

Stupid, if he’s not a variant of Tony Stark, what’s the point of casting RDJ instead of an original actor more suited for the role. So basically the casting is a cheap gimmick to try and bring fans back. If that was the case, they should’ve just brought Tony back. Heroes never stay dead in the comics.

AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY Rumor May Reveal If Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom Is A Tony Stark Variant - SPOILERS

A new rumor is claiming to reveal whether Robert Downey Jr.'s Victor Von Doom will be a Tony Stark variant, or simply a villain that resembles the Armored Avenger...

AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY Directors Say Doctor Doom Will Be The Hero Of His Own Story; Discuss AI Usage In Movies

AVENGERS: Russo Brothers To Restore "Focused Narrative" With DOOMSDAY & SECRET WARS; Tease Doctor Doom’s Debut

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.