At this year's San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios shocked everyone by announcing that Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. had been cast as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
The news received a mixed response from fans, though it's since been confirmed that he's playing Victor Von Doom rather than an evil Tony Stark Variant. We don't yet know whether he's the Doom from The Fantastic Four: First Steps' alternate reality but the hope is that Earth-616 will get a new version of the villain for the MCU's next Saga of storytelling.
After all, his feud with Reed Richards is worth exploring beyond a couple of Avengers movies!
We don't anticipate Downey returning for a Fantastic Four sequel and have what we think are some pretty compelling ideas for who could take over the role. With their faces hidden by a mask, age isn't that big of a deal, but rest assured they'd all be fantastic as Victor.
Find out who we've picked to follow in Downey's armoured footsteps by clicking the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
8. Cillian Murphy
We'll start with a fan-favourite (and admittedly obvious) choice in Oppenheimer and 28 Years Later star Cillian Murphy. If any comic book movie role is likely to tempt the Batman Begins star back to the genre, then it will surely have to be a character as complex as Doom.
Following in the footsteps of a talent as charismatic as Downey will not be easy, but Murphy feels like the right man to come in and make Victor entirely his own.
The MCU deserves a villain as great as Doom, as does The Fantastic Four franchise. With Murphy matching wits with Pedro Pascal's Mister Fantastic, we're confident no one would complain about the role being recast so soon after Downey's take on the Multiverse Saga's final boss.
7. Josh O'Connor
If you're unfamiliar with Josh O'Connor, now might be a good time to sit up and take notice of the actor. He deservedly won an Emmy and Golden Globe for his role as Charles, Prince of Wales in The Crown and recently impressed in Challengers.
His star is on the rise - he's even a possible contender for the next James Bond - and a role like Doom would allow O'Connor to show a darker side which we first caught glimpses of in his portrayal as Great Britain's current King.
Crucially, he also knows how to make an otherwise unlikeable character incredibly sympathetic. Doom is a twisted villain, yes, but he has a tragic backstory and believes he's doing the right thing. O'Connor feels like the right actor to explore that complexity.
6. Dan Stevens
Dan Stevens is no stranger to comic book adaptations after starring in Legion and has never shied away from blockbuster fare (2024 has seen him have a blast in Abigail, Cuckoo, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire).
If we're looking for a Victor who is absolutely unhinged and a pure madman dictator, then Stevens is it. Had Noah Hawley made his Doctor Doom movie for 20th Century Fox, chances are the actor would have played the villain; The Fantastic Four might be his second chance.
Stevens is a transformative actor who would make Doom his own in a way that Julian McMahon and Toby Kebbell failed to.
5. Luke Evans
Luke Evans is a massively underrated actor. While he's starred in plenty of big movies, impressing in Fast & Furious 6, Beauty and the Beast, and The Hobbit, we're still waiting to see him steal the show in a way that makes Evans a regular on the blockbuster circuit.
The Welshman has played a few villains now - The Girl on the Train highlighted his sinister side - and done so in a way which has left us convinced he'd be a fantastic (no pun intended) Doctor Doom.
Evans is someone who could really inject his own personality into Victor and really perfect the regal, powerful side of this character on screen. Plus, while Dracula Untold sucked, armour definitely suits him!
4. Henry Cavill
Henry Cavill's time as the DCEU's Superman reached an unceremonious end when DC Studios was formed. He always had a tough time as the Man of Steel and deserves another shot at a comic book movie role.
Following his surprise Deadpool & Wolverine cameo, we'd suggest he has a greater number of opportunities in the MCU than DCU and fan suggestions range from Captain Britain to Hercules and Mister Sinister. Any of those would be fun to see, though we'd like to see what he can do as Doctor Doom.
This would be a massive departure for Cavill and one which tests him in ways we haven't seen for quite some time. The actor has proven largely forgettable in recent projects, so something as exciting as his villainous turn in Mission: Impossible - Fallout would be welcomed.
3. Rami Malek
In some respects, this is perhaps too easy a suggestion. Rami Malek played a scarred, mask-wearing villain in No Time to Die and did an excellent job doing so. However, the Mr. Robot star didn't have the most memorable material to work with.
As Doctor Doom, Malek could take what he did here and build on it in a big way. The actor is a powerhouse talent and capable of taking Victor's more nuanced qualities and making him far more three-dimensional than previous versions seen on screen.
At the same time, he could be scary and a creepy, frightening version of the villain who pushes the Fantastic Four to their limits. Yes, he's a sympathetic character at times, but Doom is also thoroughly evil.
2. Jesse Plemons
Breaking Bad put Jesse Plemons on the map and he's since blown us away in Fargo, Black Mirror, The Irishman, The Power of the Dog, and even with a brief scene in Civil War.
Something that's become clear over the years is that the actor is fantastic at playing a sinister, slightly demented antagonist. Doctor Doom needs to feel like someone who could snap at a moment's notice, making him an unhinged, terrifying threat to Marvel's First Family.
Plemons is an expressive actor and we're sure he could do a lot with even just the eyes that peer out beneath Victor's mask. Would he be an unexpected choice for the role? Absolutely, but he'd nail it.
1. Jacob Elordi
This is going to be a divisive choice. Bear with us, though, because Jacob Elordi could shine in a role like this. He has said superhero fare isn't of interest, but there are plenty of actors who have done the same before joining the Marvel or DC Universes.
Elordi put himself on the map with Euphoria and more recently blew us away in Priscilla and Saltburn. While the entitled posh boy in the latter may not scream "Doom," it certainly made us think he could effectively portray the smugness of a young Victor before becoming a supervillain.
However, when the mask goes on, we think Elordi could make Doom his own and spend several years developing the villain in a way Downey simply won't get the opportunity to.