IRON MAN Star Robert Downey Jr. Was Eyed For FANTASTIC FOUR's Doctor Doom Before Launching MCU

IRON MAN Star Robert Downey Jr. Was Eyed For FANTASTIC FOUR's Doctor Doom Before Launching MCU

Iron Man director Jon Favreau and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige reflect on casting Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, confirming past reports about the actor previously being eyed to play Doctor Doom.

By JoshWilding - May 25, 2023 05:05 AM EST
Filed Under: Fantastic Four

There have been rumblings for years that Robert Downey Jr. was eyed for the role of Doctor Doom in 2005's Fantastic Four. The role ultimately went to Julian McMahon, with the actor playing a mostly non-comic accurate Victor in that movie and 2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

In a newly released video looking back at Iron Man to mark its 15th anniversary, filmmaker Jon Favreau and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed Downey was once being lined up to play the villain. 

"I remember that Robert had come in for a general [meeting] on it and I remember you had all met with him already for Doctor Doom or something on another project," Favreau recalls, getting the nod from Feige. "Everybody sort of knew who he was and I remember sitting down with the guy and I was like, 'Jeez, [he's] just got that spark in him and his eye, and he's ready."

Something tells us playing Doom wouldn't have revived Downey's career in the same way playing Tony Stark did, so it's no doubt for the best Fantastic Four didn't work out for him. 

That's evident from what Feige said later in the same conversation. 

"[Casting Downey as Iron Man is] probably one of the greatest decisions in the history of Hollywood," he exclaims. "Everybody has good days and bad days and I remember in later movies...there were dark days and I would say, 'Robert, we wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for you' [Laughs]. Meaning we wouldn't have a studio if it wasn't for him or [Jon Favreau]."

While Downey's time as Tony Stark has reached its end, speculation continues to run rampant about him playing a Variant of the now iconic character in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty or Avengers: Secret Wars

Check out the full conversation with Feige and Favreau below.

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Origame
Origame - 5/25/2023, 6:16 AM
Huh.


Neat.
MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 5/25/2023, 6:34 AM
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang released in 2005 as well, and that for me is where his career started to rise back up before Iron Man.

LukeCage2155
LukeCage2155 - 5/25/2023, 11:41 AM
@MosquitoFarmer - Awesome movie Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
GeneralChaos
GeneralChaos - 5/25/2023, 1:01 PM
@MosquitoFarmer - I don't think that movie did anything for either of their careers. Marvel hesitated casting him.
MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 5/25/2023, 1:12 PM
@GeneralChaos - And yet folks noticed, including the people at Marvel, hence why Downey and Shane Black were re-teamed for Iron Man 3.
The1st
The1st - 5/25/2023, 7:08 PM
@GeneralChaos - With good reason, but I'm glad he got his ish together. I still love McMahon, performance was great, but it wasn't Doom (it'd be like casting Ellis and giving him 0 direction), but I think that era suffered from thinking they could get away with Sony level movies, which I laugh at Sony when they still do that actually. If they had the Arrowverse we probably would have gotten a continuation of it, ironically.
GeneralChaos
GeneralChaos - 5/26/2023, 5:39 PM
@MosquitoFarmer - they were reteamed because Downey asked for him and gave us the disliked Iron Man 3.
MotherGooseUPus
MotherGooseUPus - 5/25/2023, 7:35 AM
i just want MCU Doom to look like the thumbnail picture above... is that too much to ask for????
dragon316
dragon316 - 5/25/2023, 7:59 AM
@MotherGooseUPus - he did in first movie chis evans as human torch
IronMan616
IronMan616 - 5/25/2023, 7:47 AM
Iron Man vs Dr. Doom needs to happen on screen.
Scarilian
Scarilian - 5/25/2023, 8:29 AM
This is just the start of attempts to win back the audience by reminding them of Iron Man and RDJ before he returns in Secret Wars or gets a cameo in Armour wars.
Superman1938
Superman1938 - 5/25/2023, 9:26 AM
@Scarilian - Chris Evans will also return for Secret Wars I can't imagine the box office for all of them plus the newer heroes they will be debuting with Fantastic Four and X-Men.
Scarilian
Scarilian - 5/28/2023, 9:19 AM
@Superman1938 -
It depends on quality to an extent. If the quality does not improve shoving them all into a movie won't make as much as they expect.
Superman1938
Superman1938 - 5/25/2023, 9:27 AM
If there is one villain that can bring back the masses of fans it is a perfectly cast Doctor Doom
ager
ager - 5/27/2023, 8:49 PM
Pablo Shreiber ad Doom
Samara Weaving as Sue
Theo James as Reed
Robert Kazinsky as Ben
Jace Norman as Johnny
View Recorder