When Robert Downey Jr. stepped onstage at San Diego Comic-Con last year, dressed as Doctor Doom, fans were floored. The man who defined the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as Iron Man was now returning. But, not as a hero, but as one of the most powerful villains in Marvel Comics. What appeared surprising to the audience had actually been building up behind the scenes.
Downey as Doom? The Idea Was Older Than Iron Man
In a 2023 conversation between Iron Man director Jon Favreau and Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, the origins of the casting twist were finally made public.
“I remember you had all met with [Downey] already for like Doctor Doom or something on another project,” Favreau said. “I think he had come through on maybe [2005’s] Fantastic Four, so everybody sort of knew who he was.”
That original 2005 Fantastic Four film ended up casting Julian McMahon as Victor Von Doom, but the idea of Downey in the role apparently stuck with Feige long after the fact.
Kevin Feige Always Had Bigger Plans
Fast forward nearly two decades, and it turns out Feige was the mastermind behind reviving the idea of Downey as Doom.
“That was Kevin,” said Joe Russo, one of the directing duo behind Infinity War and Endgame. “Interestingly enough about that, that conversation was had a while ago.”
With the idea back on the table and Downey’s iconic run as Tony Stark wrapped up after Endgame, the timing was finally right and Downey was in.
Downey Pitched the Russos… and Got Rejected
Once Downey was on board to return to Marvel as Doom, his first move was trying to get Joe and Anthony Russo to return as directors. But they weren’t immediately convinced.
“Robert tried to talk us into doing it and we said ‘no,’” Joe Russo admitted in a recent interview. “We just didn’t have a story. We didn’t have a way in. We were resistant for a while.”
The Spark That Changed Everything
“One day Steve McFeely, one of our chief collaborators, said, ‘I have an idea,’” Joe recalled. “We went, ‘That’s the story!’ That story has to be told. It’s a really powerful story.”
McFeely, known for co-writing The Winter Soldier, Civil War, and the Avengers films, clearly hit the creative nerve the Russos were waiting for. And just like that, the wheels were turning.
The Philosophy Behind Doom
Though the Russos aren’t spilling major plot details yet, Joe Russo offered a clear hint about what to expect from Downey’s take on the iconic villain.
“The only thing I will say about the movie is this, we love villains who think they’re the hero of their own stories. That’s when they become three-dimensional and they become more interesting. And when you have an actor like Robert Downey, you have to create a well-shaped, three-dimensional character for the audience.”
That approach fits perfectly with a complex character like Victor Von Doom, a ruler, a scientist, and a man driven by ambition and personal code which makes him the kind of layered figure Downey is uniquely capable of portraying.
What’s Next: Secret Wars and Doomsday
Downey’s Doctor Doom is expected to debut in Avengers: Doomsday and continue into Avengers: Secret Wars, two of the most highly anticipated movies in the future of the MCU. His return, not as a hero but as a towering villain, sets the stage for a new era of Marvel storytelling.
For fans who thought Robert Downey Jr.’s Marvel journey ended with a snap in Endgame, this twist is a powerful reminder: in the MCU, no legacy is ever really finished — it’s just waiting for its next chapter.
