Robert Downey Jr. Addresses MCU Return As Doctor Doom, Confirms Which Version Will Be In Avengers 5

Marvel Cinematic Universe star Robert Downey Jr. reveals how he was cast as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. At San Diego Comic-Con this year, Marvel announced Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU as Doctor Doom, which came as a shock considering the actor had retired from the franchise in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. However, instead of returning as Iron Man in Avengers: Doomsday, the Academy Award-winning actor will instead be playing Victor von Doom aka Doctor Doom, as he recently confirmed while discussing how the casting came about.

Downey Jr. recently appeared on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter Podcast, where he opened up about his return to the MCU and how he landed the Doctor Doom role. It turns out that having him back as Iron Man was never something Marvel Studios and Downey Jr. discussed, as they wanted to make sure this could be a special return for the actor. He stated the following:

So, probably a year ago…cause, you know, [Kevin] Feige and I have kept in touch. We’re pals. Favreau, Feige, and I have kept in touch. I’m close with the Russo Brothers; we have other business we’re doing. So, there’s this little group of fellow travellers and I had this instinct that I wanted to go to Bob Iger and I had an idea outside of the Cinematic Universe for how I could be of service to what’s going on in the Parks and all their location-based entertainment.

Susan and I were sitting down with Feige at one point and he said, ‘It just keeps occurring to me that if you were to come back…’ and Susan was like, ‘Wait, wait, come back as what?’ Then we both realised over time that it was another thing that just disproves any doubt anyone could ever have about that guy, a very sophisticated creative thinker, about how can we not go backwards, how can we not disappoint expectations, how we can continue to beat expectations? And he brought up Victor Von Doom. I looked up this character and I was like, ‘Wow.’ Later, Kevin goes, ‘Let’s get Victor Von Doom right. Let’s get that right.’

So then I said to Kevin, ‘Can I go talk to Bob Iger?’ He goes, ‘About?’ I go, ‘About everything. I’d gone to Bob’s house and I don’t know how to describe that experience. I’ve had a lot of really cool experiences, but I go to Iger’s pad, we sit down and he goes, ‘I like it.’ I was like, ‘He likes it.’ He said, ‘Come by the Imagineering Campus.’ Feige and I go to the Imagineering Campus and you want to talk about two guys that are not easy to have their minds blown, let alone at the same time…I can’t say too much, but what is going on there right now is so beyond my expectation of what was possible.

Reports Indicated Marvel Was Considering Pivoting To Doctor Doom Last Year

With Downey Jr. giving the full story about how he and Marvel Studios finalized his Doctor Doom gig, it reveals a number of key things about his casting. After Kang the Coqueror’s MCU debut was underwhelming, it became evident that Marvel Studios was going to have to adjust their plans, which only became more clear when Kang actor Jonathan Majors was arrested for and later convicted of assault. The fact that Downey Jr. and Marvel Studios began conversations over a year ago shows that the executives were well aware that it was not going to work out to have Kang as The Multiverse Saga’s villain.

The fact that it took as long as it did to properly sign off on this idea shows that Marvel Studios definitely wanted to make sure they got Doctor Doom as right as possible. Since Victor Von Doom has already had a few live-action depictions with bad reception, the stakes are higher than ever for the MCU. Plus, Doctor Doom isn’t just a major Fantastic Four villain; he’s a large Marvel antagonist. So Kevin Feige and his team know how bad it will get for Marvel Studios if they don’t get Doom right.

Time will tell how they fully execute their vision of Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, as Victor is a vastly different character from Tony in many ways. Whether or not fans will get to see Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom before 2026 remains to be seen, with theories floating around that he may make his return to the franchise in 2025’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. When Avengers: Doomsday starts filming in 2025, audiences will hopefully get more clues as to where they are going with this iteration of Doctor Doom.

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Source: THR’s Awards Chatter Podcast