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Robert Downey Jr.'s recent comments about his role as Doom in Avengers: Doomsday can be argued to have debunked a common MCU theory, though this may not be true. Arguably the biggest movie reveal at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 concerning the MCU centered around Downey Jr.'s return to the franchise. While his return does not come as Tony Stark as many have theorized since the Multiverse Saga began, RDJ's return as the titular villain in the story of Avengers: Doomsday became quite the talking point.
Since this announcement, the upcoming Marvel movie has been the subject of many a theory, with several exploring the potential connections between Doom and Tony Stark. With an actor as iconic as Downey Jr. coming back to the universe that catapulted him into stardom, this was to be expected. However, Downey Jr.'s comments about the version of Doom that will appear in Avengers: Doomsday led many to believe their theories had been quashed, but the opposite could be true by the time of the film's May 2026 release date.
Your browser does not support the video tag. Robert Downey Jr. Playing Victor Von Doom Doesn't Stop Him From Being An Iron Man Variant A Villainous Tony Stark Could Still Be A Possibility Custom image by Debanjana Chowdhury The comments from Downey Jr. came on The Hollywood Reporter's Chatter podcast, with the actor revealing the character as Victor Von Doom. This led many to believe that the character would be exactly this in Avengers: Doomsday, rather than a variant of Iron Man as had become a popular theory since RDJ's return was announced. These theories about a villainous Tony Stark variant certainly made sense given that the character is perhaps the most iconic in the entire MCU, and RDJ appearing in any role would draw comparisons to the character.
That said, RDJ's comments caused people to officially tear up their theories that the MCU's impending Doctor Doom villain would be an Iron Man variant. Although this seems wise, Victor von Doom could still be an Iron Man variant after all. Despite RDJ's comments being supported by Avengers 5's director duo of the Russo Brothers at SDCC, a Tony Stark variant is still a distinct possibility based solely on the prior Multiverse Saga movies of the MCU.
The Russo Brothers will be joined by past MCU collaborator Stephen McFeely, who will reportedly write Avengers: Doomsday's script.
The MCU Has Had Variants Go By Different Names Multiple Times Before Past Heroes & Villains Have Had Different Names In The MCU Multiverse Close In the franchise's history, several MCU characters have had variants appear that go by different names. The more common instances of this belong to Kang the Conqueror, the former villain of Avengers 5 and the Multiverse Saga. The first variant of Kang who appeared in the MCU was introduced in Loki and was named He Who Remains. Were it not for prior knowledge of Kang's role in the MCU, specifically his actor Jonathan Majors, many may not have realized this was a variant of the Conqueror.
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Another example of a Kang variant having a different name came in Loki season 2. This story introduced a variant named Victor Timely, once again played by Jonathan Majors. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's post-credit scene also included other Kang variants, one notable from Marvel Comics named Rama-Tut. All of this proves that variants of characters can go by different names without being completely separate beings to their original form, in this case, Kang the Conqueror.
While RDJ confirmed his Avengers 5 character as Victor von Doom, the villain could still be a variant of Iron Man…
The same was proven in Deadpool & Wolverine thanks to variants of the titular characters. One Wolverine variant, for instance, went by the moniker of Patch, another popular version from Marvel Comics. The many Deadpool variants in Deadpool & Wolverine also had different titles – such as Ladypool, Kidpool, and Babypool – albeit evidently spinning off from the original character's name. These many examples prove that, while RDJ confirmed his Avengers 5 character as Victor von Doom, the villain could still be a variant of Iron Man.
Doctor Doom Being An Iron Man Variant May Be The Only Way To Make The Iron Man Actor's Return Truly Work The Connections Between Two RDJ Roles Would Otherwise Be Too Strange Custom Image By Molly Freeman With the possibility of Avengers 5's Doom being an Iron Man variant still on the table, it may prove to be the only way to make Robert Downey Jr.'s MCU return unequivocally work. It is no secret that RDJ's casting as Doom has been divisive, with many wondering how the gamble will pay off for Marvel Studios. This skepticism is certainly warranted given RDJ's iconicity as Iron Man, yet Doom being a Tony Stark variant may fix many of the issues raised about the casting choice.
If Doom was confirmed as a variant of Tony Stark, these obvious similarities would instantly make a lot more sense in-universe and tie the Multiverse Saga's story closely to the Infinity Saga's…
For one, having Doom look exactly like Tony Stark without being the latter's variant would simply be too coincidental. It would draw unnecessary comparisons to Iron Man without factoring into the story in any meaningful way, making RDJ's casting as Doom more of a marketing gimmick than a choice that is best for the character. If Doom was confirmed as a variant of Tony Stark, these obvious similarities would instantly make a lot more sense in-universe and tie the Multiverse Saga's story closely to the Infinity Saga's.
Secondly, RDJ playing a Tony Stark variant who becomes Doom would make the casting choice less egregious from a representational perspective. Many have voiced their valid concerns that RDJ is not an actor of Romani descent, as the character of Doom is notable as being in Marvel Comics. If Doom is a Tony variant, this change would be explained. If so, another actor, preferably one with the same ethnic background as Doom from the comics, could be cast as the main MCU Victor von Doom post-Avengers: Doomsday.
Avengers 5 Avengers: Doomsday is the fifth Avengers film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will bring together heroes, new and old, to face off against Victor von Doom – played by the returning Robert DOwney Jr.. Avengers 5 will also mark the beginning of phase 6 of the MCU.
Release Date May 1, 2026 Studio(s) Marvel Studios Distributor(s) Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Cast Kathryn Newton , Iman Vellani , Mark Ruffalo , Hailee Steinfield , Anthony Mackie , Benedict Wong , Simu Liu , Benedict Cumberbatch , Dominique Thorne , Xochitl Gomez , Chris Hemsworth , Brie Larson Franchise(s) The Avengers Upcoming MCU Movies Captain America: Brave New World
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