One of the biggest questions about Avengers: Doomsday may have just been answered!
There is a score of questions about Avengers: Doomsday, from the plot to which Marvel characters will and won’t appear. However, one of the biggest is exactly how the movie will address casting Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom.
After all, having the man who began the MCU as Tony Stark now playing the arch-villain is going to be confusing. However, per MyTimeToShineHello, the latest reports are that while the audience will see Doom unmasked and how he looks like Tony Stark, “the MCU heroes never will.”
This does seem to correct a stumbling block people have had ever since Downey was cast as Doom. For some, as talented an actor as Downey is, he doesn’t seem quite right to play the Lord of Latveria. Doom is a grandiose character, probably the most grandiose in the Marvel Universe, with a specific flair that’s hard for anyone to match.
The bigger issue, of course, is having the man who played Tony Stark now playing Doom. It’s still up in the air how the movie will address this. A common fan theory is that this is the Tony Stark of another reality, somehow warped into becoming Doom, which would be a huge change for the iconic character.
There’s also the chance this is the Victor Von Doom of another Earth who, for some reason, looks just like Tony. The MCU has already played on this in Deadpool & Wolverine when Chris Evans showed up as Deadpool (and the audience) convinced this was Captain America. It turned out it was Evans reprising his role as the Human Torch from the 2000s Fantastic Four movies.
Another issue is showing Doom unmasked at all. The classic lore is that Doom was disfigured in an experiment gone wrong and the mask hides a hideously scarred visage. That’s always been a core of Doom’s character, hiding his evil persona. Having it just be an older-looking Tony would rob Doom of some mystique despite how impressive his armor looks.
This hints that the Secret Wars follow-up movie will have Doom unmasked and address the resemblance to Tony. That’s likely a big shock for the various heroes, and it's intriguing to see whether Doom is aware of the resemblance. That may be the key to Doom’s eventual defeat.
We still have a ways to go before the movie answers those questions, yet it seems that for now, Doom remains more of an enigma to Marvel heroes.
Avengers: Doomsday premieres in theaters December 18, 2026.