Robert Downey Jr rumored to play Doctor Doom in huge MCU twist

Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. could soon return to the MCU if rumors are to be believed, but not in the way fans expect.

Jeff Sneider revealed on the latest installment of his Insneider newsletter that the legendary actor is heavily rumored for an MCU return but as Doctor Doom instead of Iron Man.

“Speaking of Doctor Doom, there’s still no word yet about his casting in Fantastic Four, as insiders denied my inquiry about Robert Downey Jr., who I was told might come back as an alternate-universe Tony Stark who becomes Doctor Doom instead of Iron Man.” Sneider says.

“It seems far-fetched, yes, but I figured that if there was any hope of Downey coming back, there’d have to be a new wrinkle for him to play. So, for now, we continue to wait…”

The idea of Downey Jr. returning has been floated before, but it didn’t seem to go anywhere. Kevin Feige himself shot it down in December 2023, telling Vanity Fair the actor would “never” return as Tony Stark. If the Doom casting is true, it could be a fun way to circumvent that while leaving his Endgame sacrifice intact.

Downey Jr’s last MCU appearance was in Avengers: Endgame, where his character sacrificed his life to stop Thanos. However, he has recently hinted at a willingness to return, telling Esquire in an interview he’d “happily” return, calling the role of Tony Stark “part of my DNA.”

Evil Tony Stark isn’t a new idea, but it could be a fresh one

While the idea of Downey Jr. returning to the MCU as a Tony Stark who became Doctor Doom sounds far-fetched, it isn’t without precedent. There are a few instances from the comics where Tony is evil, and one where he and Doom actually switched roles.

There have been two instances of an outright evil Tony Stark that come to mind. The first, 1995’s The Crossing, revealed Tony had been brainwashed and was a sleeper agent working under Kang the Conqueror.

The twist was meant to lead to the introduction of a younger Tony in the main universe, but the twist was universally reviled and swiftly brushed aside during the Heroes Reborn event.

The second, Superior Iron Man, was a Tony who had his personality “inverted” during the AXIS event. This version of Iron Man was long rumored for an MCU cameo, with many believing Tom Cruise would be appearing as the character for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

And finally, there was The Infamous Iron Man, a version of the character spun out of 2015’s Secret Wars, which is presumed to inspire the next Avengers films. This Iron Man was not Tony but Doctor Doom himself. With his facial scarring healed after Secret Wars and Tony believed to have died, Doom took on the Iron Man mantle to redeem his name.

We likely won’t know for some time the trajectory of Downey Jr.’s potential return to the MCU, evil or not, but it certainly makes for an intriguing prospect. Considering fans seem to have largely soured on the MCU at this time, it may be the shot in the arm the franchise needs.

The next MCU installment will be the cameo-heavy Deadpool & Wolverine. If you want to know more about that film, check out how Willy Wonka inspired Cassandra Nova or the surprise actor playing Cowboy Deadpool.

You can also read up on the best new movies on streaming this month or all the upcoming Disney+ releases.