As we all know, Robert Downey Jr. will officially return to the MCU as Doctor Doom. Doctor Doom himself is one of Marvel’s most iconic villains. Interestingly, Downey Jr’s appearance as Doctor Doom in the MCU will not only appear in the two upcoming Avengers films, but may also be seen in Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Downey’s announcement as Doctor Doom surprised many in Hollywood and MCU fans around the world. Especially since Downey Jr. was previously best known as Iron Man.
With this significant role change, the former Iron Man actor will be leading both upcoming Avengers movies. In addition, it is also possible that he will appear in some other Marvel projects before completing his role as Doctor Doom after Avengers: Secret Wars.
Robert Downey Returns Through MCU’s Fantastic Four
According to a report from The Cosmic Circus, Downey Jr. will also appear in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which will air in July 2025. In this film, Doctor Doom will reportedly not interact directly with Mr. Fantastic, who Reed Richards plays.
The report indicates that their relationship will be similar to the dynamic between Thanos and Tony Stark in Avengers: Infinity War. At the beginning of the story, Tony Stark was only aware of a major threat from outer space. Meanwhile, Thanos already knows almost all the important information about Stark.
The Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman revealed that he has known about Downey Jr. playing Doctor Doom “for a long time”. However, he had to keep the information a secret.
Shakman also added that with Doom’s presence planned in the MCU movie in 2025, it was only natural that he was involved in these talks early to keep the storyline safe and not leaked to the public.
Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU as Doctor Doom is definitely a moment that fans have been waiting for. The character of Doctor Doom has long been considered a serious threat in the Marvel universe, especially to the Fantastic Four.
Many are curious about how Downey will bring this iconic character to the big screen. And how his character will affect the development of MCU stories in the future.
