Ever since Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU was announced at the San Diego Comic-Con, fans have shared both excitement and skepticism about the update. While fans are excited at the prospect of getting the Oscar-winning actor to play a villain this time around, they also hope the new role won’t ruin Iron Man. One fan has a theory that could easily disassociate Dr. Doom from Tony Stark for fans.
The fan theory has included some great plot points, elaborate scenes for Dr. Doom’s entry into the MCU, and even some potential character interactions. Downey Jr.’s villain is all set to enter the universe in the Russo brothers’ film Avengers: Doomsday.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Re-entry Into The Marvel Multiverse, As Envisioned By A Fan
Robert Downey Jr. fans may like one fan theory that perfectly sets up Dr. Doom without affecting his Iron Man storyline. A fan on X, @TheGeekyCast, came up with an interesting premise that places Downey Jr.’s Dr. Doom in Earth 838, a universe first introduced in the MCU film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
In the film, Wanda destroys the Illuminati, the protectors of that universe. However, one question that remained with fans was the identity of the occupant of an empty chair among the Illuminati members. Initially, it was believed to be Strange 838’s seat but some fans pointed out that Mordo had taken Strange’s place in the group.
@TheGeekyCast speculates that the chair belonged to Dr. Doom of Earth 838. The fan suggests that John Krasinski‘s Reed Richards found out about multiversal incursions alongside Dr. Doom, prompting the villain to leave the group to find a way to stop them.
In Multiverse of Madness, when we see the Illuminati, there's one empty chair. Some believe that this was the vacated seat of that universes Dr. Strange, but that doesn't add up. Mordo replaced strange in that universe and still had a seat. That means someone wasn't there. What…
— Chad Ryan (@TheGeekyCast) August 16, 2024
The fan even imagined a post-credits scene to be featured in one of the films leading up to Avengers: Doomsday. In the scene, Dr. Doom walks into the Illuminati headquarters to find the bodies and debris left behind by Wanda. As he approaches the broken statue, Maria Rambeau’s Captain Marvel crawls out of the rubble.
When Doom asks her what happened, she replies, “Wanda”. Doom then removes his mask, revealing Downey Jr. He tells Captain Marvel, “You should have listened to Doom,” before killing her. The fan also suggested that a card will appear at the end, which reads, “Doom will return in Avengers: Doomsday.”
Fan Even Proposes An Interaction In Doomsday That Sets Up Doom In The Most Villainous Way
According to @TheGeekyCast, Elizabeth Olsen‘s Wanda will serve as the replacement for Molecule Man from the Secret Wars comics. Dr. Doom will likely seek out Scarlet Witch in every universe and absorb their powers to become an immensely powerful being. What makes this version of Doom unique is that he has no connection to Earth-616 or Pedro Pascal‘s Fantastic Four team.
The fan envisioned a scenario where the Avengers of Earth-616, who knew this Doom as Tony Stark, interact with the F4 team, who have no clue who this Victor von Doom is. When the Earth-616 Avengers ask Pascal’s Reed Richards who this Doom is, he responds:
I know Victor. He’s an incredible mind and extremely powerful, but this is not the Victor that we know. But, if he’s anything like our Victor, then we need to be extremely worried.
When the Fantastic Four returns the question, the Earth-616 heroes reply:
Well, he looks like one of the greatest heroes that ever existed in our universe. If he’s anything like Stark, we also need to be extremely worried about what he’s capable of.
This interaction sets up Robert Downey Jr.’s Dr. Doom as an even more dangerous villain than Thanos, while also distancing the actor from his previous MCU character.
Fans will learn more when Avengers: Doomsday is released on May 1, 2026.
