Summary
- Robert Downey Jr. returns to the MCU as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, surprising fans.
- Downey Jr. may make his Doctor Doom debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps before Avengers: Doomsday.
- Rumors suggest Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom will be empathetic and from the same universe as the Fantastic Four.
The announcement that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but this time around as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, was met with a lot of buzz and some rather mixed reactions at first. However, things have settled down a bit since then, and there has been a recent update that suggests that fans and moviegoers might get to see Downey Jr.'s iteration of the iconic Marvel villain a little bit before Avengers: Doomsday is released in cinemas.
When it was announced at this year's San Diego Comic-Con during Marvel Studios' Hall H presentation that Robert Downey Jr. would be making an unexpected comeback to the MCU, fans couldn't believe what they were hearing and seeing. However, what made the whole announcement even more unbelievable was that Kevin Feige and directors Anthony and Joe Russo also revealed that the Tony Stark actor would be returning as one of the biggest and baddest Marvel villains of all, Victor Von Doom–a.k.a. Doctor Doom.

Avengers: Doomsday - The MCU's Past Shows That Doctor Doom Can Be Tony Stark
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has already showcased that Tony Stark can be Doctor Doom in future Marvel Studios films.
Before now, it was believed that Robert Downey Jr.'s introduction to the MCU as Doctor Doom would happen in Avengers: Doomsday. However, industry insider @MyTimeToShineH on X is reporting that fans might get to see his Victor Von Doom cameo in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which will be released prior to Doomsday. This would suggest that Downey Jr.'s version of the Marvel villain will come face-to-face with the MCU's version of Marvel's First Family before the next Avengers movie. This, in turn, could help with both the villain's and the Fantastic Four's introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
If this information proves to be correct, it would line up quite nicely with some other rumors that have been making the rounds on the Internet. For instance, there have been reports suggesting that Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom will hail from the same alternate universe as the Fantastic Four team: Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm. It would, therefore, make a lot of sense should both of these rumors turn out to be on the money.
There have also been reports suggesting that this version of Doctor Doom will be a more empathetic take on the character. This comes after some fans have speculated online that this take on the Marvel villain could be inspired by the 2015 Secret Wars miniseries comic book run. In this particular storyline, Victor Von Doom plays a pivotal role. The story sees heroes and villains battle it out on a planet called Battleworld, which is a planet in which multiple universes collide. Doctor Doom just so happens to be the one who created this planet.
As for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the movie will be directed by Matt Shakman. He'll be working off a script written by Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer, Josh Friedman, Cameron Squires, Eric Pearson and Peter Cameron. It has to be said that that's a lot of people to write one script.
It was officially announced during this year's Marvel Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con that Pedro Pascal would be playing Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby has been tasked with portraying Sue Storm, Stranger Things' Joesph Quinn will be playing Johnny Storm and Ebon Moss-Bachrach will be bringing Ben Grimm to life. They'll be joined by Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal (a.k.a the Silver Surfer) and Ralph Ineson as Galactus. It's also been reported that Galactus will be the movie's main villain, so it seems as though Doctor Doom's cameo will be a small one, and might happen towards the end of the picture, potentially in a post-credit scene.
Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to be released in cinemas on May 1, 2026, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps is slated for release on July 25, 2025.