Summary

  • RDJ is making a comeback as Doctor Doom in the MCU, shocking fans who are used to him as Iron Man, expected to debut in the Fantastic Four.
  • Insider Jeff Sneider confirmed RDJ's return as a villian in The Fantastic Four: First Steps before his appearance in Avengers: Doomsday.
  • Marvel has a history of introducing characters in cameos, making RDJ's appearance in Fantastic Four before Avengers: Doomsday highly likely.

Robert Downey Jr. is officially back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). However, he is rumored to make his supervillain debut in another superhero movie that will be released ahead of Avengers 5.

RDJ's casting as Dr. Victor von Doom, also known as Doctor Doom, was announced at the San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday. He will play the supervillain role in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. However, his casting raised several eyebrows. Many were happy that he returned to the MCU, but some questioned it because he was coming back as one of the evil forces, which was a huge contrast to his former role, the fan-favorite Avenger Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. An insider claimed that Marvel fans would see Downey Jr. in his Doctor Doom persona in another Marvel movie coming out next year.

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Robert Downey Jr.'s return to the MCU as the iconic villain Doctor Doom confused several fans, including one of his Iron Man co-stars.

Jeff Sneider, an award-winning entertainment reporter and insider, shared additional updates about RDJ's MCU comeback. He claimed that Marvel skipped a crucial detail about the big announcement -- when RDJ will make his supervillain debut. Sneider claimed that Downey Jr. would first appear as Doctor Doom in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Sneider wrote in The InSneider, "Of course, they left out the part about the character being first introduced in a mid/post-credits sequence at the end of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but that's beside the point. The point is that Robert Downey Jr. is back, baby! The real Marvel Jesus!"

According to Sneider, prior to the big reveal, he had already heard the rumors about RDJ's casting, but he had a scheduled lunch meeting with Marvel and Disney representatives on May 21, so he waited to inquire about the rumor so he could merit an in-person conversation. However, the lunch was canceled and never rescheduled, so he was left with no choice but to call Marvel, with whom he reportedly had a solid relationship. However, the studio denied it and he accepted their denial at face value because it was from the same rep who "has kept me from getting egg on my face plenty of times." After Marvel's announcement at the San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend, Sneider said RDJ's return was only a matter of time because he loved the people at the Marvel Studios who elevated his fame and fortune. As for his casting as Doctor Doom, the insider claimed that Downey Jr. was eyed to play the character in 2005's Fantastic Four but lost the role to Julian McMahon. It happened before the MCU days, but Kevin Feige was an EP in the Fantastic Four movies.

Sneider is one of the trusted Marvel insiders. Weeks ago, he had already announced that the Russo brothers would return to direct the next two Avengers movies. He also claimed that either one of the writing partners, Stephen McFeely or Christopher Markus, would return to write Avengers 6. At the Comic-Con panel, when Marvel announced that the Russo Brothers were back, the duo's production company AGBO had a press release mentioning that McFeely was attached to write Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, thereby confirming Sneider's scope. So, there is a chance that RDJ will make his Doctor Doom debut in Fantastic Four.

Doctor Doom is a supervillain created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. He first appeared in Fantastic Four #5, so it made sense if he would appear in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Also, Sneider previously said that even if Galactus The Devourer of Worlds will be the main and real antagonist, Doctor Doom is set to appear in the movie. Marvel also has a reputation for introducing some characters with a cameo or making them appear in post-credits of one movie before giving them longer screen times in another film. For instance, Jeremy Renner made an uncredited cameo in Chris Hemsworth's Thor in 2011 before his appearance as Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye, in The Avengers in 2012. So, it's highly likely that fans will see RDJ as Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four and see more of him in Avengers: Doomsday.

Fantastic Four: First Steps will be released on July 25, 2025, while Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters on May 1, 2026.

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Source: The InSneider