The MCU panel at the San Diego Comic-Con surprised the fans with the announcement that Robert Downey Jr. will return to the Marvel franchise, but in a new role. The actor was introduced as Dr. Doom, the supervillain, according to the comics. While the revelation surprised the fans, talks of the 2005 audition of Downey Jr. for Dr. Doom surfaced on the internet.
The reports suggest that the Oscar-winning actor approached the MCU and gave a screen test to play the villainous character in The Fantastic Four. In a video discovered by MCU fans, Kevin Feige and Jon Favreau were seen discussing Marvel comic book trivia, and the Iron Man director recalled seeing the Avengers actor in the audition room for Dr. Doom.
In the visual, Favreau was heard saying, “I remember you had all met with him already for, like, Doctor Doom or something.” He further said, “I think he had come through on, maybe, Fantastic Four.”
Julian MacMahon portrayed Dr. Doom in 2005. While the Oppenheimer actor missed out on his opportunity to play the antagonist back then, he not only played a bigger role in the MCU with Iron Man but also made his presence felt on the big screen by donning the suit of the villain in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars.
Speaking further about Downey Jr.’s 2005 audition, Favreau continued to say, “Everybody sort of knew who he was.” Moreover, the filmmaker also recalls casting the actor for the part of Iron Man, and he said, I remember sitting down with the guy, and I was like, ‘Jeez, he’s got that spark in him, in his eye, and he’s ready.’ That’s when we were in your office, and we were pointing to his headshot, saying, ‘We gotta try to figure this out.’”
The Marvel panel also announced the return of the Russo Brothers, who will take the director’s chair for the upcoming Avengers film. While the MCU fans are unclear about how Downey Jr. fits the role of Dr. Doom after playing Iron Man for years in the Avengers movies, various theories have claimed that the villainous character might be a variant of Tony Stark from the parallel universe. Meanwhile, the audience looks forward to seeing Robert Downey Jr. back on screen with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are scheduled to hit theaters in May 2026 and May 2027, respectively.
