Summary
Robert Downey Jr. is back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) after he died inAvengers: Endgame.However, the fan-favoriteIron Manactor returns as the supervillain Doctor Doom, which confuses his previous costar, Gwyneth Paltrow.
Paltrow has appeared in multiple Marvel movies. She made her MCU debut as Pepper Pots, Iron Man’s assistant-turned-wife, in the 2008 filmIron Manwith Downey Jr. playing the titular character. The pair costarred in the subsequent sequelsIron Man 2(2010) andIron Man 3(2013). They also appeared inTheAvengers(2012),Spider-Man: Homecoming(2017),Avengers: Infinity War(2018) andAvengers: Endgame(2019). Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, and Pepper had an on-again, off-again relationship, but he proposed to her inInfinity War, and they eventually got married and had a family. However, Stark sacrificed himself to save the universe from Thanos and passed away inEndgame.
Marvel announced thatDowney Jr. was officially back in the MCUat a San Diego Comic-Con panel over the weekend. However, he would not reprise his role as the beloved genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist Stark. He was cast as the main antagonist of theFantastic Four, Doctor Doom. The announcement received a mixed reaction, with many finding it confusing because RDJ was a superhero in the franchise and would be back as a supervillain.Paltrow was among those who didn’t hide her confusion after learning about Downey Jr.’s casting as Doctor Doom inAvengers 5andAvengers 6.
Downey Jr. was among thesix “Original Avengers,” alongside Chris Evans(Steve Rogers/Captain America), Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton/Hawkeye), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), and Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/Hulk). Thus, his casting as a villain in MCU raised several eyebrows and confused many, including Paltrow, who commented on RDJ’s post onInstagramwith “I don’t get it, are you a baddie now?” Several social media users also admitted being confused as Paltrow after learning about RDJ’s new role in the MCU. “She’s always confused, but this time we can hardly blame her.” one wrote.
While there seems to be a lack of connection between Iron Man and Doctor Doom at first glance, the two characters actually have some history. In 2007’sMighty Avengers,the pair had a major faceoff after Doom was implicated in an attack on New York City. He ended up in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s custody, where Stark was the director. In 2015’sSecret Wars,Doom turned a new leaf and supportedIron Mandespite the latter’s refusal. Doom even became the new Iron Man after Stark was left in a comatose state following theCivil War II. In theInfamous Iron Manseries, Doom forged his own Iron Man armor to carry on Stark’s heroic legacy and defended the Stark Industries from The Hood and his minions, costing him his healed face.
Additionally, there areDoctor Doom versionsin the Marvel multiverse associated with Tony Stark. For instance, in 2010’sWhat If? Iron Man: Demonin an Armor #1Doom swapped bodies with Stark in college and Tony, who was trapped in his arch-nemesis' body, swore to take revenge by destroying Doom’s Stark Universal company. So, Doom and Iron Man have some sort of connection and history and MCU might tap into this. Also, there’s a possibility that Marvel simply casts RDJ without any plan to associate his new character with his former role. Doom has a scarred face after a machine he invented exploded. So, he will be wearing a mask and suit of armor. Thus, RDJ’s face might be hidden to make it easier for viewers not to see Iron Man in his MCU comeback. However, Doctor Doom will be more dangerous if he combines his dark spells and magic with Stark’s advanced technology. For now, many are struggling to accept how Iron Man, the savior, could be one with Doom, one of the supervillains in the MCU. Whether Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom is associated with Iron Man or not, that’s something fans should wait and see in the nextAvengersmovies.
Avengers:Doomsdaywill be released on May 13, 2025, andAvengers: Secret Warswill hit theaters on July 28, 2025.
