Robert Downey Jr. Stuns Fans at Comic Con with Doctor Doom Announcement
At Comic Con, former Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. shocked fans with the announcement that he will be portraying the new Doctor Doom, just after winning his Oscar. The revelation was met with a wave of screams and applause, but as the excitement settled, questions began to emerge. Will this be set in a different universe than Tony Stark’s? How will they incorporate Doom’s rich origin story? Will the Avengers recognize him as the former Iron Man? And what happened to Howard Stern’s rumored role?
Back in June 2022, Howard Stern might have accidentally hinted at his potential involvement with Doctor Doom. While signing off on The Howard Stern Show, his mic stayed live, and he mentioned being part of a production about Doctor Doom, expressing his discontent. “They’re going over the schedule with me and it’s gonna suck,” Stern said, seemingly unaware of the live mic. When asked about his summer plans, Stern replied, “Well, I told you I’m gonna do Dr. Doom. But… believe me, I’m f*cking miserable about it.” Interestingly, Stern also mentioned calling Robert Downey Jr. before the mic cut off. Could this have been the conversation that led Downey Jr. to consider returning to the MCU? Or did Stern persuade him to take over the role?
It’s possible that Stern was the original choice for Doom, but the MCU has undergone significant changes since then, leaving the situation unclear. Stern could still appear as a different variant or iteration of Doom, a common occurrence in today’s multiverse-themed storytelling. Fans might even speculate about a return of Julian McMahon to the big screen in this context.
Robert Downey Jr. is set to star as Doctor Doom in *Avengers: Doomsday*, slated for a May 2026 release.
