RDJ Speaks Out on His Doctor Doom Casting and the Variant He’ll Portray: “Let’s Get Victor Von Doom Right”

Jonathan Majors was poised to be the next major villain in the MCU, taking on the role of Kang the Conqueror and his variants in several upcoming projects. However, following the release of ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,’ the actor found himself embroiled in real-life controversy after assaulting his romantic partner. This incident led to a lawsuit, a guilty verdict, and eventually his sentencing.

From the moment the allegations surfaced, fans eagerly awaited updates on his future in the MCU. As time passed, it became increasingly clear that Marvel Studios would be moving on from Kang. This decision wasn’t solely due to Majors’ legal troubles; the character of Kang also failed to resonate strongly with fans.

At this year’s SDCC, Marvel Studios surprised everyone by announcing that ‘Avengers: Kang Dynasty’ would be retitled ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ with Victor Von Doom set to be the primary villain of the Multiverse Saga. However, the biggest shock came when it was revealed that Robert Downey Jr. would be playing Doom.

Yes, RDJ is returning to the MCU, but not as Iron Man—instead, he’ll be taking on the role of one of Marvel’s most iconic villains. This news sparked mixed reactions among fans, who find it hard to separate Downey from his role as Tony Stark.

In a recent interview on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter Podcast, Downey confirmed his return to the MCU and revealed which variant of Doom he will be portraying.

So, probably a year ago…cause, you know, [Kevin] Feige and I have kept in touch. We’re pals. Favreau, Feige, and I have kept in touch. I’m close with the Russo Brothers; we have other business we’re doing. So, there’s this little group of fellow travellers and I had this instinct that I wanted to go to Bob Iger and I had an idea outside of the Cinematic Universe for how I could be of service to what’s going on in the Parks and all their location-based entertainment.

Susan and I were sitting down with Feige at one point and he said, ‘It just keeps occurring to me that if you were to come back…’ and Susan was like, ‘Wait, wait, come back as what?’ Then we both realised over time that it was another thing that just disproves any doubt anyone could ever have about that guy, a very sophisticated creative thinker, about how can we not go backwards, how can we not disappoint expectations, how we can continue to beat expectations? And he brought up Victor Von Doom. I looked up this character and I was like, ‘Wow.’ Later, Kevin goes, ‘Let’s get Victor Von Doom right. Let’s get that right.’

So then I said to Kevin, ‘Can I go talk to Bob Iger?’ He goes, ‘About?’ I go, ‘About everything. I’d gone to Bob’s house and I don’t know how to describe that experience. I’ve had a lot of really cool experiences, but I go to Iger’s pad, we sit down and he goes, ‘I like it.’ I was like, ‘He likes it.’ He said, ‘Come by the Imagineering Campus.’ Feige and I go to the Imagineering Campus and you want to talk about two guys that are not easy to have their minds blown, let alone at the same time…I can’t say too much, but what is going on there right now is so beyond my expectation of what was possible.

There are numerous theories circulating about how RDJ will be integrated into the MCU, with speculation ranging from adaptations of storylines like ‘Demon in an Armor’ to ‘Infamous Iron Man.’ However, based on RDJ’s own comments, it seems he’ll be portraying Doom exclusively.

Insider reports suggest that Doom might appear in the MCU even before ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ with his debut expected in ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps,’ which makes sense given his role as the Fantastic Four’s most iconic villain.

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