The Russo Brothers Just Named Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom Suit the Greatest Costume in MCU History
When Robert Downey Jr. first stepped into a gleaming suit of armor in 2008, few could have imagined that the actor and the franchise would become inseparable for over a decade. He went on to reprise the role of Tony Stark across ten Marvel films over eleven years, including standalone sequels and four ‘Avengers‘ movies, before the character’s death in ‘Avengers: Endgame’ made his eventual return one of the most discussed subjects in comic book movie circles.
Now, with Downey stepping back into the MCU in a role no one saw coming, the conversation around his look has taken on an entirely different dimension. Rather than reprising his iconic portrayal of Iron Man, Downey will take on the character of Doctor Doom, a major antagonist traditionally linked to the Fantastic Four universe, in a casting choice that signals a bold new direction for Marvel storytelling.
At a packed panel during SXSW London, held at the Truman Brewery in East London, the Russo Brothers appeared alongside ‘Fortnite’ co-creator Donald Mustard in a conversation moderated by Variety’s co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh, and delivered a piece of praise that immediately caught the attention of the Marvel fanbase. The brothers revealed that Downey’s Doctor Doom costume in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ is their single favorite from all five Marvel films they have directed, a list that spans ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’, ‘Captain America: Civil War’, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’, and ‘Avengers: Endgame’.
When pressed to explain the choice, Joe Russo kept his cards close, telling the audience only to wait and see. Anthony Russo, however, offered something more revealing, telling Variety that the suit is “representative of the character in a way that the costume and the character really, really fit.” The suggestion is that this is not simply a new visual for a familiar face, but a design that captures the full identity of Victor von Doom in a way that nothing in the franchise’s history has quite managed before.
That level of creative intentionality has been visible for some time, with Joe Russo previously describing Downey as being “so immersed” in the role ahead of filming, revealing that the Oscar winner had been actively writing backstory and contributing costume ideas of his own to the development process. The suit that has now earned the directors’ highest praise appears to be partly the product of that deep creative collaboration.
The stakes surrounding ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ are extraordinary, with Joe Russo going as far as declaring Victor von Doom “the greatest Marvel villain of all time” at CinemaCon, placing the character above even Thanos as a threat to the Marvel universe. The film assembles a vast ensemble of returning and new stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Anthony Mackie, Tom Hiddleston, Vanessa Kirby, and Pedro Pascal, with Downey’s Doom at the center of a conflict that will carry into the follow-up, ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’. The film is scheduled to arrive in theaters on December 18.
Whether the costume lives up to the directors’ own superlatives is something only the full film can settle, but their enthusiasm makes one thing hard to dispute: this is clearly not a look they are treating as incidental. If you have a theory about what Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom will actually look like in his full silver and green glory when the lights go down in December, share it in the comments.
