Ever since the big announcement in Hall H at Comic-Con this year that Robert Downey Jr. would be back in the MCU, the reaction has been divisive. Some fans love that the franchise’s signature star will be back. Others are mad that Doctor Doom, arguably Marvel’s greatest villain, will merely be a Multiversal variant of Tony Stark. But what if the answer is more complicated (and simple) than that? What if RDJ’s version of Doom is both a Tony variant and also authentically Victor von Doom? Here’s how Marvel Studios could, and should, handle the Doctor Doom of it all when Avengers: Doomsday arrives.
Avengers: Endgame and Captain America: Civil War May Provide the Answer
Thanks to the time travel plot of Avengers: Endgame, we know Tony Stark was born to Howard and Maria Stark sometime in 1970. We also know, thanks to Captain America: Civil War, that Tony’s parents were assassinated by the Winter Soldier some time in 1991, when Tony was about 21. For unknown reasons, Howard Stark got in Hydra’s crosshairs in a bad way and they wanted him eliminated. Probably so they could infiltrate Stark Industries. For all we know, Obadiah Stane worked for Hydra. He sure seemed the type. But what if that assassination of the Starks came much earlier in a different branch of the timeline?
Imagine a scenario where Howard and Maria Stark, along with their infant son Tony, are on a business trip to the war-torn country of Latveria. Stark was an arms dealer after all. He might have been supplying weapons to its cruel ruler, Baron Vladimir Fortunov, or local rebels. Most likely, the rebels. Howard was ultimately a good dude. It’s possible Hydra sends the Winter Soldier much earlier in the timeline to kill him. Only this time, he’s not alone. He’s with his wife and son. The part of the Winter Soldier that is still Bucky Barnes might not be able to bring himself to murder a child. So he drops off the infant at the doorstep of a local family—the von Dooms. As far as the world is concerned, the Stark family were all killed in Eastern Europe in a terrible accident. No one is looking for baby Tony.
Tony Stark/Victor von Doom: From Riches to Rags to Riches
This means that Tony, now named Victor, grew up in completely different circumstances than his Sacred Timeline counterpart. He would still have Tony’s brain, and his innate scientific genius. Genetically, they are the same person after all. But the Victor variant would have grown up in an impoverished country where he didn’t have access to the perks Tony grew up with. Sure, Tony lost his parents tragically. But he still grew up pampered and rich, living a carefree life of a playboy. Victor von Doom would not have been so lucky.
Victor would no doubt have grown up with the suffering of the Latverians all around him. They were all the subjugated subjects of Baron Fortunov. He would have grown up bitter, angry, and with plans to bend the world to his will. And just like in the comics, he would have used his genius to eventually take over the country, installing himself as its ruler. For saving them, the population of Latveria would practically worship him. His adoptive mother could have also introduced him to the dark arts, giving him an edge over his counterpart, who only knew science. In every way, Robert Downey Jr.’s Victor von Doom would be comics-accurate, except for being the twin of Tony Stark.
“New Mask, Same Task”
Doctor Doom is famous for his massive ego, and his inability to let someone else be better than him at anything. In the comics, that’s usually Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. It’s quite possible Victor learns of his variant, who got to live a life of luxury, become a superhero, and die saving his reality. That is something that would drive him to become an even better version of himself, so he’d be the ultimate incarnation of himself, despite growing up in humble surroundings. As RDJ said at Comic-Con, “New mask, same task.” Victor von Doom will try to save the world from itself like Tony tried to with Ultron. Only he’d go about it in a far more ruthless way. If you thought Ultron was bad, wait until you meet the Doombots.
Robert Downey Jr. has said in recent interviews that he is indeed playing Victor von Doom, erasing any doubt. So this isn’t just a variant of Tony Stark using the infamous Doom name, armor, and costume. Nor will they just handwave away the fact that Doom looks just like the most famous name in the MCU. Sure, many actors have played multiple roles in the MCU already, so there’s precedent for that. But this is someone who is the literal face of the franchise. There’s going to be a reason why Doctor Doom looks just like Tony Stark, even if he’s not the same guy. And we feel this is the most elegant solution. We’ll know what Kevin Feige and Marvel have planned to explain all this when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters in 2026.