We Will Probably See RDJ’s Dr. Doom Before ‘Doomsday’ – Here’s Where He Might Appear

This year’s SDCC brought a lot of surprises, we’ve been given some sneak peeks into the upcoming ‘Thunderbolts*’ movie and the highly-awaited ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps.’ The biggest surprise of the evening however was that Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU as Victor Von Doom, one of Marvel’s most iconic villains.

We’ve already discussed in great length which stories the studio might adapt. The stories range from ‘Demon in an Armor’ to ‘Infamous Iron Man.’ But the most likely candidate so far seems to be ‘Time Runs Out’ storyline.

We’ve recently covered Doom’s “alleged” plans for the MCU and how it’s connected to something Robert Downey Jr. said when his role was revealed “same task different mask.” It sounds a lot like he will actually attempt to “save” the reality but it’s going to backfire horrifically mostly due to his own ego getting in the way.

Fans are also worried that Doctor Doom won’t have enough build-up, so far the MCU primarily focused on Kang the Conqueror, and not a peep was said about Doom and his potential involvement with the Multiverse Saga. This means that he absolutely has to appear in at least one project before ‘Doomsday’ releases and that date is coming relatively soon since the movie is bound to be released on May 1, 2026.

Considering that Doom’s story and the story of Reed Richards are inherently connected, the most likely candidate for his first on-screen appearance is ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps.’

Months before it was known that Majors would be replaced as the main villain there were rumors that Doom would be included in the ‘Fantastic Four’ movie but not as the main villain. His role was supposed to be rather short on the level of a cameo appearance. Considering everything that transpired since then, this rumor sounds more and more likely.

We know that ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ takes place in an alternate reality, so presumably Doctor Doom will come to the MCU from that same reality since that’s the only way through which his absence in the first few phases in the MCU can be explained.

Several online sources claim they had inside information about Robert Downey Jr.’s return but were hesitant to report it before Marvel made it official. Collider spoke with ‘Fantastic Four’ director Matt Shakman after the (SDCC) panel and asked if he knew about Downey’s return before the Hall H presentation.

It’s incredible exciting. I’m a huge fan of Robert Downey Jr., of course, and there’s no one bigger. And I have heard about it for a while, and I had to keep that secret for a while. But it’s really exciting! I kept it under wraps.

This pretty much indirectly confirms that Shankman knew about it “for a while” beacuse the character was always planned to be included in the upcoming movie. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

Liked this article? Follow us on Bluesky for the latest Marvel & DC news!