Robert Downey Jr. explains why Doctor Doom isn’t just ‘evil Iron Man’ in Avengers: Doomsday
During an Avengers: Doomsday cast interview, Robert Downey Jr. discussed his approach to Doctor Doom — and hinted at a key difference from Stark that shaped his prep.
Right, here’s one for the MCU obsessives: Robert Downey Jr. has officially swapped his Iron Man suit for a set of battered armour and a proper villain’s mask. In Avengers: Doomsday — out this December — RDJ is suiting up as Doctor Doom, and he’s been having a good old natter about what actually separates these two ‘genius’ types. This isn’t just a Tony Stark retread with a dodgy accent, apparently.
Downey sat down for a group interview with Entertainment Weekly, and — as these things go — it wasn’t long before someone piped up about Iron Man and Doom both being big-brain scientist types running around in metal suits. Downey did his usual, giving it the thoughtful hero-turned-baddie take. Here’s what sets them apart, by his reckoning:
In Downey’s words during the chat: 'I mean there’s the science thing, and then they’re considered, you know, pretty brilliant guys.'
He went a bit further, talking about what sets the pair on such different paths. For him, Stark’s trauma spurs him to become a hero, whereas for Victor von Doom, pain just turns him rotten. It’s actually a decent insight — and not the sort of thing you get from someone who’s just turning up for the pay cheque, which, let’s be honest, Downey could have done at this point.
Being the Villain
What’s properly weird is seeing Downey Jr. — basically the face that built the entire MCU — now sliding into the role of the enemy. He admitted sitting under Doom’s mask felt a bit isolating, especially when the rest of the cast are joking around in the canteen. During the interview, he told them:
'I’m the enemy.'
Meanwhile, Chris Evans got a bit sentimental, saying watching Downey do his villain thing took him back to those first Avengers days, where he’d catch himself getting distracted like a punter in the audience instead of focusing on his lines. Nothing like seeing your old mate trading wisecracks for evil monologues.
The Masked Elephant in the Room
Naturally, someone had to ask about the obvious: if Doctor Doom now basically looks like Tony Stark, don’t the characters notice? Evans jumped in straight away with a very Marvel answer: 'We can’t touch that.' Downey took the joke and ran with it, going, 'Can’t touch this.' Top-tier work from the studio that gave us Quicksilver and Pietro Maximoff apparently being two different people.
No answer from Marvel yet on whether this doppelgänger situation gets brought up on screen — if you’re hoping for some knowing wink to camera, you’ll be waiting until December.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to open in cinemas on 18 December 2026.