Marvel just announced that Robert Downey Jr. will return to the universe as Doctor Doom, but his casting was actually predicted 20 years ago.
The 2024 San Diego Comic-Con saw many exciting announcements, but the one that broke the internet was Marvel Studios’ announcement that Robert Downey Jr. will play Doctor Doom in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.
Downey’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe surprised millions as his signature character, Iron Man, was killed off in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
However, Marvel didn’t randomly pick the actor out of a hat for this role, as Downey was considered to play the Fantastic Four villain back in 2005.
Guess that audition for Doom stuck with Feige all these years https://t.co/k8WnhNQ8jh
— Cris Parker (@3CFilmss) July 28, 2024
During Iron Man’s 15th anniversary, Marvel Studios released a video in which the movie’s director, Jon Favreau, revealed Downey had been on the company’s radar before making his MCU debut because they considered him to play the dangerous villain.
“I remember that Robert had come in for a general meeting on Iron Man, and you had already met with him for Doctor Doom or something,” Favreau told Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. “I think he had come through on Fantastic Four, so everybody knew who he was.”
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“I remember sitting down with the guy and I was like, ‘He’s got that spark in his eye and he’s ready.’ That’s when we were in your office and we were putting to his headshot and saying we’ve gotta try and figure this out [for Iron Man].”
Downey was ultimately passed over for the role as the studio went with Nip/Tuck star Julian McMahon for the first Fantastic Four movie and its follow-up sequel.
Obviously, there was no bad blood between the actor and Marvel, as Downey became the face of their billion-dollar franchise just three years later.
While fans lost it when Downey’s future role in the MCU was announced, it’s hard to argue that he wasn’t preparing for this moment for almost two decades.
For more, check out our guides on other future MCU projects, such as Spider-Man 4, Captain America: Brave New World, and Agatha All Along.
