Doctor Doom linked to Iron Man? Wild MCU theory comes after Fantastic Four cameo

Doctor Doom is seen towards the end of the new Fantastic Four movie, First Steps, and will be the main villain in Avengers: Doomsday, slated to release in 2026.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is vast and full of surprises. Now, with the multiverse concept, possibilities are even more endless. Thus, many fans ended up wondering if Doctor Doom, who will be the main villain in the current MCU phase, is actually linked to Iron Man in some way.

Robert Downey Jr, who played Iron Man, now plays Doctor Doom in the MCU (X/@StripMarvel)

It would not be a stretch of imagination, given that Robert Downey Jr, who was unforgettable in the role of Tony Stark, has now stepped onboard the project to play villain Victor Von Doom.

How does Doctor Doom appear in Fantastic Four?

Doctor Doom has long been a major villain in Fantastic Four comics, and the first movie even went with him as the main antagonist. However, Disney has decided to go in a different direction, firmly establishing Galactus as the villain in this movie.

However, we do see Doctor Doom at the end, visiting Franklin Richards – now a toddler. When his mother, Sue Richards, aka Invisible Woman, returns after getting a book, she sees the villain hunched over, even as the child reaches a hand out to touch his face.

Doom holds the mask in his hand, which is partly obscured. However, his appearance is spot on as per the comics. MCU has gone with a similar shade of green for the cloak, and the silver mask appears to be on point too.

However, some fans feel that the mask might be like Iron Man's – because Tony too wore a metal mask. This is highly unlikely given that Doom and Iron Man's masks are widely different, the former being characterized by its rounded forehead, larger eyeholes, and bridged nose.

How Doctor Doom could be linked to Iron Man

There is a prevailing theory, reportedly, that Doctor Doom could be an evil version of Tony Stark from MCU's Earth-616. However, this would need them to deviate from the rather sacrosanct origins of Doom – which includes his birth in Latveria.

That said, MCU has already broken a major rule of Doom's. He almost never removes his mask! Why he does so for Franklin remains a question, but it has raised the possibility that MCU could be going with another version of Doom-- maybe one who reveals his face more often, because they have Robert Downey in the role, and it would make more sense to show a star's face in order for a film to be a crowd puller.

In the comics, Doom, ever fixated on perfection, refuses to remove his mask so the embellishments on his face are not seen.

The theories about Doom and Iron Man being linked have been doing the rounds on Reddit for some time, with one person even comparing the font on the actor's chair during shoot, and saying it was the same as the font used during Iron Man's filming! Far-fetched theories aside, in the comics, there is actually one time when Doctor Doom becomes Iron Man.

This is Infamous Iron Man, but one X user has debunked this possibility as well, noting that the events in that comic takes place after the 2015 Secret Wars comic. You can check out the detailed thread below!

Meanwhile, one fan posited "Doctor Doom is using Tony Stark’s image to manipulate everyone. He knows the heroes will trust him if he looks like Iron Man. At the end of Doomsday, his face will revert back to reality and the real Doom’s face will be revealed. Robert Downey Jr. will return as an Iron Man variant in Secret Wars to help fight Doctor Doom who stole his identity and tricked everyone".

The fan echoed the Reddit post in one theory, that the color of Avengers: Secret War title was changed to Iron Man's palette to tease his return. While this seems unlikely, we will definitely know better about Doom's connection with Iron Man once more of Doctor Doom's outfit is revealed, perhaps as part of Marvel's marketing drive ahead of the Doomsday movie's release on December 18, 2026.