Robert Downey Jr. Almost Played Dr. Doom Before Iron Man

In another dimension of our multiverse of madness, Robert Downey Jr. may have never played Tony Stark. Instead, he could have portrayed Dr. Doom in the 2005 Fantastic Four film along with the sequel.

Iron Man director Jon Favreau brought up this intriguing nugget while speaking with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige about the 15-year anniversary for the MCU’s first film on YouTube. “I remember you all had met him already for like Dr. Doom or something on another project,” Favreau told Feige, who seemingly confirmed this with a “right” response.

Instead of Downey Jr., Nip/Tuck’s Julian McMahon portrayed the iconic villain for two Fantastic Four movies that predate Iron Man (which premiered in 2008). Obviously, that’s not the only notable connection those two films have to the MCU either. Chris Evans played Johnny Storm in those projects before later becoming Captain America.

As for Iron Man, Feige believes casting Downey Jr. as Stark is “probably one of the greatest decisions in the history of Hollywood.” The actor has appeared in 10 MCU movies, last being seen in Avengers: Endgame in 2019. Downey Jr. has previously said he has no plans to return as Iron Man.

Instead, Downey Jr. will next be seen in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which also stars Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt. It’s set to premiere July 21.