Robert Downey Jr.’s role as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday is one of the most shocking decisions the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever made, and a new theory might explain why the franchise’s biggest star went from hero to villain. Downey’s time as Iron Man helped make the MCU Hollywood’s most successful franchise. Marvel shocked the world when the studio brought him back to play Doctor Doom instead of Iron Man. He was announced as Victor von Doom, but it is hard to believe that no Tony Stark connection will exist.

If Marvel wanted Doctor Doom in the MCU, the studio could have cast any other actor. By choosing Downey, Marvel fully knew what it was doing and the kind of reaction fans would have to the possibilities it generates for the story of Avengers: Doomsday. Recently, the Russo Brothers spoke about how Tony Stark and Doctor Doom will be connected. In an interview with The Times, the directors of the upcoming Avengers movies claimed they could not explain RDJ’s return after Tony Stark’s death as “it’s part of the story.” A new MCU theory explains how that could play out.

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness Introduced A Dark Multiverse Travel Ability

The Multiverse Saga Will Pull From Several Movies

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is one of the most important films in the Multiverse Saga so far. It introduced quite a few key elements that will be tied to the two upcoming Avengers movies. One that could be important is the ability to dreamwalk. While America Chavez has the power to punch out portals to other universes, the majority of Marvel’s characters cannot travel throughout the multiverse in such a simple way. That is why Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch desperately tries to get America and steal her powers to find her sons in another universe.

To do that, the Scarlet Witch dreamwalked. The concept consists of a character using magic to put their consciousness inside the body of one of their multiverse variants. Dreamwalking was used a few times in the movie, with Wanda Maximoff killing the Illuminati of Earth-838 by controlling the body of that universe’s Scarlet Witch variant. Doctor Strange also used the ability, dreamwalking into the body of a deceased version of him, bringing a zombie Doctor Strange to life. To use it, the person invokes the prohibited magic of the Darkhold, possessing their multiverse variant.

Avengers: Doomsday Theory Puts A Sinister Twist On Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom Casting

Tony Stark Returns In An Unexpected Way

With Downey playing Doctor Doom and the directors of Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars commenting on how Tony Stark’s death plays a role in the actor’s MCU return as the new villain, the two characters are bound to be connected somehow. An Avengers: Doomsday theory shared on Reddit by user LawRevolutionary5760 explains how dreamwalking could be the tool used to connect Downey’s Doctor Doom and Iron Man. According to the theory, Doom would come from the same universe as the тιтle team from The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Doom would follow them to Earth-616 after Galactus devours their world.

Not being able to follow them to a new universe with his body, Doctor Doom would use the ability to dreamwalk. The MCU theory suggests Doom could go to Tony Stark’s corpse as the character would make sense to be the Anchor Being of the main MCU universe. That concept was introduced in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine, with Hugh Jackman’s new Wolverine taking the place of the deceased Logan as the Anchor Being of ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool’s universe. Iron Man was left with a scarred face after using the Infinity Stones, which would explain why Doctor Doom wears a mask in Avengers: Doomsday.

Marvel Comics Synergy Could Lead To The MCU Theory Coming True

Doctor Doom Using Magic Would Not Be Something New

A possible problem with the theory is that Doctor Strange and the Scarlet Witch used the Darkhold to dreamwalk. However, at the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wanda destroys all versions of the book across the multiverse. That could be explained by Doom arriving in the MCU before then and staying hidden or by the character simply being such a powerful magic user that he is not tied to the Darkhold for his multiverse magic. Recently, Marvel Comics made Doctor Doom the new Sorcerer Supreme, and the MCU could pull a page from the comics.

Doom’s knowledge of magic is vast, and the MCU having a dose of synergy with the comics and making the villain the sorcerer supreme of his reality would be fitting, giving Doom a way to be powerful enough to dreamwalk without the Darkhold. Marvel Studios and the comics have done similar things in the past. An example is how Ms. Marvel was revealed to be a mutant in the MCU, and she later died and was changed from an Inhuman to a mutant in the comics. Avengers: Doomsday can explain RDJ’s Doctor Doom casting by him possessing Tony Stark’s corpse.

All Announced Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
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  MCU Spider-Man 4

  Release Date

  
  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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