I’m convinced the MCU‘s biggest Doctor Doom theory just became even more likely in the Marvel movie franchise thanks to Ironheart‘s trailer and the way it adds to the world’s lore. Doctor Doom has long been a figure fans have hoped would enter the MCU timeline, both because the character’s over 60-year-long history features plenty of Marvel’s most iconic comic moments, and because this would logically intertwine with the debut of the Fantastic Four. However, the way in which Doom was revealed to be a part of the MCU still generated some considerable surprise.

Replacing Kang as the main antagonist of the next Avengers movie, Victor Von Doom’s impending appearance in Avengers: Doomsday means he’ll almost immediately become one of the most important characters in the franchise, and a defining figure in terms of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. As such, it’s not a shock that there are plenty of big theories surrounding the idea of how the character’s story will unfold in the MCU’s upcoming releases – though Ironheart’s newest trailer makes the most consistently discussed of these theories certainly look more possible for the franchise.

The Idea Doctor Doom Is An Iron Man Variant Has Long Been One Of the Biggest Theories About The MCU Character

Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom Casting Makes The Theory Especially Potent

The reveal that Robert Downey Jr. would be playing the MCU’s Doctor Doom – and be the franchise’s next major big bad in Avengers: Doomsday – was one that naturally came as shocking news, given it seemed the actor’s MCU career had ended with Iron Man’s death in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. In turn, the fact that one of the biggest actors in the MCU is returning to play a villain role has sparked a huge number of theories about how the franchise will seek to pull off making this story work in its next chapters, and how it could explain Victor Von Doom seemingly being set to look like Earth-616’s Tony Stark.

Arguably the most prevalent of these is the theory that Doctor Doom will be an Iron Man variant in some capacity, which now has almost countless offshoots delving into differing ways this could happen and could affect the franchise in small and big ways going forward. While Robert Downey Jr. has reinforced the idea that he will be playing Victor von Doom, it’s not impossible to imagine a world in which Doom is a variant of Iron Man’s, either because Stark took on a different name, or because in a different universe he simply was Victor von Doom altogether because of the nature of the differing world.

With the MCU being in a position where it may need to justify why Robert Downey Jr. is specifically reappearing in this role, taking this approach would make sense, especially because the character is the current main villain of the Multiverse Saga, which has introduced and explored the idea of variants as a key concept throughout its story. As it stands, the MCU’s most recent reveals about the next parts of its story seem to make this angle an even more logical one for the franchise to use, adding further fuel to the fire when it comes to this theory.

Ironheart’s Trailer Makes This MCU Theory Even More Logical For The Franchise To Use

Riri’s Exploration Of How Science & Magic Can Be Combined Has Interesting Timing With Doctor Doom’s Debut On The Horizon

Ironheart‘s newest trailer brings an exciting-looking power upgrade into the hero’s story, as it shows Riri seemingly looking at enhancing her suit with magic, allowing her a theoretically entirely different skillset than before by doing so. Interestingly, this ties in nicely to Doctor Doom just as the MCU is setting the character up, since Doom’s story has historically seen him blend science and sorcery together in order to accomplish whatever scheme he’s working on, making him a doubly potent threat to those he faces.

With Riri’s suit having been inspired by Iron Man’s own – and this showing the possibility of enhancing such a suit further via magical means just before Doom’s debut – a precedent has been set here, making it all the more feasible that an alternate universe Iron Man could have found a way to use magic to imbue his own suits with that extra edge, and that this variant could thus become Robert Downey Jr.’s Doom. This would also give Ironheart the chance to preemptively suggest just how big a threat Doom could be by showing the risks and challenges of harnessing these two powers at once in this way.

Ironheart’s Story Mirroring Doctor Doom’s Own Would Make Her Role As An Iron Man Successor Even Stronger

The MCU Could Enhance Two MCU Storylines At Once

The timing of Riri Williams’ MCU story means it essentially became impossible for the franchise to replicate the initial bond the character had with Iron Man in the comics – something that complicates the fact she’s arguably one of Iron Man’s most direct successors, even if he did more actively mentor Spider-Man in the franchise. This is something of a shame, as while Ironheart’s story doesn’t need to revolve around Tony Stark, their dynamic is an endearing one, and one that could have helped bring Riri’s story into the limelight in a big way.

However, the Doctor Doom theory opens up a different way for the MCU to potentially address this idea, both in terms of showing how Riri’s ideas explore territory that Tony Stark might have delved into had he been able to continue to work on his suits, and in terms of having Riri’s story parallel an Iron Man variant’s own in this next chapter of the franchise. Though it’s unlikely the MCU’s Doctor Doom story will center Ironheart, this would add some interesting dimension to both his and Williams’ stories, and provide a closer tie between the main MCU universe and whatever world Doom ends up being from.

In this sense, Ironheart also gets to act as Iron Man’s successor by deciding whether she can use the magical enhancements she appears to be seeking for her suits without any complications – a similar concept to Stark himself having to work out the right way to be Iron Man in the MCU, and how to balance his ability to produce incredible technological creations with his understanding of the dangers these exact same creations can pose to humanity. With these concepts in mind, it seems having the hero confront a prime example of this via a version of Doctor Doom who’s an Iron Man variant could certainly prove fruitful.