Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Fantastic Four: First Steps

The MCU has finally confirmed the character design for one of the franchise’s most anticipated characters, Doctor Doom, in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. This is more than one year ahead of Doctor Doom starring in Avengers: Doomsday as the Multiverse Saga’s arch-villain, and a whole decade since Doctor Doom was adapted into a live-action movie in 2015’s Fantastic Four​​​​​.

Due to that portrayal being so widely criticized, the pressure is now on for the MCU to do the iconic Marvel villain justice. Thankfully, the prognosis looks positive following the widely celebrated The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which handled Doctor Doom’s traditional arch-rivals particularly well, suggesting that a comics-accurate Doom is also on the cards.

Nevertheless, the decision to cast Robert Downey Jr. in the role has been met with some trepidation. The legendary MCU actor is so inexorably tied to Iron Man that it has stoked fears that Doom’s unique origin and characterization will be sidelined. Thankfully, one of the earliest looks at RDJ’s Doom shows that he’s currently on the right track.

Everything Marvel Revealed About The MCU’s Doctor Doom Design

As expected, The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ post-credits scene debuted the MCU’s Doctor Doom. Four years after the events of the main movie, for which Doom was entirely absent, Sue Storm encounters the arch-villain kneeling before her young son, Franklin, with his face obscured and his mask in his hand.

The fact that it is clear who is being depicted is a good sign. Although the scene entirely obscures Doctor Doom’s face, it does so with the use of his iconic green cloak and hood, which seems fairly unembellished from behind. Doom also holds his iconic mask in his hand, which notably doesn’t seem to resemble Iron Man’s helmet design.

Nevertheless, the appearance hasn’t come without some concerns. The fact that Doctor Doom’s first-ever scene in the MCU has him remove his mask might telegraph Marvel Studios’ intentions to capitalize on RDJ’s star power at the expense of Doom’s typical obsession with keeping his mask on. Still, without this being outright confirmed, Doom’s appearance is positive overall.

How The MCU’s Doctor Doom Design Compares To Past Movies

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the fourth time that Doctor Doom has been adapted into live-action – that is, at least, in a movie that has been officially released. Doctor Doom was also a central player in 2005’s Fantastic Four and its sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and 2015’s Fantastic Four.

The most visually accurate Doctor Doom appeared in 2005’s Fantastic Four​​​​​. Julian McMahon’s take on the character might have played fast and loose with his origins, but his green cloak and silver mask look to be taken straight from his classic comic book design. From what little has been seen of RDJ’s Doom, he resembles this iteration most closely.

Doom sports a much darker cloak in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, though he at least dons a comics-accurate breastplate as that movie’s secondary villain. Unfortunately, Doom’s position in The Fantastic Four: First Steps doesn’t reveal whether RDJ’s Doom also wears armor.

What is clear, however, is that The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ Doctor Doom does not follow the example of Toby Kebbell’s iteration in 2015’s Fantastic Four. This rendition of Doctor Doom relinquished armor in favor of a metallic skin and mostly lacked the typical green cloak, which didn’t land particularly well with fans.