Robert Downey Jr. will soon switch from hero to villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he has not lost sight of his time playing Iron Man’s Tony Stark. Marvel fans were shocked when Downey was announced to be returning to play Doctor Doom after previously having finished his time in the MCU with 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Currently slated to appear in both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, rumors also suggest that Downey’s new Marvel character may be making his post-credit scene debut in this year’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Speaking during a panel at this year’s SXSW at which Screen Rant was in attendance, Downey reflected on his time playing Tony Stark. Suggesting that he is grateful for being ᴀssociated with Iron Man’s legacy, the Marvel star said that Stark’s ethos of using technology to impact the world for good will stick with him for the rest of his life. Check out his comments below:

17 years I’ve been ᴀssociated with this iconic superhero… It’s the message he represents that I’m grateful for. Tony Stark opened my eyes wider to the power technology has to impact the world for good, and that’s something I’ll carry for the rest of my life.

What Robert Downey Jr.’s Comments Mean For His New MCU Role

It Will Be Hard To Separate RDJ’s New Role From His Old One

Ever since the release of 2008’s Iron Man, the ambitious cinematic experiment that has evolved into the modern-day MCU owes much of its success to Downey’s pitch-perfect casting as Tony Stark. Effectively taking one of Marvel’s lesser-known characters and turning him into one of the most recognizable superheroes in the modern pop culture landscape, the MCU’s Iron Man was the undisputed backbone of the franchise’s Infinity Saga films.

Though many fans are ecstatic about seeing Downey return to the franchise he helped to shape from its earliest entries, there are several questions about how closely connected his version of Doctor Doom will be to his previous character. While countless theories abound at this stage, many of which suggest that the MCU’s Victor Von Doom will be a multiversal Tony Stark variant, ᴀssumptions like these amount to little more than unfounded speculation.

While Downey’s most recent comments do not offer much in the way of concrete details, they do highlight the fact that, much like the actor himself, audiences will not easily forget his time as Tony Stark. While it is still possible that the MCU’s Doctor Doom may not have any explicit connection to Downey’s former character, viewers will still know exactly who is under the mask and will be eagerly looking for potential connections regardless.

Our Take On What Iron Man’s Legacy Means For Doctor Doom

There Is Already A Strong Thematic Link Between The Two

Regardless of whatever connection that the MCU’s Doctor Doom has with the sacred timeline’s Tony Stark, Downey’s comments also suggest that the two characters will still share a strong thematic link. Frequently considered to be Stark’s intellectual superior, Von Doom’s own affinity for technology can offer the Russo brothers a unique opportunity to establish the character as a dark reflection of the hero who first launched the franchise. Tony Stark variant or not, it will be Doom’s use of technology for more nefarious purposes that will be the strongest link between the two.

Marvel Cinematic Universe

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.

Created by

Kevin Feige

First Film

Iron Man

Upcoming Films

ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, Blade (2025), The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Avengers: Doomsday (2026), Avengers: Secret Wars

First TV Show

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Upcoming TV Shows

Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Ironheart, Daredevil: Born Again, Wakanda, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Marvel Zombies, Wonder Man, Vision Quest

Cast

Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Simu Liu, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Barry Keoghan, Gemma Chan, Ma Dong-seok, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Jonathan Majors

TV Show(s)

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Inhumans, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If…?, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Secret Invasion, Marvel’s Echo

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