Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom Origin Story Is Revealed By Thunderbolts* The Void In Major Avengers: Doomsday Theory

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Thunderbolts*.Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom will debut in Avengers: Doomsday, and I’m convinced the perfect way to show his origin story is through a Thunderbolts* connection. With no Avengers movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, I have disliked how the Multiverse Saga has largely felt directionless. Thankfully, Marvel’s 2025 movies are all changing that, with the films directly setting up the events of Avengers: Doomsday and 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars, which is exciting.

Captain America: Brave New World set up Sam Wilson’s Avengers team. Then came Thunderbolts*, which revealed the characters are now the MCU’s New Avengers and showed the Fantastic Four’s arrival in the main MCU universe. The Fantastic Four: First Steps will explain how their ship came to the franchise’s main universe and what Marvel’s First Family has been up to. While that film could include a surprise Doctor Doom cameo, he will be the main player in Avengers: Doomsday‘s cast, and it’s there where we should see his origin story, and I think Thunderbolts* offers the way to do so.

The Russo Brothers Have Claimed Victor Von Doom Is The Hero Of His Own Story

The Directors Already Did The Same With Thanos In The Last Two Avengers Movies

When Robert Downey Jr. was announced to be playing the MCU’s Doctor Doom, I immediately turned my thoughts to how Marvel could be using such a prominent MCU star in a key new role. Theories about how Downey’s Iron Man could have been a Doctor Doom variant and vice versa have been floating around since the announcement. What is known for sure is that Downey’s character will be Victor von Doom, not Tony Stark, under Doctor Doom’s mask.

I’m excited that Marvel Studios brought back the Russo Brothers for the next two Avengers movies, as their work in Infinity War and Endgame speaks for itself. They delivered perhaps the most complex villain in the franchise in the form of Josh Brolin’s Thanos. I was glad to know that, like the Mad тιтan, who wanted to bring balance to the universe even if it meant killing half of it, Doctor Doom will also believe he is the hero of his story. Speaking with Omelete, the Russo Brothers explained why Doctor Doom was interesting. Check out the full quote below:

“We love villains who think they are the heroes of their own stories…that’s when they become three-dimensional and when they become more interesting.

When you have an actor like Robert Downey, you have to create a well-shaped, three-dimensional character for the audience.”

Lewis Pullman’s The Void Can Lead To Doctor Doom’s Origin Story

Thunderbolts* Showed How Sentry’s Dark Side Can Show People Their Past

Thunderbolts* brought back many stars from past MCU movies and TV shows, like Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes and Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova. However, the film also introduced a new character to the franchise who has easily become one of the MCU’s most powerful heroes. Lewis Pullman’s Bob easily took on all the New Avengers in his Sentry form. The Superman-like character is extremely powerful, and his dark persona, the Void, preys on people’s traumas, showing them their darkest moments.

Sentry, like the rest of Thunderbolts*‘s New Avengers, is confirmed to return in Avengers: Doomsday. Based on how powerful the character is, I believe that Pullman’s Sentry will come face-to-face with Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. If he is anything like the comics, the MCU’s Victor von Doom will be a master manipulator, and I’m convinced he can bring out the Void to use it as a weapon. That would open the door for Doom himself to be affected, with Avengers: Doomsday having the perfect way to explore Doctor Doom’s origin story through the Void’s trauma rooms.

Why Showing The Origin Story Of Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom Would Help Avengers: Doomsday

Victor Von Doom’s Origin Story Could Tie Into The Russo Brothers’ Comments

The MCU’s Multiverse Saga was originally going to make Kang the Conqueror its main villain. However, Jonathan Majors’ firing led to plans for Kang and his variants being scrapped. As such, Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom will debut without any major build-up to him, unlike Thanos before his Avengers movies. Due to that, I feel like Avengers: Doomsday needs to delve into the character’s origin story and make it compelling so that the audience sees what makes him tick.

Every MCU Avengers Movie
Movie	Release Date
The Avengers	2012
Avengers: Age of Ultron	2015
Avengers: Infinity War	2018
Avengers: Endgame	2019
Avengers: Doomsday	2026
Avengers: Secret Wars	2027

Casting Downey as Doctor Doom was already a great step towards making fans empathize with the MCU villain in a way. In Thunderbolts*, the trauma rooms and visions we saw the Void show the heroes helped make them more relatable and easier to root for. That is why I think using the Void to show Doctor Doom’s origin story in Avengers: Doomsday would be perfect. It gets exposition out of the way, adds layers to the character, and allows Doctor Doom to take center stage, becoming the hero of his story, as the Russos mentioned, which makes Avengers: Doomsday better.