How Robert Downey Jr. Was Chosen To Play Doctor Doom

deadline.com:

The idea that Robert Downey Jr. should play one of Marvel’s ultimate bad guys predates his tenure as one of its ultimate good guys.

When Downey walked onstage dressed as Doctor Doom at San Diego Comic-Con last year it was a shocker to nearly everyone, in large part because he had already saved the Marvel Universe as Tony Stark.

But it seems the concept of Downey as bad guy Victor Von Doom goes way back to before the actor was ever cast as Iron Man’s alter ego. “I remember you had all met with [Downey] already for like Doctor Doom or something on another project,” director Jon Favreau said in a 2023 conversation with Marvel boss Kevin Feige. “I think he had come through on maybe [2005’s] Fantastic Four, so everybody sort of knew who he was.” While that part has long been known, Joe Russo — who is directing the next two Avengers movies with his brother Anthony — recently revealed who had the genius idea to bring Downey back — not as Stark but as the Fantastic Four villain: none other than Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige. “That was Kevin,” the younger Russo recently told the online outlet Omelete. “Interestingly enough about that, that conversation was had a while ago.” Victor Von Doom was ultimately portrayed in the 2005 film by Nip/Tuck star Julian McMahon and Downey went on to debut as Stark in 2008’s Iron Man, but Feige held onto the idea of casting Downey as Doom.

This time around, once Downey agreed, the actor tried to talk his Avengers: Endgame directors into getting the band back together for the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars and Avengers: Doomsday.