Marvel Desperately Needs to Adapt This Comic Book Storyline That’ll See Robert Downey Jr. Become a Hero Once Again But Not As Iron Man
- As Robert Downey Jr. is returning as Doctor Doom, there’s speculation about how he could overshadow his legacy as Iron Man.
- In an alternate comic storyline, Doctor Doom becomes a hero by following Reed Richards' warnings.
- The multiverse allows the possibility of a version of Doctor Doom who is actually Tony Stark from another Earth.
As the Marvel Cinematic Universe inches closer to the end of its multiverse saga, the need for a threat that will require all superheroes to unite is more than ever. After the cancellation of the Kang Dynasty storyline, the studio went for a safe and nostalgic route and brought back Robert Downey Jr.
But as Downey will be returning as the villainous Doctor Doom with the same face, there is a group of fans who still doubt if he can overshadow such a strong legacy of Iron Man. And there is still a chance to see him back as a hero if Marvel decides to follow one particular storyline.
How Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom Can Become a Hero
In the origin story of Doctor Doom, Victor Von Doom was a citizen of Latveria, and his mother was a witch and his father a herbalist. His quest for knowledge, magic, and power started after his mother was killed because of Mephisto, and his father died trying to save her.
He then went to America, where he found a way to connect to hell to bring back his mother’s soul from Mephisto. There he met Reed Richards, who tried to warn him about the flaws of his process to open a portal to the netherworld. But due to his egoistic nature, he ignored him and ended up in an explosion that damaged his face.
This became the reason behind his iconic armored look and the villain arc. But there is an alternate storyline that made him a hero. In the What If Dr. Doom Had Become a Hero? comic book storyline, Doom actually listened to Richard’s warnings, and his face didn’t get damaged.
He then went to the monks, and they made him a golden armor. This time Doom was not bitter against humanity or Richards. He finally found a ritual and successfully saved his mother’s soul from hell. He then went to Latveria, where he brought down the evil Baron Rudolfo and became the ruler.
The nation prospered under his rule, and Doom married his childhood love Valeria. But as they say, good times don’t last forever, Mephisto returned as he didn’t like seeing Doom’s mother alive. He threatened Doom to make a choice between losing the lives of all Latverians, himself, and his wife.
Since self-obsession and ego had always been a part of Doom’s character, he believed giving his own life would make the world suffer more. So he let Mephisto take Valeria’s life instead. However, he still couldn’t accept the loss and tried to bring her back every year when there came an opportunity. But he failed over and over.
In this storyline, Doctor Doom’s act of prosperity and heroism is acknowledged around the world, although he struggles with his personal life. Although this story might not fit well with the current vision for Robert Downey Jr.‘s Doom, it can be used in What If… Season 3 to redeem him as a hero once again.
What Storyline Could Be Used for Bringing Iron Man as Doctor Doom
Since the MCU is now all multiversal, there are endless possibilities, and there might be a possibility that there are Doctor Dooms who are actually Tony Starks. This had already happened in comics.
In Marvel Team-Up #22 storyline, Earth-5012’s Stark believed Reed Richards was a psychopath. His earth was almost destroyed in a war with Titannus, a Skrull without shapeshifting abilities. Titannus put himself in the Super-Skrull program, where he gained superhuman abilities and caused havoc on Earth.
Stark even went one-on-one against Human Torch, who burned his face. Stark managed to kill him, but Richards banished him into the multiverse. After that, Earth-5012’s stark appeared on Earth-616, where he looked for Richards to take his revenge.
He appeared in the Baxter Building, where the Fantastic Four confused him with Doctor Doom, thanks to his appearance and armor. This might serve as a plot to introduce Downey as Doom being Tony Stark’s lookalike.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set in a retro-futuristic alternate universe. Galactus is going to feature in it, and he might play the role of Titannus in that world, and Downey could possibly be that world’s Iron Man who becomes Doctor Doom once he gets to the main MCU reality.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be released on July 25, 2025.
