AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY Leak May Reveal Robert Downey Jr.’s Scarred Doctor Doom Face
It looks like we have our first look at the face hiding beneath Doctor Doom’s mask in Avengers: Doomsday, and if these images are legitimate, Robert Downey Jr. is going to look very different from Tony Stark when he steps into the MCU as Victor Von Doom.
Possible leaked images circulating online appear to show Downey’s unmasked Doom with extensive facial scarring. Of course, anything labeled an Avengers: Doomsday leak deserves some skepticism.
Fan creations and manipulated images have become incredibly convincing, and Marvel fans have been fooled before.
What makes these particular Doctor Doom images harder to dismiss is where they came from. They were reportedly part of the same batch of leaked character portraits that surfaced late last year, and those portraits were later confirmed to be legitimate. Several well-known scoopers and leakers have also claimed the Doom photos are real.
One of the images appears to show Victor following the death of his wife and child, though the context remains unconfirmed. His face is badly scarred, with a noticeable line running directly down its center. It’s unclear whether that detail has a practical explanation or if Marvel is using it visually to represent the two sides of Doom.
Either way, Downey certainly doesn’t look like Tony Stark here. As far as we know, Doom’s resemblance to Earth-616’s Tony Stark isn’t expected to play a role in Avengers: Doomsday.
Seven years have passed since Downey said goodbye to Tony in Avengers: Endgame, and the scarred appearance shown in these possible leaks creates plenty of visual distance between the characters.
Throw in the absence of Stark’s signature goatee and Doom has a very different presence, even with one of the MCU’s most recognizable actors underneath the mask. But, there’s obviously still a resemblance. I mean, it is Robert Downey Jr.
There’s still a major question hanging over these photos: Will audiences actually see Doom unmasked in the movie?
Reports have conflicted over how much, if any, of Doom’s face will be shown in Avengers: Doomsday and its follow-up, Avengers: Secret Wars. Marvel could keep him masked for most of his screen time, or the studio could be preparing to reveal the scars at a crucial point in the story.
Normally, it would be easy to toss a few questionable photos into the giant pile of Marvel rumors. Avengers: Doomsday, however, has had a serious leak problem, and a surprising amount of the material that has escaped into the wild has turned out to be genuine.
Fans have already seen behind-the-scenes material involving Doom, Steve Rogers and the Fantastic Four, along with imagery apparently showing the Multiverse’s Mightiest Heroes coming together to fight Doom’s Sentinels. Considering how much has surfaced, these new photos deserve at least a little attention.
Downey has also talked about the strange experience of returning to an Avengers movie as the person everyone else is supposed to be fighting. The actor recently explained:
"It was really weird being the guy — everyone else is hanging out, they’re the good heroes, and I’m [in] this mask and this hood. I’m like, 'They’re all on one side of the camera, and I guess they’re all mad at me or something. But I’ll say this: getting to know [Hayley Atwell] better, all of [mine and Chris Evans’] history, because you’re a legit dude."
Downey also teased an important relationship in the film, describing where the story takes it as something audiences probably won’t expect.
"Because you don’t say yes because you can; it has to feel right. And I think that in Doomsday, what happens with this key relationship is so exciting and unexpected and beautiful. I will say Doom, for now, because I got to really observe what I’ve been missing the whole time, just everybody else."
Marvel isn’t simply bringing its biggest star back and putting him in a green cloak. Everything we’ve seen and heard points toward an attempt to make Victor feel visually and emotionally separate from Tony Stark.
For now, keep the usual leak-sized grain of salt handy. We won’t know for certain what Doom looks like beneath the mask until Marvel decides to show us.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters December 18.