Kevin Feige Confirms Marvel Planned Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom Long Before ANT-MAN 3
As The Fantastic Four: FIrst Steps hits theaters this weekend, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is talking about some major behind-the-scenes moves that reshaped the future of the MCU.
One of the biggest revelations is that Marvel had already started laying the groundwork for Robert Downey Jr. to return as Doctor Doom, and these discussions began well before Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was released and underperformed at the box office, and long before Jonathan Majors’ legal troubles.
Feige said at a recent press event:
“We had started even before what had happened to the actor happened, we had started to realize that Kang wasn't big enough, wasn't Thanos.”
Majors, who played Kang in Quantumania, was originally set up as the MCU’s next major villain. Avengers 5 was even titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. But after Majors was found guilty of reckless assault in the third degree and harassment, Marvel dropped the actor and restructured its plans, retitling the film Avengers: Doomsday.
Feige revealed that the pivot away from Kang was already in motion before Majors’ conviction, and even before Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania became one of Marvel’s rare films to miss the $500 million mark.
According to Feige, there was only one true contender to take Kang’s place:
“There was only one character that could be like Thanos because he was that in the comics for decades and decades. Because of the Fox acquisition, we finally had it, and it was Doctor Doom.
“So we had started talking about Doctor Doom even before we officially pivoted from Kang. And in fact, I had started talking with Robert [Downey Jr.] about this audacious idea before Ant-Man 3 even came out. It was a long plan that we had, to take one of our greatest characters and utilize one of our greatest actors.”
Downey Jr.’s shocking return to the MCU as Doctor Doom was officially revealed at the 2024 Comic-Con, confirming he will headline as the primary villain in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
While fans are eager for Doom’s arrival, director Matt Shakman has stated the character won’t appear in Fantastic Four. Still, Marvel has a history of surprise teases, so keep an eye on those post-credit scenes.
What do you think about Robert Downey Jr. stepping into the armor of Doom? Are you ready for this crazy new chapter of the MCU?
VIa: THR