The obvious connection between Iron Man and Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday has more meaning than meets the eye

Avengers: Doomsday is the next chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo (marking their return after Endgame), while Stephen McFeely and Michael Waldron are the writers. It is set to release on May 1, 2026.

Ahead of its release, a theory has been doing the rounds on the internet which suggests a strong connection between its antagonist, Doctor Doom and Iron Man. Interestingly, both of them are played by Robert Downey Jr. The actor has been recast as the villain for the future phase of the MCU. So let us decipher the connection.

Iron Man and Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday might share a deeper connection

A theory around Avengers: Doomsday suggests that the superheroes might have been responsible for the creation of Doctor Doom. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the time travel angle was introduced through Avengers: Endgame. After Ant-Man told the team about how time travel works in the Quantum Realm, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner came together to make time travel possible. This was done to reverse the Thanos snap and has given birth to a theory around Doctor Doom's origin story.

Because Robert Downey Jr. is playing both Doom and Iron Man/Tony Stark in the MCU, the theory from Reddit suggests that Doctor Doom would be Tony but a variant from the Battle of New York sequence. This battle was revisited by the Avengers in Endgame during the time travel sequence.

The theory states that Iron Man from the past that Captain America visited could have looked into a lapse in the Avengers Tower security, seeing Captain America fight his younger self. He would slip into a sense of paranoia after finding out about Hydra getting inside S.H.I.E.L.D. and the birth of Ultron. As per the theory, he would continue to obsess over these new facts he had learned and turn himself into an obsessive being, the character of Doctor Doom. .

RDJ was introduced as Doctor Doom at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con. He previously played Tony Stark, who died in Avengers: Endgame, trying to stop Thanos. Avengers: Doomsday is produced by the Russos and Kevin Feige. The 39th MCU film is also the fifth entry in the Avengers series.

Avengers: Doomsday was originally going to feature Kang the Conqueror as the main villain, but the idea was scrapped after its actor got involved in legal cases. It will feature several actors reprising their superhero characters from the earlier films. The cast includes,