I’m in the minority of fans who was NOT excited RDJ was coming back to play Doom.

And the more I’ve thought about it, the more I think fans will feel it was stunt casting and not necessarily the best choice.

RDJ is a great actor and he’s great in the MCU. But most of the multiversal twists and alternate versions of characters have been a let down so far - and I don’t see why this will ultimately be much different.

The best characters (and especially villains) in the MCU have been developed over multiple movies by actors who became iconic in the roles. I don’t see how RDJ can do that in this particular universe - given how central Tony was to the audience, story, and characters (including the most badass/emotional moment of Endgame).

I think it might work if they come up with a legit reason/explanation for why it had to be RDJ playing Doom. Like maybe if that rumor about him posing as a Tony Stark variant to earn the trust of the other heroes pans out, this could be kinda cool.

If it was up to me, I would have cast a different actor in the part. The RDJ comeback reeks of "we know we've sucked the last couple of years. Please get excited again." But I'm trying to have an open mind. Once we see him in a trailer we might have a better idea of how this is going to work

I'm not entirely sure about RDJ being cast as Doom either. I wonder what the backstory will be. Is he a Tony Stark variant? Will he just be RDJ in this film? I feel like he won't be the true MCU Doctor Doom and they will eventually have to recast him to find someone who will play the role for years. However, I think his performance will be great because he's a great actor, I just don't feel that it was the best choice long-term. It's almost like they wanted to cash in on RDJ one more time before passing the torch to another actor and I just hope it doesn't backfire because Doctor Doom is a major player in so many of these stories.

I do feel like this was stunt casting to revive interest in the MCU that people knew and loved, but idk maybe they’ll have a relevant reason that makes plot sense for him to be there

On 2/15/2026 at 4:44 PM, kristyne said:

I do feel like this was stunt casting to revive interest in the MCU that people knew and loved, but idk maybe they’ll have a relevant reason that makes plot sense for him to be there

Yeah I'm with kristyne.

I have no doubt it will be at least compelling, but I can't help but think it was a desperation heave and may not be good for Doom as a character in the long run.

On 2/15/2026 at 8:43 AM, ChrisA90 said:

I think it might work if they come up with a legit reason/explanation for why it had to be RDJ playing Doom. Like maybe if that rumor about him posing as a Tony Stark variant to earn the trust of the other heroes pans out, this could be kinda cool.

If it was up to me, I would have cast a different actor in the part. The RDJ comeback reeks of "we know we've sucked the last couple of years. Please get excited again." But I'm trying to have an open mind. Once we see him in a trailer we might have a better idea of how this is going to work

I think him either posing as a Tony Stark variant or actually being a Tony Stark variant is about the only way they can play it off. I'm assuming they will likely recast Doctor Doom after this "jumpstart."

On 2/15/2026 at 3:44 PM, kristyne said:

I do feel like this was stunt casting to revive interest in the MCU that people knew and loved, but idk maybe they’ll have a relevant reason that makes plot sense for him to be there

As long as they don't go with the "long-lost twin" angle lol

I think it's already disappointing, in that the casting/announcement was obviously so desperate. And I think it might be disappointing if we don't get another Doom in the future of the MCU. In terms of Doomsday/Secret Wars, I think my bigger concerns are how much it's just gonna be Nostalgia: The Movie than the RDJ element specifically - he's a great actor so I don't really doubt he'll give a good performance. And honestly, I'd rather they didn't overexplain his casting with some Doom-is-Stark or Stark-was-Doom shite, I don't need it, just give me a compelling character.

I have nothing new to add. Downey Jt. is a competent performer who'll do something interesting with the role (I hope), but this is a stunt, and it will absolutely suck if this turns out to be THE Doctor Doom of the MCU. They already ruined so many great villains (Malekith is unforgivable!). I wish they did better with Doom.

I’m going with a wait and see approach with this. If they keep him in costume, (don’t show his face), and have be the true MCU Doom, it might turn out right. If they’re going to go, the “Tony is a Doom variant”, for shock value, and ticket sales, then it’s probably be disappointing.

I think we're pre-disappointed because it's such an obvious break glass in case of emergency play rather than be a payoff to a much bigger plan or tease, and that's going to color how we feel about it when we see in action. We're just so defeated by the MCU at this point that the thought of RDJ Doom seems so wack instead of being cool