Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Doom May Be A Superior Iron Man - And That's Huge

With "Avengers: Doomsday's" release date marked in the calendars of Marvel fans around the world, all eyes and ears are on standby awaiting information on just how Robert Downey Jr.'s iteration of Doctor Doom will arrive when the actor returns to the MCU. As is compulsory with just about anything that comes with the Marvel Studios logo on the front of it, fans are already bursting at the seams with theories of just how that will happen, and one idea is linked to another that's already made a few laps around the MCU.

Marvel Comics' "Superior Iron Man" series debuted in 2014 following the publisher's "Axis" event. This version of Tony Stark ended up going down a dark path and gained a huge complex in the process, deeming himself a god. Eventually, Superior Iron Man's actions led to a final showdown with Captain America, killing both of them before reality was rebooted and the heroic Tony Stark returned.

In the lead-up to "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," one theory from fans that wouldn't die was that the film would include an appearance from this alternate Tony played by Tom Cruise. This didn't happen, but it would make sense for certain story details from "Superior Iron Man" to bleed into the MCU. RDJ's Doom might well be set up as the next big threat to face off with a team of all-new Avengers both in "Doomsday" and "Avengers: Secret Wars," but it's Marvel's first family that he could take issue with initially.

Doctor Doom might be the Avenger's next big-screen adversary, but in the comics, it's the Fantastic Four that Victor has the longest beef with. Rivaled by Reed Richards (played by Pedro Pascal in the upcoming film) and his family since his debut in 1962. Because of this history, introducing Downey's Doom in "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" wouldn't be the wildest of bets to make. Teasing the Latverian legend at the end of the film would be the equivalent of the smirk audiences saw from a certain mad Titan at the end of "The Avengers."

But having this particular Doctor Doom resemble the former savior of the MCU won't be something that will go unnoticed by Earth 616's Mightiest Heroes, or anyone else for that matter. With that in mind, it would actually be the most sensible development for him to tumble out of Reed's reality (along with him and his family) and into the one we're familiar with, to both explain and interlink one team of heroes with the other.

From here, Doom could still keep his name, but look to the previous accolades of his fallen doppelgänger and apply what he might deem as a "superior" approach to achieving his goals. Of course, it's a very big multiverse out there, and there's a chance that this Doom may well have been a man in an iron suit before — until a visit from another Doctor into his world tipped him over the edge.

What with the Ultron guards and hints of a Stark presence in the world of the Illuminati in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," a Superior Iron Man may well have dwelled in Earth-838's reality, and we just never saw him. As a result, it would be understandable if the Tony Stark from that world would be looking for payback, even skipping across realities to get it following the fallout of Scarlet Witch's (Elizabeth Olsen, who may or may not be returning) attack. By the time this happens, this Tony may no longer be the once great and silver-suited Iron Man, but a dark and twisted version of the one our universe adored. One that wears a long, green cape, is permanently encased in armor, and even takes a page from the comic book Doom and resorts to using magical means to fight Wanda Maximoff. 

These suggestions might sound wild, but is the alternative any better? Will Robert Downey Jr. really end up rocking a non-American accent as the Lord of Latveria, causing trouble for Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), and anyone else enlisted into the new Avengers? For now, we can only wait and see, knowing just one thing with certainty: Doom is on his way.