Robert Downey Jr. Nearly Played Doctor Doom Over A Decade Ago

By now you've probably heard that Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not as Iron Man, but as masked villain Doctor Doom. This is not the first time he's been tapped for the role, as he was considered to play the menacing physician before Iron Man even entered pre-production.

This information was first revealed a little over a year ago, when Marvel Studios released promotional material celebrating the first Iron Man movie's 15th anniversary. In a conversation between director Jon Favreau and producer Kevin Feige, Favreau recalled, "You had all met with him already for like Doctor Doom or something, on another project... so everybody sort of knew who he was." Feige apparently confirmed with a simple "right." Model and actor Julian McMahon played Doctor Doom in the original two Fantastic Four films, both released before Iron Man.

Robert Downey Jr. won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, as well as a Golden Globe and a BAFTA, for his portrayal of Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer. At San Diego Comic Con, Marvel announced the titles of the next two Avengers movies: Doomsday and Secret Wars. The Russo brothers, who directed two Captain America films, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, are also returning to direct the next two Avengers films.