James Gunn Reacts to Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom Casting

With James Gunn rebuilding the DC Universe, a major counterpart to the MCU, one might think that there would be a rivalry brewing especially after Gunn’s involvement with Marvel Studios. In a recent interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Gunn was asked about Marvel’s bombshell news from the summer that Robert Downey Jr would return to the MCU, this time playing Victor Von Doom rather than Tony Stark, and Gunn revealed he’s actually pretty excited about the idea. It’s perhaps surprising that Gunn sees it this way, since it could be seen as a threat to the DCU as Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps – which is expected to introduce Downey as the major villain – will both be in theaters in the summer of 2025.

“I thought it was a smart move. I was excited about it. And I also love Robert, so I think that’s cool. I think it’s a great idea. I think there’s nobody better than him,” Gunn said. This also isn’t the first time Gunn has talked about Downey and his talent in the MCU. When Gunn was leading the production of Guardians of the Galaxy, he mentioned that the casting of Chris Pratt as Star-Lord was influenced by Tony Stark. In an interview with Movie Guide, he revealed that in the midst of casting the lead role for Guardians he wanted someone who would “embody this character and take it beyond what was on the page, the same way Robert Downey Jr. did with Iron Man.”

[RELATED: Avengers 5: Jonathan Majors “Heartbroken” Over Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom Replacing Kang]

Downey previously revealed that the suggestion to return as Doctor Doom came from Kevin Feige. The casting was not only a well thought-out move in terms of the audience but perhaps a new way of exploring a character variants in the MCU. When the Multiverse officially opened up in the Loki Disney+ series, the MCU quickly took advantage of it to explore various characters and variants. This was previously done successfully in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool & Wolverine. However, comic book fans know that Tony Stark was introduced as a variant of Doctor Doom in one timeline.

It has been theorized by some fans that Downey Jr’s Doom could be a Tony Stark variant, The Russo Brothers were clear to introduce him as “Victor Von Doom” at this summer’s San Diego Comic-Con, seemingly ruling out any possibility of a connection between the two.

James Gunn had already revealed that he doesn’t believe in a rivalry between DC Studios and Marvel Studios, but next summer will be the real tell. 2025’s Superman will mark the beginning of the new DCU, with Nicholas Hoult playing Lex Luthor. With Luthor debuting on July 11 in Superman and Doom rumor to make his first appearance in The Fantastic Four: First Steps on July 25, comparisons are bound to be made not only between the films, but their big bags, especially if the pair are starting an extended run as their characters.