The arrival of Doctor Doom is giving new meaning to one standout Iron Man line from the worst Avengers film thus far. After brilliantly playing Iron Man in the Infinity Saga, Avengers: Endgame gave the MCU’s inaugural hero a poetic ending, as he made the ultimate sacrifice to save Earth and defeat Thanos. While the legacy of Iron Man persists in the franchise in various ways, the 2019 film felt like Robert Downey Jr.’s permanent swan song from the universe.
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That was the case until it was announced that the actor was returning for Avengers: Doomsday. Instead of reprising his role as Stark, the same way that Chris Evans is coming back as Steve Rogers, Downey’s return will see him as the Multiverse Saga’s bad guy — Doctor Doom. Not much is known about the villain and the film in general, as marketing for Avengers: Doomsday has been focused on establishing its heroes. Regardless of the specifics, however, Doctor Doom’s arrival will reframe an 11-year Iron Man line from Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Iron Man Claimed He Saw Himself Killing The Avengers In Age of Ultron
2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron isn’t as beloved as its peers, but it laid the foundation for some of the Infinity Saga’s most important elements. For Stark, however, it really kick-started his paranoia about the threat brought by an unknown entity from space, which came to fruition with Thanos’ attack. Struggling to properly communicate with his teammates, his most earnest conversation in the film was with Nick Fury after the Ultron Program went awry. Stark talked about the Wanda Maximoff-induced nightmare vision, where he saw the rest of the Avengers dead, saying, “I’m the man who killed the Avengers.”
While Fury tried to convince him that he was carrying a burden that he didn’t even know to be true, Stark was clearly bothered by the idea of not doing enough to save his friends and Earth. It was what ultimately motivated him to move forward with the Ultron Program. At that time, this scene was interpreted as a way to tie Iron Man to the inevitable coming of Thanos, which eventually happened several years later. This vision became Stark’s north star even after Ultron was defeated.
Everything he did post-Avengers: Age of Ultron was in the hopes of preventing the tragedy that he saw. It was at the heart of his argument in Captain America: Civil War, and even when everyone left, he continued to work on keeping Earth safe, as confirmed in Avengers: Infinity War. Perhaps, the notion was even at the forefront of his mind when he decided to take on the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos and do the snap that claimed his life in Avengers: Endgame, not wanting to risk another Decimation, especially with Spider-Man’s return and Morgan’s existence.
Avengers: Doomsday Could Mean That Tony Stark Saw Doctor Doom And Not Him
Over a decade and a lot of changes in the MCU, however, the upcoming arrival of Doctor Doom brings new meaning to Stark’s chilling declaration in Avengers: Age of Ultron. With Downey’s casting of the villain, it’s a possibility that the person that Iron Man saw in his Wanda-created vision was not him, but Victor von Doom. Because of how secretive Kevin Feige and the Russos have been concerning the villain, there hasn’t been any proper look at him. The best tease that the public has had is through The Fantastic Four: First Steps post-credits scene. That said, even with Doctor Doom’s scarred face, Stark would have easily recognized it as it’s the same as his.
Marvel Studios was brilliant in the Infinity Saga when it came to tying smaller and seemingly inconsequential details to bigger narratives to make it seem like things were planned ahead of time. It can tap into this storytelling trick again in the Multiverse Saga by connecting Doctor Doom’s arrival to Stark’s Avengers: Age of Ultron vision. Revealing new details about what Iron Man really saw in that nightmare and having it be related to the threat that the villain poses to the MCU would add a layer of complexity to his history in the franchise. This is particularly vital as it would be helpful in terms of establishing the character this late in the process of setting up the culminating film.
Doctor Doom mostly wears his mask and armor in the comics. Marvel Studios might stick to the character’s look in the source material, but it’s difficult to imagine that they won’t show Downey’s face as the villain, even with its scarring, in the film. Doing so could help tie Doctor Doom to Stark’s Avengers: Age of Ultron vision. Marvel Studios found a way around it when he played Iron Man in the Infinity Saga; it’s safe to say that they can do it again for Avengers: Doomsday.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, 2026.
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