Previous Fantastic Four Doctor Doom Actor Addresses Robert Downey Jr. Casting

Former Doctor Doom actor Julian McMahon, who portrayed the character in the two Fantastic Four films released in the mid-2000s, shares his thoughts on Robert Downey Jr. playing the villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While promoting his film The Surfer at the 2025 SXSW Festival, the actor spoke with Screen Rant and was asked about his time in the Marvel universe. Not only did McMahon have high praise for Downey, he also took the time to reflect on his Fantastic Four movies, which were made during a time when modern comic book adaptations were still trying to find their footing.

“It’s Robert, you know what I mean? What are you going to say? His body of work speaks for itself. He’s a super talented guy. I love watching his work,” McMahon said. “When we did the movies years ago, we were at the [precipice] of all that stuff happening. So, we were finding our way a lot, and we were trying to figure out what space the movie itself lived in. Was it a kid’s movie? Was it a family movie? Was it more comedy-driven, or was it more trauma-driven? We were trying to find all that stuff as we were shooting.“

McMahon continued, “I think now that there’s so many different realms of establishment of the way that you look at those pieces, you can pretty much do so many different things now. If you’ve got Robert Downey Jr, who’s one of the great creatives of the last however many years we’ve been watching him for, mixed with the elements of how we can make movies these days? I think it’s going to be pretty extraordinary.”

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After playing Iron Man throughout the MCU’s Infinity Saga, Downey’s surprise return to the franchise was announced during San Diego Comic-Con 2024. His Doom is set to be the main antagonist in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, replacing Kang the Conqueror as the Multiverse Saga’s big bad. Downey is heavily involved with the development of Doctor Doom, as he’s ironing out a backstory for the character prior to shooting.

The Fantastic Four films co-starring McMahon were not well-received; both installments were widely panned, which led to a reboot released in 2015. The property has been rebooted yet again, this time with a film set within the MCU. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is scheduled to release this July. It’s been rumored that Downey’s Doctor Doom could appear in a post-credits scene.

An Oscar-winning actor, Downey certainly has the talent and range to portray an intimidating and powerful villain in the Marvel universe. It’ll be exciting to see how he tackles this role, but it will also be fascinating to see how Marvel addresses Downey’s return as a different character. There have been actors who played multiple MCU roles in the past, but arguably none of those instances were on the scale of Downey, who was the franchise’s poster boy for over a decade. Bringing back such a prominent figure to play the villain was a shock to many, as fans are curious about how Marvel pulls this off.

It is a bit of a gamble to have Downey play Doom, but it’s one that could pay off in spades if handled properly. While the Russo brothers have had their fair share of ups and downs post-Endgame, their Infinity Saga installments illustrated a keen ability to juggle numerous storylines and characters in a satisfying way. More than anyone, they understand the magnitude of Downey’s return, and their goal is to challenge audiences with Doomsday‘s plot. That approach, combined with Downey’s natural ability, should ensure Doom will be a memorable presence in the two Avengers films.

Are you excited about Downey’s Doctor Doom? Let us know in the comments!