Kevin Feige Explains If Doom is a Tony Stark Variant in 'Avengers: Doomsday'

Many Marvel fans have been questioning whether Doctor Doom is, in fact, a variant of Tony Stark because of Robert Downey Jr playing both characters in the same timeline. Now, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has definitively clarified the doubt: Victor Von Doom has no connection to the former Iron Man.

In an interview with Empire magazine, the executive was direct in comparing the situation to Chris Evans' case in the franchise: "Is Steve Rogers a variant of Johnny Storm?" , he questioned, referring to the actor having played Human Torch before taking on the role of Captain America.

Feige also commented on the suspicion that casting Downey Jr. was merely a ploy to bring Tony Stark back to the franchise. ““People wondered, ‘Is Doom just a variant of another character? Is this just a shortcut to bringing back another character?’ The answer is no. He’s Victor Von Doom", he stated.

Everything you need to know about Avengers: Doomsday

The villain of the fifth Avengers movie will be Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr., the actor who portrayed the legendary Iron Man in the MCU's Infinity Saga and now takes on the role of the antagonist. Avengers: Doomsday will be directed by brothers Anthony and Joe Russo (Endgame), with a script by Michael Waldron (Loki) and Stephen McFreely (Endgame).

Marvel has already confirmed the main cast members for the new film, in one of the biggest MCU star reunions ever assembled. Returning from previous Avengers films are: Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Winston Duke as M'Baku, and Letitia Wright as Shuri/Black Panther.

Among characters introduced after Avengers: Endgame — in phases 4 and 5 of the MCU — we have Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, Danny Ramirez as Falcon, the entire new Fantastic Four (Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the Thing), almost the entire cast of Thunderbolts* (Florence Pugh as Yelena, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Hanah John-Kamen as Ghost, and Lewis Pullman as Bob, the Sentry), and Tenoch Huerta as Namor.

The film also features the return of the classic X-Men from the old Fox movies, including Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Ian McKellen as Magneto, James Marsden as Cyclops, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, Kelsey Grammer as Beast, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, and, introduced in Deadpool & Wolverine, Channing Tatum as Gambit.

Avengers: Doomsday opens on December 18, 2026.