Summary

  • RDJ's casting as Doctor Doom could bring back the original Avengers with a dark twist.
  • Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars have the potential to be the best Avengers movies in the MCU.
  • Downey's Doctor Doom may lead the Multiversal Masters of Evil against the new Avengers.

Robert Downey Jr.'s casting as Doctor Doom provides the best Avengers movies the MCU has ever seen.

RDJ playing Doctor Doom is quite interesting. There are many ways that could play out, with Doom being a Tony Stark variant being one of them. While that would be a divisive decision that could make Avengers: Secret Wars' cast is expected to include several MCU heroes, multiverse stars, and the return of most of the original Avengers, if not all, I think I found a way for the OG Avengers to appear before then.

Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom at San Diego Comic-Con and Iron Man in Avengers Endgame
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Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom Casting Could Lead To The MCU's Masters Of Evil

The Team Could Bring Back The MCU's Original Avengers

Marvel had several exciting actors who could have ed the MCU as Victor von Doom, with RDJ's Oppenheimer co-star, Cillian Murphy, being the most popular choice among fans and someone I would have loved to see as the villain. However, the MCU went for Downey as Doom. While I understand the outside factors that could have led to that decision, I still very much think Marvel has thought of an intricate story for Doctor Doom to take over as the Multiverse Saga's main villain from Kang the Conqueror, and Downey's casting might hint at a multiverse team's debut.

As the MCU had previously established the Council of Kangs, Marvel could now be keeping some of those plans, with RDJ's Doctor Doom getting a team to fight the Avengers and other MCU heroes when he debuts. I believe that Downey's casting as Victor von Doom could be a sign that the MCU will introduce the Masters of Evil in Avengers: Doomsday. There have been multiple iterations of the team in Marvel Comics, but the one I think could connect to the shared universe is the Masters of Evil team that was put together by Doom Supreme.

As his name states, this version of Doctor Doom was the Sorcerer Supreme of his world.

Doom Supreme hails from Earth-22215, with the villain leading the Multiversal Masters of Evil. Mephisto, who is rumored to appear in Disney+'s Ironheart, approached Doom and suggested the villain should create his own team if he wanted to take on the Avengers. That led to Doom Supreme roaming the multiverse in search of deadly , which included variants of Thanos, Norman Osborn, Killmonger, Wolverine, and more. I think Downey's casting as Doctor Doom could be a play on the team, with the rest of the original MCU Avengers cast returning as evil variants of their heroes to destroy Earth-616.

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Doctor Doom from Marvel Comics, Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror, and Tom Hiddleston's Loki from the Loki season 2 finale
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How The MCU’s Original Avengers Could Return As The Masters Of Evil

The New Avengers Would Have Quite The Task

Like was the case with the Multiversal Masters of Evil in Marvel Comics, RDJ's Doctor Doom could be revealed to be the Sorcerer Supreme of his world. Interestingly, Doom is currently the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth-616 in the comics, which could be a case of synergy with the MCU's plans, carefully planned by Marvel. Downey's Doctor Doom would then find multiverse versions of the original Avengers that are none other than their evil comic book selves. With Chris Evans returning to the MCU in Deadpool & Wolverine, I think the actor would agree to play Hydra's Captain America.

That version of the character comes from Marvel's "Secret Empire" storyline, with the MCU using the event's biggest line, Cap's "Hail Hydra," in Avengers: Endgame. Mark Ruffalo could play the despot Maestro, a Hulk from a post-apocalyptic world. Jeremy Renner's evil Hawkeye could don his Ronin persona, serving as the team's elite assassin. Chris Hemsworth could play the Lord Thor from the comics, who was separated from his human-loving self by Odin and later conquered Earth and ruled it with an iron fist. Finally, Scarlett Johansson could return as a Black Widow who remains a member of the Red Room.

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Chris Evans' Captain America tired and jumping with his shield and Mjolnir in Avengers: Endgame
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I Think A Reported MCU Movie Has Turned Into Avengers: Doomsday

Marvel Has Been Considering Different Paths

One other element that makes me believe Marvel could be setting up the Multiversal Masters of Evil comes from a past MCU report. Before Jonathan Majors was fired from the MCU and the franchise seemingly chose to move on from Kang the Conqueror, there were talks about Marvel considering pivoting from Kang to Doctor Doom as the Multiverse Saga's main villain. As proven by RDJ's casting as Doctor Doom, those reports were correct, and that made me look at another major reveal that came at the time, which could connect to Marvel's plans for Doom.

In November 2023, an MCU report claimed Marvel was considering a new Avengers movie with the original cast. At the time, it was said the actors would return as their heroes, with Downey Jr.'s Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow resurrected for the film. I believe that idea has gone through several changes behind the scenes and could have evolved into what has become 2026's Avengers: Doomsday. The movie could then use the Masters of Evil to have all the original Avengers cast return as evil variants of their characters, setting up a major threat for the new Avengers.

Split image of Chris Evans as Captain America and Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk in the MCU
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I Believe The MCU Needs All The OG Avengers Together Again

Marvel Could Return To The Top Of Its Game

It is no secret that the Multiverse Saga has been the MCU's most controversial period. Many of the shared universe's recent releases have dealt with issues that include poor VFX, rushed stories, bizarre deaths, and more. While I enjoyed the movie, The Marvels has become the lowest-grossing MCU movie of all time, which means Marvel Studios needs to make some major changes to its plans to ensure the franchise does not have a similar poor box office performance again.

I think bringing back the original Avengers cast is the easiest and fastest way to get fans invested in the MCU again. While Robert Downey Jr. playing Doctor Doom is an unconventional move, it is also one that makes me confident Avengers: Doomsday will be an exciting film that is a major $2 billion contender. With a soft reboot of the MCU rumored to happen after Avengers: Secret Wars, the MCU also needs to have the original Avengers cast together at least one more time before it is too late, and the Masters of Evil allow that opportunity.

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