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On Saturday, it was announced at San Diego Comic-Con that Robert Downey Jr. will be playing Dr. Doom in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. The actor who played Tony Stark/Iron Man previously in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be tackling the big bad next. However, RDJ's casting as Doom may help explain what his role in Avengers: Secret Wars might be as well.
In the comics, Dr. Doom plays a major role in Secret Wars - both versions of the stories. From having a feud with the Beyonder to crafting a Battleworld himself after becoming God Emperor Doom, he is an essential part of the storyline. With the character finally set to make his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it certainly looks like the franchise has set the stage for the new big bad.
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Exploring what role Dr. Doom might play in Secret Wars
Secret Wars by Jim Shooter (1984)
In the original Secret Wars by Jim Shooter, the story saw several Marvel superheroes and villains brought to Battleworld thanks to the Beyonder, and Doom became the leader of the villain group. However, he was defeated and put into a cell. But he later escaped and used Klaw's body to create a device.
Dr. Doom quickly learned that it was Beyonder who was his true enemy. He drained Galactus' power through the device and attacked him. He would then lose this battle too, but just as Beyonder was about to dissect Victor, he activated a device in his chest that drained his power. Doom grew more powerful than ever, which led to the Beyonder almost dying.
Beyonder escaped at the last moment by using Klaw's body and cutting off access to Doom's newly gained powers. He then defeated Victor and vanished into thin air with Doom and Klaw's whereabouts being unknown as well.
Secret Wars by Jonathan Hickman (2015)
In the recent Secret Wars comic, the previous Ultimate universe clashed with the mainline 616 universe thanks to interdimensional incursions. This led to the heroes being dropped into Battleworld, a patchwork made out of many devastated dimensions. This put them into the direct path of Dr. Doom — to whom they should bend their knee or die.
In the comic, Dr. Doom acts as the big bad of the story, and it's an extremely personal conflict. It looks deep into his rivalry with Mr. Fantastic, aka Reed Richards, and is essentially the final boss of the story who helps shape this multiversal event as well.
How can Robert Downey Jr.'s Dr. Doom fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
With Robert Downey Jr. being cast as Dr. Doom, it seems like the MCU will be utilizing him as some sort of multiversal variant. We have seen in past movies that different actors can portray different characters thanks to the Marvel Multiverse. Recently, in Deadpool & Wolverine, Chris Evans reprised his role as the Human Torch after previously playing Captain America.
Another theory is that Robert Downey Jr.'s Doom will be part of the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps. With the film seemingly taking place in another universe, we can see the character first introduced there and make his way to the MCU.
For more updates on what goes on in the MCU, stay tuned with us.
