Robert Downey Jr. breaks down Doctor Doom’s parallels to Tony Stark in “Avengers: Doomsday” (exclusive)

Nick RomanoSun, July 26, 2026 at 4:18 AM UTC

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Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’Credit: Marvel Entertainment/YoutubeKey Points -

Robert Downey Jr. is opening up about the parallels between his portrayals of the villainous Doctor Doom and the heroic Tony Stark/Iron Man.

“Tony had the trauma that turned him into a hero, and Doom’s got the exact opposite,” the Avengers: Doomsday star said at Comic-Con.

The star-studded Doomsday hits theaters in December.

If there’s a narrative reason for why the new big bad Marvel villain Doctor Doom looks like the late Tony Stark/Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. isn’t telling. But the veteran actor, returning as the eponymous supervillain of this year’s Avengers: Doomsday, does see some striking similarities between the two characters.

Following the raucous Marvel Studios Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday night, the stars of the next big event film stopped by Entertainment Weekly’s photo and video suite to talk about some of the big developments.

When it comes to Tony and Doom, “There’s the science thing, and they’re considered pretty brilliant guys,” Downey tells EW. “But Tony had the trauma that turned him into a hero and Doom’s got the exact opposite, to where it takes the prowess of all of these folks to go up against him, and it was a joy to behold.”

The footage shown in the room at Hall H revealed that Doom hails from the Fantastic Four’s universe. Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby) talks about how she knew him and how the loss of his family — an unnamed mother and child — turned him into a broken person. “All of you have lived stolen lives,” Doom tells the heroes in the footage. “You refuse to give them back.”

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in ‘Avengers: Endgame’Credit: Marvel Entertainment

“It was really weird to be on the other side of the bad-guy mask because it’s such an isolated vibe,” Downey reflects. “I’m seeing them all socializing and stuff — and I am the enemy!”

Downey was joined by Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, Paul Rudd, Anthony Mackie, David Harbour, Letitia Wright, Lewis Pullman, Kelsey Grammer, and Rebecca Romijn. Additional guests came out for the Marvel panel hosted by studio head Kevin Feige, including Simu Liu, James Marsden, Danny Ramirez, Winston Duke, Hannah John-Kamen, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, and Hayley Atwell.

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Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Doomsday follows heroes from three distinct universes — the main reality of the Avengers, plus the home worlds of the Fantastic Four and X-Men — as they’re set on a deadly collision course and “face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered,” according to an official description.

“It was almost like going back to 2011 on the first Avengers, because at the beginning of that, you’re kind of the new kid on the block and you’re excited to even be there,” Evans reflects. “And I would find myself during that movie, watching. You’re in the scene, but then you’re just like, ‘Robert Downey Jr. is playing Tony Stark! F‑‑‑, I have a line.’ And on this one, I felt that a little bit again, just watching you do this thing that I couldn’t wait to see.”

With reporting from Gerrad Hall.

Check out more of EW’s coverage from San Diego Comic-Con 2026.

on Entertainment Weekly

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