Robert Downey Jr. was on the verge of playing Doctor Doom in that other Marvel movie

The news of Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe caused an earthquake of emotions among fans. They have developed all kinds of theories about his return, no longer as Iron Man, but as Doctor Doom, one of the most iconic villains of the House of Ideas. This controversial casting decision is not the first time the actor has been close to the iconic Fantastic 4 villain, as he auditioned for the role in the 2005 film.

Robert Downey Jr. almost played Doctor Doom in 2005′s Fantastic 4

This information comes from Jon Favreau himself, director of several MCU films including the first ‘Iron Man’ (2008), and who also plays Harold “Happy” Hogan, Tony Stark’s confidant. In the book ‘The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’, the filmmaker and actor reveals this fact. It also came to light again in a 2023 video where Favreau talks about Marvel Studios productions with Kevin Feige, the company’s executive.

According to Favreau, Marvel had already met with Robert Downey Jr. before “Iron Man” (2008) for “Fantastic 4″ (2005), but for some unspecified reason he did not get the role of Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom, which eventually went to Julian McMahon, best known for his appearances on ‘Charmed’ and ‘Nip/Tuck’.

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This movie has nothing to do with the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it, as it was conceived by 20th Century Fox, which owned the rights to the characters before they returned to Marvel Studios following Disney’s purchase of Fox, which took effect in 2019.

Ultimately, Downey Jr. not getting the role was a positive for him and for Marvel Studios, because in 2008 he would star in ‘Iron Man,’ the cornerstone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His huge success guaranteed the birth of this universe of interconnected films and series, and the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man would later become the role with which the actor is most associated.