The Russo Brothers say RDJ’s Doctor Doom is a villain who thinks he’s a hero—fans mock, “Said literally 99% of villains ever”

Ever since The Russo Brothers teased Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom for the upcoming film Avengers: Doomsday, fans have been crafting theories about how it’s possible. For the unversed, RDJ famously portrayed the role of Tony Stark aka Iron Man in the MCU until Avengers: Endgame.

In conversation with Omelette, The Russo Brothers spilled tea on a lot of things, including Doctor Doom's appearance, which was the brainchild of Marvel chief Kevin Feige. However, it wasn't until Steve McFeely devised a plan of execution that the idea was approved.

According to Joe Russo:

"The one thing I will say about the movie is this: we love villains who think they're the heroes of their own stories".

"That's when they become three-dimensional and when they become more interesting. And when you have an actor like Robert Downey, you have to create a well-shaped three-dimensional character for the audience."

One would expect all these advanced discussions will get the internet excited about the new movie. However, fans are still occupied analyzing every potential thing that might go wrong.

Users are not buying the villain who believes he is a hero because that is what every villain essentially is, and there is nothing innovative in it. In simple words, it's a no-sh*t Sherlock kind of moment for the studio.

Fans are even perplexed as to how the same individual is going to portray two different characters in the same universe. Here are some of the fans' reactions:

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Social media reacts to The Russo Brothers idea for Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday

Fans are calling out the obvious—most bad guys never think they're bad. They perceive themselves to be the heroes of their own story, but that's precisely what makes them bad.

Fans are making jokes that Marvel Studios is behaving like they're doing something visionary, when in fact it's nothing new.

A user @OutOfPlce commented:

"Said literally 99% of villains ever."

One user @iinanamii humorously stated:

"If he thinks he's the hero of his own story then why does he call himself doctor doom and not doctor delight."

Another user @Sarx88 mentioned:

"Aren't all of them? nobody says I am the bad one and wrong."

A user @QuinnWR simply clarified one confusion for The Russo Brothers:

"Villains don’t just think they are the heroes of their stories. They are."

Some people are trolling the MCU, claiming it's just Iron Man changing costumes and joining different teams each time. Some are having a chuckle that Iron Man is like Doctor Doom, but the reason he never fully went over to the dark side is that Pepper kept him in line.

A user @miltonedward83 joked saying:

"Let me guess he will have a nanotech suit?"

Another user @EatMyPotat0 said:

"Doom is just Tony Stark if Pepper never kept him in check."

A user @Asapteejo noted:

"So basically, Iron Man just put on a new suit and switched sides..... classic B*tch move right there 😁"

Some people are confused about how the same actor is going to be playing two different roles in the MCU. They're jokingly indicating how everybody is simply going to act as if Doctor Doom doesn't resemble exactly Iron Man.

Others are even claiming perhaps Hollywood has no more actors, and that's why the same actor keeps getting hired for various roles.

A user @_SirAntMan_ summed it up, stating:

"This whole thing feels weird to me because it's not a Tony Stark variant. It's literally the actor playing an unrelated character. It worked in Deadpool because Deadpool breaks the 4th wall, but are characters just gonna pretend he looks kinda like Stark or ignore it, or what?"

Another user @boredjesse thinks this is how RDJ's Doctor Doom would sound like:

"Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom be like:"

A user @DontRunlmAsian poked fun saying:

"Bro is playing every Marvel hero and villain due to the shortage of actors in Hollywood."

Avengers: Doomsday is set to release on May 1, 2026.