A new report has suggested that Robert Downey Jr. might be making his MCU return as a multiversal variant of Doctor Doom.
Despite Tony Stark's death in Avengers: Endgame, fans are still hoping that the Oscar winner will be making his return to the MCU someday and reprise his iconic role one last time before the Multiverse Saga ends.
While Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige insisted that they have no plans to bring back Downey's Tony Stark, there have been speculations that he might make an appearance in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Robert Downey Jr. Could Make His MCU Return as Doctor Doom
Insider Jeff Sneider revealed in his recent newsletter that he heard from sources that Downey might return to the MCU as a version of Tony Stark who became Doctor Doom.
"Speaking of Doctor Doom, there's still no word yet about his casting in Fantastic Four, as insiders denied my inquiry about Robert Downey Jr., who I was told might come back as an alternate-universe Tony Stark who becomes Doctor Doom instead of Iron Man," he wrote.
"It seems far-fetched, yes, but I figured that if there was any hope of Downey coming back, there'd have to be a new wrinkle for him to play. So, for now, we continue to wait…"
So far, Marvel Studios has not confirmed the claims that were made in Sneider's report.
While the rumor sounds like a long shot at the moment, the idea of bringing back Downey as Doctor Doom is also promising since it's a way for him to return in a fresh capacity without the need to resurrect Tony Stark.
After all, Secret Wars allows Marvel Studios to bring back many of the past actors in the MCU to play multiversal variants without repeating what they've done before, and this type of scenario could be appealing to someone like Downey who might want to give the franchise another shot.
Downey has also said in recent interviews that he is open to making his MCU return despite his character's iconic death so it wouldn't be too shocking if it ends up happening soon.
For now, let's wait and see whether Downey will make his grand return to the MCU as the iconic villain or if it will simply stay as a rumor.
What do you think of Downey's potential MCU return as Doctor Doom? Let us know in the comments!
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