Who is Anthony Stark, the version of Doctor Doom we’ll see in Avengers: Doomsday?

Day three of Comic-Con 2024 was one of the most important moments in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The announcement that the Russo brothers were returning to the franchise as directors Avengers: Secret Wars And Avengers: Judgment DayAnother completely unexpected addition has been added. The possibility of Jonathan Majors’ Kang returning has been ruled out, as indicated by the new title of the fifth part. avengers— the question was raised according to the same scenario. Who could be the franchise’s new villain to watch out for?

The reaction was so unexpected that a significant portion of the fans are still recovering from its impact. In the middle of a group of men dressed in green and wearing masks Doctor Doom With their faces covered, it became clear who this character would be. What no one expected was the name of the actor who would play the new sinister man in the saga. In the midst of a grand reception, Robert Downey Jr. revealed his face to accept a strange mission – to return and embody an important figure in Marvel. Much more, one that will confront a significant part of the surviving Universe, namely, thanks to Tony Stark’s sacrifice.

How is this possible? There aren’t many details about it at the moment. But according to the Russo brothers’ statements and some previous hints from Kevin Feige, it seems that the multiverse would be the perfect solution for this. Which includes several options. On the one hand, restoring Tony Stark, but from one of his evil versions. On the other hand, a character independent from the hero of the Infinity Saga, but related Victor von Doom. Both possibilities allow alternate realities to be explored in very different ways. Which would give future films a special depth. All while demonstrating that the multiverse It can have both a bright dimension and a more sinister one. And this is what we will see in Avengers: Judgment Day.

Tony Stark Option

The first option is the most obvious and is the one that the Marvel Cinematic Universe will likely choose in the future. Avengers: Judgment Day . This is about raising the idea that Doctor Doom — or, in this case, the multiverse saga version — is a version of Tony Stark. One that also uses all of the character’s considerable resources for evil. The above implies that the villain will need some context to explore. Something that might encourage writers and directors to explore the comic world of the House of Ideas.

The reason? There is actually a version of Tony Stark that is evil and eventually turns into Doctor Doom. The character is part of the publisher’s alternate reality collection and appeared in What If? Iron Man: Demon in the Armor #1 in 2010. The story takes place on Earth-11029 and tells how, during their college years, Victor von Doom and Tony Stark swapped bodies and ended up fighting each other. Eventually, Tony (possessed by Doom’s spirit) becomes an outcast, violent and destructive. While Doom (with Tony’s personality inside him), he manages to be a noble man. Or at least he thinks so V Avengers: Judgment Day.

While it’s unlikely that Marvel will attempt to explore Doom’s identity from such a ambiguous perspective, there is a chance that it will be explored from a slightly nuanced perspective. Namely, that at some point Tony Stark strayed from his path to redemption and heroism. This was explored in Chapter 6 of the animated film. What happens if…?and also in various comics. Always shows how dangerous it is for a character to use his significant intellectual and financial resources for a cause more selfish than saving the world.

How does Doctor Doom fit into Avengers: Judgment Day. ?

Always following the lines of the various comics exploring versions of Tony Stark, it is possible that the Marvel Cinematic Universe will take a new direction. That is: show an evil Tony Stark, it leans towards a more brutal and violent side under the guise of a pseudonym.

So the Doctor Doom moniker could be a way to hide his identity. In fact, the actor himself seemed to hint that this might be exactly what happened, noting that his future character could be expressed in a formula. “Always with a mask, but with different motives.”

Of course, such a twist would reduce Victor von Doom’s complexity to a minimum. Specifically, his identity would be reduced to the point that Tony Stark would simply be able to protect his identity. What’s worse is that it will ignore everything about Latveria and the complex villain scenario.

The second possibility in the multiverse

Another idea that could be included in Tony Starknow as an evil character, could be a comic book adaptation The infamous Iron ManBrian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev. The limited series, released between 2016 and 2017, is considered Victor von Doomseeks to leave his villainous past behind. Judging by what he takes, the identity of the deceased Tony Stark. The parcel could have been turned upside down, which would have made it even darker.

Tony Stark feigning kindness while hiding his worst intentions behind the mask of Doom would allow both characters to come together. Also, the various plots that relate to both could be further developed. What could be the most interesting origin story of a Marvel villain. Except Thanos, of course.