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Published Nov 12, 2026, 2:50 PM EST
Austin Manchester is a writer and editor living in New York City. At Polygon, he covers gaming and entertainment news, reviews new video games, interviews behind-the-scenes talent, and more. He enjoys discovering hidden gems and sharing them with Polygon's audience. Previously, he was the gaming editor for AIPT Comics and has written for other outlets like XDA, How-To Geek, and The List.
He enjoys soulslikes, character-driven RPGs, and third-person shooters plucked straight out of the Xbox 360 era. He also likes to flex his non-video game nerdy knowledge sometimes, whether that's explaining who's who in the new Wolverine game or recommending a comic book series about a sentient sword.
But should we believe him?
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Robert Downey Jr.'s surprise casting as Doctor Doom in December's Avengers: Doomsday resulted in Marvel fans wondering if the Doomsday villain would be a multiversal variant of Tony Stark/Iron Man, the character Downey played for over a decade. More fuel was added to the fire when Red Guardian actor David Harbour hinted that Doom's face would be revealed to look like Stark back in August, but the actor later walked back those comments.
Now, in a new interview with Empire, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has weighed in on the theory. But with how sneaky and deceptive Marvel is known to be, can we really believe him?
'He's Victor Von Doom'
"People wondered, 'Is Doom just a variant of another character? Is this just a shortcut to bringing back another character?'" Feige said, with "another character" he mentioned obviously being Tony Stark. "The answer is no. He’s Victor Von Doom."
Feige pointed to Chris Evans' portrayal of both Steve Rogers and Johnny Storm as evidence of Marvel actors playing two different roles. Of course, Rogers and Storm aren't multiversal variants of one another, but two distinct characters. However, Evans' situation is a bit different: He was cast as Storm before the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its multiverse was even a thing, and his Storm was brought back many years later in Deadpool & Wolverine as something of a meta joke. Downey, on the other hand, was cast as Doom after Marvel had explored various multiverse stories, like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Loki.
Feige might be telling the truth. However, Marvel actors have been known to straight out lie about their roles in the past, so it's possible the studio's top executive is doing the same.
Image: Disney/Marvel StudiosElsewhere in the Empire story, co-directors Anthony and Joe Russo hinted at what to expect from Doom in Doomsday. "He’s a father who’s a victim of trauma. He has lost a child," Joe Russo said. "When people see the film, they say it’s a very scary movie. It’s scary because he’s so profoundly damaged."
Anthony Russo compared him to the last Avengers-level threat: "Doom is much more ego-driven than Thanos," he said. "Thanos believed he was serving a greater good."
Fans won't have to wait long to see Downey's Doctor Doom debut on the big screen. Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters Dec. 18.
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