Robert Downey Jr. returning to Marvel as Doctor Doom was already one of the strangest casting turns the MCU has ever pulled. This is the guy who spent more than a decade as Tony Stark, helped turn Iron Man into the foundation of a multibillion-dollar franchise and then got one of the biggest superhero send-offs ever in Avengers: Endgame. Bringing him back as Victor von Doom felt completely out of left field. Except, apparently, it wasn't. That’s right, it's a recycled idea that almost happened 20 years ago.
I somehow missed that the Chaplain star was already in the mix to play Doctor Doom roughly two decades ago. In a resurfaced Marvel Studios retrospective conversation between Iron Man director Jon Favreau and Kevin Feige posted on Instagram, Favreau recalled that Marvel had met with the actor about Doom before he ever became Tony Stark. Feige's reaction confirms Favreau's memory, which makes Downey's eventual casting feel less like a wild new idea and more like Marvel opening a very old folder. You can check out the exchange below:
