Marvel Recasts Doctor Doom in the MCU, New Actor Confirmed - Inside the Magic

Marvel Studios has recast the role of Victor von Doom, AKA Doctor Doom, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In July 2024, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige shocked crowds at San Diego Comic-Con by announcing the return of the Russo Brothers (Anthony and Joe Russo).

The duo, known for previous MCU movies like Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019), are back to helm the Phase Six Avengers movies, Avengers: Doomsday (formerly Avengers: The Kang Dynasty) and Avengers: Secret Wars. The films are set to release in May 2026 and May 2027, respectively.

But that wasn’t all; the Russos revealed that Doomsday would, in fact, be following Doctor Doom and shared that Robert Downey Jr. would be back in the MCU to play the iconic villain. Downey Jr. is almost synonymous with the MCU itself, having played Tony Stark/Iron Man since the franchise’s inception in 2008.

For over a decade, Downey Jr. was the core of the MCU, appearing in his own trilogy, as well as multiple other movies like Captain America: Civil War (2016) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017).

Despite Downey Jr. being a beloved part of the MCU, the response to his return was not unanimously positive. Some questioned whether Marvel was using the Oscar-winner to bait former fans back to the franchise, while others criticized the studio for not casting an actor of Romani heritage in the role.

The first appearance of RDJ’s Doctor Doom is expected to be in the post-credits scene of next year’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) from director Matt Shakman.

While July 2025 seems a long way off, Doctor Doom will actually appear on screens this year. In December 2024, Marvel Animation will officially begin releasing its third and final season of What If…? Bryan Andrews returns to direct the series, with Matt Chauncey taking on head writer duties.

What If…? first began airing in 2021 as the MCU’s first official animated series. It was widely well-received, and a second season aired in December 2023. This year, the third season will follow a similar trajectory to its predecessor, airing daily from December 22. Following The Walt Disney Company’s D23 Brazil event, the first official trailer was recently shared online.

From the footage, many characters can be confirmed as being part of the upcoming final season. Notably, What If…? Season 3 will see the return of Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi and Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau. Alison Sealy-Smith will also make her official MCU debut as X-Men Ororo Munroe/Storm–Sealy-Smith previously voiced the mutant in X-Men: The Animated Series and this year’s X-Men ’97 sequel from Beau DeMayo.

However, as a recent cast list has confirmed, Doctor Doom will also appear in What If…?, and it won’t be Robert Downey Jr. voicing the character. Ross Marquand, who voiced Red Skull and Ultron in previous seasons of What If…?, starred as Professor X and Doctor Doom in X-Men ’97 and will reprise his Doom character for the forthcoming third season of the show.

Comic Book Movie recently shared the cast list for What If…? Season 3 thus far:

Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter)
Anthony Mackie (Captain America)
Sebastian Stan (Bucky)
David Harbour (Red Guardian)
Mark Ruffalo (Hulk)
Teyonah Parris (Monica Rambeau)
Kathryn Hahn (Agatha Harkness)
Kumail Nanjiani (Kingo)
Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury)
Seth Green (Howard the Duck)
Laurence Fishburne (Bill Foster)
Dominique Thorne (Ironheart)
Simu Liu (Shang-Chi)
Hailee Steinfeld (Hawkeye)
Chris Hemsworth (Thor)
Tom Hiddleston (Loki)
Devery Jacobs (Kahhori)
Michael Rooker (Yondu)
Karen Gillan (Nebula)
Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie)
Dominic Cooper (Howard Stark)
James D’Arcy (Jarvis)
Josh Brolin (Thanos)
Oscar Isaac (Moon Knight)
Wyatt Russell (U.S. Agent)
Walton Goggins (Sonny Burch)
Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson)
Emily VanCamp (Sharon Carter)
Meng’er Zhang (Xu Xialing)
Taika Waititi (Korg)
Rachel House (Topaz)
Kat Dennings (Darcy)
Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm)
Ross Marquand (Red Skull, Infinity Ultron, Professor X, Apocalypse, Doctor Doom)
Gene Farber (Vasily Karpov)
Hamish Parkinson (Beerbot 5000)
Tom Vaughn Lawlor (Ebony Maw)
David Kaye (Arishem the Judge)

Also joining What If…? this time around will be MCU newcomers America Ferrera (Barbie) and Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter franchise). Making her first appearance ahead of starring in The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be Natasha Lyonne, who plays Byrdie. No confirmation yet on whether this is the undisclosed role Lyonne is playing in the live-action Phase Six movie next year.

It is not unusual for Marvel to recast characters for What If…? In the first season, for example, characters like Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, Drax the Destroyer, and Iron Man were all replaced with new actors. Instead of Tom Holland, it was Hudson Thames, and replacing Brie Larson, Dave Bautista, and Robert Downey Jr. were Alexandra Daniels, Fred Tatasciore, and Mick Wingert.

Jeffrey Wright will also reprise his role as Uatu, AKA the Watcher, in this third and final season of the Disney+ show.

Looking into 2025, Marvel Studios will release as slew of projects, harking back to the level of content seen in 2021 and 2022. At the top of the year, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will be released, followed by Captain America: Brave New World (2025) in February.

Following that, The Man Without Fear will return in Daredevil: Born Again, and then Thunderbolts* and Ironheart will close out Phase Five on the big and small screen in May and June, respectively. The Fantastic Four: First Steps will open Phase Six in July 2025, with the TV shows Eyes of Wakanda, Marvel Zombies, and Wonder Man following through the end of the year.

Are you looking forward to seeing Doctor Doom in the MCU this year? How do you feel about it not being Robert Downey Jr.? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!