How Tony Stark Became Doctor Doom in the Original Comics (EVERYTHING You Could Possibly Need to Know)
Robert Downey Jr., who starred in Iron Man, is returning for Avengers: Doomsday as the canonical Doctor Doom, a revelation that completely rocked SDCC. Though ardent Marvel fans are understandably frustrated that the “real” Victor von Doom doesn’t seem to be returning in MCU reality, it’s a decision that has plenty of precedent in the comics. But with its own Doctor Doom, what tales may Marvel be able to adapt? Not only do we have a comprehensive synopsis, but we also have a good idea of how Tony will change into Doctor Doom.

Though there are a lot of murky places, Tony Stark has assumed the persona of Doctor Doom on several occasions. Given the legendary nature of Doom’s appearance and persona, there are numerous scenarios in which Tony adopted the codename and appearance of Doctor Doom but fell short of fully embodying it, even if it was obvious that he was supposed to play the same role. But in at least one story, Tony Stark actually transforms into “Doctor Doom,” armor and all.

Here are the major stories where Tony Stark became Doctor Doom, showing just how far back this seemingly ‘out of thin air’ idea actually goes.

The Iron Monarch was Doctor Doom in all but name, and showed Tony Stark’s shocking fall to the dark side.

Tony Stark Becomes Doctor Doom In 2003’s Exiles

This Tony Variant Killed Doom and Took His Place

Judd Winick and Kev Walker’s Iron Man of Exiles #23 demonstrates why it’s a little challenging to identify the earliest tale in which Tony transforms into Doctor Doom. Readers are introduced to an empathetic parallel Tony Stark in this tale. Even as an adult, Tony conceals his psychotic side from the public until a conflict between humans and mutants erupts. Tony plays both sides expertly, setting up Victor von Voom, alias Doctor Doom, to launch an attack on New York at the conclusion.

Tony betrays and kills Doom as part of his scheme, using the latter’s attack as justification for his ascent to planetary control. While Tony is successful, Doom manages to grievously injure Tony, leaving him (like Doom) to never again remove his mask in public. Tony also claims Doctor Doom’s iconic green cloak, wearing it over his Iron Man armor to complete his rise from supposed hero to unquestioned conqueror. However, Tony does stop short of actually calling himself ‘Doctor Doom.’ Instead, he goes by the nickname Iron Monarch, right up until the moment when Invisible Woman assassinates him, setting the world free.

The Iron Maniac is celebrated by some as the first time Tony Stark became Doctor Doom.

Tony Stark’s Iron Maniac Was Doom in All but Name

This Alt-Timeline Iron Man Had a Suit Made of Steve Rogers’ Ex-Girlfriend

Iron Maniac, the official first “Doctor Doom” mutation of Tony Stark, made his comic book debut in Marvel Team-Up #2 (written by Robert Kirkman and Scott Kolins), and was identified by many (including Rob Lie Feld, co-creator of Deadpool). This Tony comes from a reality where the Avengers were abducted to the planet Trillion by the Skrull supervillain Titannus, who then massacred a large number of them. Tony’s moral compass finally gave out in such extreme circumstances, and he turned into a far more radical character who opposed Reed Richards—who he saw as a serious threat to what was left of humanity.) Eventually, he made his way from his home dimension to Earth-616, the mainstream, where he battled a number of heroes and alerted them to Titannus’ impending arrival.

When Iron Maniac first appears, the mainstream Reed misidentifies him as Doctor Doom because of how similar his armor looks to Doom’s. Despite this, Iron Maniac refuses to accept this identity and continues to identify as Iron Man. Iron Maniac changed to a purple and grey Iron Man costume when the case of mistaken identity was settled. This outfit was made from a robotic Life Model Decoy of the supervillain Diamondback, who was once Steve Rogers’ romantic interest. Eventually a piece of cosmic cube became too much for him.

Similar to Doctor Doom, Iron Maniac also bears terrible facial burns, which he finally reveals are the result of a battle in which he destroyed Johnny Storm’s Human Torch.

In this story, Tony Stark fully, officially becomes Doctor Doom, taking on the codename and armor.

Iron Man Becomes the One and Only Doctor Doom

What If… Gives Tony Stark the Official Doctor Doom Codename

And lastly, a case in which Tony finally, truly transforms into Doctor Doom. In the 2010 film What If? Marvel fans get to see a different version of the story in Iron Man: Demon in an Armor #1 (by David Michelinie, Bob Layton, and Graham Nolan), where Iron Man was made to face his alcoholism. In the narrative, Tony gets expelled from school as the original Victor von Doom forces him into a mind swap and takes his life of privilege.

Nonetheless, Tony’s brilliance enables him to ascend in Latverian society, assuming the role of emperor and transforming the nation into a significant global force. When Doom decides to stamp out Tony’s success, the two clash, wearing alternate versions of their armor – Tony having developed a gold and red Doctor Doom costume, and Doom wearing a silver and gray Iron Man armor. Tony wins out, but because Doom has utterly destroyed his reputation, he refuses to switch back, officially taking the name Victor von Doom (and Doctor Doom) as a force for good.

In this tale, Tony fully assumes the persona of Doctor Doom, complete with the official codename and well-known armor (albeit with a new color scheme.) But just like the creation of Iron Monarch, it too depends on the presence of an earlier Doctor Doom, whose persona and identity Tony adopts as his own. This level of superfluous intricacy is unlikely to be chosen by the MCU, which increases the likelihood of a recent rumor on the plot the films will employ.

Tony Stark’s moral orientation was miraculously changed during the AXIS event, turning him into a villain as the Superior Iron Man. While this version of Tony was a terrible person, he had no real similarities to Doctor Doom, and was more obsessed with making money and gaining acclaim than conquering the world.

The Ultimate version of Doctor Doom is the most likely to see an MCU adaptation.

Ultimate Doctor Doom Has a Twisted Origin (But He’s NOT Tony Stark)

If 1 Marvel Writer Is to Be Believed, We Know How Tony Becomes Doctor Doom

Marvel writer Deniz Camp stated that “you MUST read Ultimate’s 4 to understand Robert Downey Jr. as Doom” in a recent article on X. This new comic takes place in an alternate version of the Ultimate Universe, where a villain by the name of the Maker has twisted and deformed Marvel history.

Given that Ultimate’s #4 is hinted to be the genesis story of Doctor Doom, it is highly improbable that Camp’s remark should be taken literally. The Ultimate Universe already has a Doctor Doom. In this world, the Maker kidnapped Reed Richards and made him assist him in mutilating the chronology, leaving him as a heroic but severely traumatized version of himself. Doom has recently joined the Ultimate’s alongside this universe’s teenage Tony Stark, hoping to defeat the regime that the Maker was able to create by changing the timeline.

Ultimate’s #4

Release Date:	September 4, 2024
Writer:	Deniz Camp
Artists:	Phil Noto
Cover Artist:	Dike Ruan

The Ultimate Fantastic Four’s doom! In this hidden history of the actual Reed Richards, Doom finally faces the consequences of his years of suffering at the hands of the Maker! Tensions among the Ultimate’s also increase as it appears that Doom is more focused on building the life he should have had than the one he currently leads. Including works by visiting artist Phil Noto!

Though Reed is dressed as Tony instead of him, it’s plausible that this is the story the MCU will employ. In this universe, Reed was kidnapped by an invincible, time-traveling antagonist, subjected to torture, and had his heroic destiny ruined. His captor also slaughtered his family, the Fantastic Four. Swap ‘Reed’ for ‘Tony’ and ‘Maker’ for ‘Kang,’ and it’s easy to see how the movies could use this blueprint to introduce a Tony variant who was twisted and broken by terrible experiences, turning him into a multiverse-spanning villain (plus, connecting him to Kang would help to justify the time already spent on the time-traveling villain before Marvel’s pivot to Doctor Doom.) This seems like the best bet for an MCU adaptation, but there’s also the possibility of a curveball…

While Tony has become Doctor Doom before, Victor von Doom becoming the Infamous Iron Man is by far the more famous story…

Doctor Doom Becomes the Infamous Iron Man

The MCU Is Getting a Tony-Doom, But Sadly Not a Victor Von Iron Man

Although there are other tales in which Tony Stark transforms into Doctor Doom, the most well-known one has Doctor Doom becoming Iron Man. The most well-known instance of this occurred in Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev’s Infamous Iron Man. This narrative, which sprang from Civil War II, had a partially atoned Doctor Doom take Tony Stark’s place after his passing. He was dressed in an Iron Man outfit of green and gray and wore his signature black cloak. Marvel utilized Doom’s heroic tenure to demonstrate that, despite his best efforts, his innate haughtiness always controls his behavior. Doom primarily engaged in conflict with other heroes before reverting to villainy.

Less famously, 2007’s Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #25 – from Fred Van Lente and Cory Hamscher – also debuted a heroic Doctor Doom in “Doc Iron.” A straightforwardly heroic character, Doc Iron fights an evil Reed Richards codenamed “Mr Devious.” This Doom isn’t Tony, but he does wear armor similar to the large, gun-metal grey Iron Man Mark I.

It’s highly likely that Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom will be Doom Supreme in nature, even if not by name