Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. Have the Perfect Non Answer for Why Doctor Doom Looks Exactly like Tony Stark in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

Ever since Robert Downey Jr walked onstage in a Doctor Doom costume at Comic Con, one question has followed ‘Avengers Doomsday’ everywhere it goes. How exactly does Marvel plan to explain a brand new supervillain who happens to share a face with one of the most beloved heroes in franchise history?

Downey is not returning as Tony Stark, who died saving the universe in ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ Instead, he is stepping into the role of Victor von Doom, a character with his own long comic book history, and Marvel has been careful not to confirm whether the two men share any direct connection within the story itself.

That careful silence continued when the cast gathered for press at San Diego Comic Con and were asked directly whether the characters in the film actually acknowledge that Doctor Doom looks like Tony Stark. The answers they gave were about as evasive as fans have come to expect from this franchise.

Chris Evans kept things simple, essentially saying the topic was off limits for now. Downey followed with an equally playful dodge of his own, keeping the mystery around Doom’s true nature fully intact heading into the film’s release.

Even without giving away specifics, Downey did offer some insight into how he personally sees the overlap between the two characters. Speaking with the cast after the panel, Downey said Tony and Doom are both considered brilliant in their respective fields, but Tony’s heroism grew out of trauma while “Doom’s got the exact opposite,” which is part of what makes facing him such a difficult task for the returning heroes, he told Entertainment Weekly.

That comment lines up with what Marvel has hinted at elsewhere about how the film intends to treat the resemblance. Reports ahead of Comic Con suggested that the heroes in the movie will never actually see Doom without his mask, meaning the visual similarity to Stark stays a secret from the characters even as the audience watches it play out on screen.

Those same reports claimed Downey would also be giving Doom a distinct accent, another detail apparently designed to keep the in-universe mystery intact even as viewers clock the resemblance immediately. Whether that holds up once the film actually releases remains to be seen, but it explains why the cast keeps deflecting rather than confirming anything outright.

The full ensemble on hand for this round of press included Evans, Pedro Pascal, Paul Rudd, Anthony Mackie, David Harbour, Letitia Wright, and Rebecca Romijn, among others, all gathering fresh off the panel where ‘Doomsday’ continued rolling out new footage and cast reveals. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, the film brings together heroes from three separate universes, spanning the mainline Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men, as they face what Marvel has called an existential threat unlike anything they have encountered before.

For now, the studio seems content to let fans stew in the uncertainty a little longer. ‘Avengers Doomsday’ arrives in theaters on December 18, and it looks like the answer to Marvel’s biggest open secret will stay locked away until then.

Do you think the MCU heroes will ever actually notice Doctor Doom looks like Tony Stark? Share your thoughts in the comments.