Doctor Doom is one of the most remarkable and appreciated bad guys of all time to decorate the pages of a comic strip. While it has become a broader element in the world of larger Marvel comics during the decades which followed its creation, Victor von Doom is most closely associated with the fantastic four as found back. Naturally, this will lead some fans to wonder if the doctor of the former star of “Iron Man”, Robert Downey Jr., will appear in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” this summer. Well, the director Matt Shakman weighed several times on the subject, and his answers do not leave much room for interpretation.
Shakman, who is best known for his work on “Wandavision”, spoke with Entertainment Weekly in April, previewing the “Fantastic Four” restart in the Marvel cinematographic universe. By addressing Doctor Doom of all this (or his absence), Shakman clearly indicated that the estimated bad-dore will not be at the center of his film. Here is what he had to say about this:
“Doom is a great character, but he takes a lot of air. Other cinematographic adaptations have made both an original story and a destiny. We do not do either, and that allows us to look at them from a new point of view.”
Indeed, Doctor Doom was the main bad guy of “Fantastic Four” in 2005, a Downey film actually auditioned for long before he became the Tony Stark of the MCU. The character also appeared in monitoring the film in 2007, “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer”, before serving as an appointment in the “Fantastic Four” restart of 2015, it is therefore obvious that Shakman wanted to detach from this. To make this crystal clear, Shakman was even more dull when he spoke with Empire Magazine more recently (via Game Rant), declaring: “Doom is not part of my film, and therefore not being part of my overview.”
Does Matt Shakman draw an Andrew Garfield involving Doctor Doom?
Although this EW interview could have left a little room for doubt, Shakman’s most recent comments are much more to everyone. If we want to do the director in the word, viewers should not expect to have a first taste of Downey’s fate in “Fantastic Four: First Steps” before he really arrives in “Avengers: Doomsday” next year.
This having been said, there are certain things to consider here. On the one hand, the previous reports suggested that Downey could briefly appear as Doom in “First Steps”. If we want to believe that it could still be true, it is likely that Shakman shoot an Andrew Garfield in “Spider-Man: No Way Way Home” and simply lie about it. There is also a possibility that Doom only presents itself in any post-key sequence, which Shakman may not consider as a part of his film. It would just leave the smallest piece of room for maneuver.
If this is the case, Shakman’s framing would be true in the sense that the film itself will not include Doom as a focal point. We rather know that Galactus will be the main villain of the film, with Ralph Ineson (“Nosferatu”) representing the character and Julia Garner (“Ozark”) Co-star as a version of the Silver Surfer. Add Doom to the mixture would look like too many ingredients.
As for the basic cast, Pedro Pascal (“The Mandalorian”) is on board as Reed Richards / MR. Fantastic, with Vanessa Kirby (“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning”) like Sue Storm / Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss -Bachrach (“The Bear”) as Ben Grimm / The Thing, and Joseph Quinn (“Stranger Things”) like Johnny Storm / Human Torch. These four players are also part of the massive distribution “Avengers: Doomsday”, so we will be able to see them mix with the Doom doctor from Downey.
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” will be released in theaters on July 25, 2025.
