Colton Ogburn: New Doctor Doom Hot Toy Reveals an Iron Man-Style Mask Hiding in Avengers Doomsday

New images of a Victor Von Doom hot toy from Avengers Doomsday have surfaced, and this is not the same Dr. Doom hot toy we saw images of a month or two back. This is a different costume and mask entirely, and I want to explain both why he is wearing it and how it connects to Iron Man.

This is not the first time we have seen this version of Doom's mask and costume. We actually got a great look at it at D23. When that first appeared, it sparked a theory that this movie will feature two Dooms: a good guy, Victor Von Doom, trying to help the Avengers, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four save the multiverse, and a bad guy, Dr. Doom, maybe not even played by Robert Downey Jr., who is the true villain of the film. I love a fun batshit theory, but that is not what this is at all.

In Avengers Doomsday, Victor Von Doom is working with the Fantastic Four, the Avengers and the X-Men, and he is an ally, or at least pretending to be one. He comes with the Fantastic Four and Steve Rogers to the mainline MCU and is referred to as Victor. This diplomatic, public-facing attire is purposely designed to be a more neutral, non-menacing getup, which is exactly what this new hot toy is showing off.

No, There Are Not Two Dr. Dooms, It's the Same Guy in a Different Costume

Later in the movie, when Victor's true motives are revealed and we get that confrontation between him and Reed where Reed asks, "Did you do this?", that is when we see Doom change into what I've been calling his "Angry Eyes" look. As I put it, that's when we're set to "meet Mr. Angry Eyes."

I need to correct something I got wrong earlier. I had said that when Doom gets thrown out of a window in the most recent trailer, he does a full wardrobe change into his Angry Eyes costume before his villain landing. Watching it again, it is clear he is actually still in his good Doom attire during that moment, not the battle armor.

Part of me wants to say we will not see the Angry Eyes battle armor until Doom goes back to Latveria and then reemerges to fight the Avengers, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four as they rally against him. But in the scene where Thor and Doom are fighting, Doom appears to already be in his Angry Eyes mask and armored suit.

Because of that, I think Doom can change clothes the same way Thor, Doctor Strange and Wanda can, via magic, and that he does exactly that on this battlefield, which is set in the X-Men universe. I think this scene likely takes place in the middle of the movie, right when the heroes learn of his betrayal and Doom sics the Sentinels on our heroes. So to be clear: there are not two Dr. Dooms, it is the same guy in a different costume.

This Doom Mask Looks Like an Iron Man Mask, and I Cannot Unsee It

I debated even including this because I was not sure if I was stretching, but I cannot unsee it now: this mask looks very Iron Man to me. The shape of the eyes, the point of the brow, the slit in the mouth, the shape of the chin, and where the different lines are placed all look like an Iron Man mask.

It is no secret that I think there is a multiversal connection between Victor Von Doom and Tony Stark. My theory is that in the MCU, Tony Stark was born a Von Doom but was adopted by the Starks. In some universes that happens, in others it does not, and in those other universes he is raised as a Von Doom and becomes Dr. Doom, the king of Latveria. I have talked about this at length before, both on my own channel and over on Screen Crush, so I am not relitigating all of that here, but I want to remind everyone that I do think the 616 Tony Stark was born a Von Doom.

I would not be surprised if Sokovia was originally destined to become Latveria, and that is where Tony, or Victor, was born. Because Tony becomes Tony and not Victor Von Doom, maybe Latveria never comes to exist in that timeline. Multiversally, things tend to mirror other parallel realities, and that could explain why Tony Stark has such a connection to Sokovia and feels such guilt over it, along with something of a heel turn in Captain America: Civil War. It could be that on a multiversal level, this guy has a connection to that place.

My Theory: Tony Stark and Victor Von Doom Are the Same Baseline Being

Multiversal variants can be very different from each other but still share similarities, the same way Doctor Strange in universe 838 and in 616 both get his hands broken, just with different injuries. So it is easy to imagine a scenario where Tony Stark and Victor Von Doom, despite living different lives, would still go down somewhat similar paths if they are the same baseline being.

That would explain why we would see design similarities between Dr. Doom's mask and armor and Iron Man's mask and armor, almost as if it is "written into the very code of reality." Both men were destined to become men behind iron masks who were burdened with saving the world.

Could the Robots in Multiverse of Madness's Universe 838 Actually Be Doombots?

Slightly off topic, but in Multiverse of Madness, universe 838 has Ultron bots, and we assume that means there is a Tony Stark Iron Man in that universe who built them. But what if those are actually Doombots, and that universe has a Dr. Doom instead of a Tony Stark? Like Tony Stark, Doom has a legion of robots too.

In the MCU they are called the Iron Legion, as we saw in Age of Ultron, and in other universes they might be Doombots, though maybe they are not called that on screen because it sounds too menacing. If that holds, it would mean there is a multiversal constant where this guy, whether he is Tony Stark or Victor Von Doom, creates Ultron, builds a robot army, and wears a metal mask.

The Russos Say There Is No Similarity Between Doom and Stark, and David Harbour's "You Are Tony Stark" Line

There was a recent quote from the Russos saying there are no similarities between these two characters, and I think they must have misspoke, because of course there are similarities between them. Marvel Comics has done entire books over the fact that these two characters are so similar.

I also noticed how big and open the eyeholes are on this mask, and I am wondering if we will see Steve or Thor give a look across the room to a character who knew Tony personally, maybe even acknowledging out loud that Victor reminds them of someone. There was also that moment where David Harbour, in full Alexei accent, was asked to say one of his lines from Doomsday and responded, "You are Tony Stark." I do not think Harbour is spoiling anything there, he is clearly having fun, but I would not be surprised if that ends up being a wink and a nod line in the movie, maybe said to Victor after some display of brilliant tech, meaning it almost as a compliment. There is also a chance it gets said to Reed Richards instead, with Reed explaining they are from a different universe and Alexei interrupting with that same line.

I think it is cool that this hot toy is packaged as Victor Von Doom, because he is not going to carry the menacing name Dr. Doom while working with the Avengers. When we later see him in his war attire, it makes sense that mask would have the angrier look, the way battle masks throughout history tend to be more menacing than everyday attire. You can imagine Latverian culture having a battle suit with that kind of face for war, and maybe at some point in the movie he even gets his PhD.

Do you see the Iron Man similarities in this mask the way I do, or am I reading too much into it?