Avengers: Doomsday theory: is RDJ playing more than Doom?

As details about Avengers: Doomsday were coming out, a picture formed of how Doctor Doom, the X-Men, Spider-Man and Galactus might connect. At the time, the list of Doctor Doom's targets as he annihilates universes was growing. Robert Downey Jr.'s set photos might hint that he plays more than one character. A comic on his script stand might point to a bigger role for Galactus. And leaked set material appeared to show the film heading into the X-Men universe.

Alongside those clues came casting rumors about Neve Campbell as Polaris, Tom Holland's status as Peter Parker, and early chatter about a new X-Men lineup.

Robert Downey Jr.'s muscle suit photo might point to a superior Iron Man

The first clue was a photo Robert Downey Jr. posted from the Avengers: Doomsday set, outside his trailer. He was flexing in a mesh muscle suit that leaves the armpits open, I assume to give some breathing room for sweating. Behind him was a Doctor Doom themed sign that read: Do not knock. Trust yourself. Downey was also reading Jeremy Renner's memoir, which covers Renner's near fatal accident in 2023.

That was definitely a choice. Downey posed to look like he was about to punch Hawkeye while shooting a movie where he's going to tear apart a bunch of returning Avengers.

Many people also noted the motion capture dots on Downey's face. That could mean a lot of things. One possibility is a CG Doctor Doom mask with nanites that might retract, similar to Tony's Bleeding Edge armor in Avengers: Infinity War.

Or maybe Downey wears this costume because this is how he'll look as an additional character. Would Doctor Doom need to be this vainly jacked? Could this instead be an alternate universe Tony Stark, a superior Iron Man? That's the Iron Man we were hoping to see in the 838 universe in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. They're paying this guy $100 million, and I don't think he's going to play one character. So the theory I'm going with from this photo is that this isn't Doctor Doom, but rather the superior Iron Man.

The Doom comic on Downey's script stand could hint at Galactus and Valeria Richards

Downey then posted another image from set, captioned "Doom workstation essentials." The comic in the shot is Doom #1 from 2024, by Sanford Greene and Jonathan Hickman. It's a relatively recent comic and not necessarily indicative of the movie's plot. Still, its story is worth knowing.

It's set in a dying universe where only three people are left: Doctor Doom, Galactus and Valeria Richards. Valeria is Reed Richards and Sue Storm's second child, the younger sister of Franklin Richards. After Galactus destroys Doom, Valeria brings him back to life two years later. They team up, going from world to world to grab raw celestial power. Then they take a huge risk and fight Galactus to save what's left of reality. Along the way you get Doom's huge ego, his difficult friendship with Valeria, and some great big battles.

I don't know, but we might see some of that in Avengers: Doomsday, on top of getting Franklin Richards in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Could the MCU jump ahead to Valeria Richards in Doomsday?

Also on the stand were a can of Tate's Bake Shop drink, Korean tissues, sunglasses, and wired in ear monitors, probably for on set communication. There were also two wireless mic packs, hand sanitizer and a refresher spray. It was all perched on a script stand labeled Dr. Doom. This might be Downey's station for reading lines in an audio booth, or from a part of the set where he needs to read along with the action.

Why Downey kept posting from the Avengers: Doomsday set

Why post this at all? Again, it's $100 million for two films. I think part of that deal is for Downey to be heavily involved in marketing the film.

That ran from showing up to shush us at the end of the March 26 cast announcement with the set chairs, to posting plenty of "we're working here, let us cook" style posts from set. It also included Downey's posts with some of the Avengers cast. He was clearly copied on the memo that the studio would rebrand the Thunderbolts movie as The New Avengers, since he initially included that in a caption shouting out the Thunderbolts.

So I think including this comic might be a clue that Galactus plays a bigger role in Avengers: Doomsday than we thought.

I suspect Galactus survives The Fantastic Four: First Steps

I suspect The Fantastic Four: First Steps won't end with Galactus being destroyed. He's too big, too powerful and too ancient to be destroyed in one movie. The first comic arc that introduces the Fantastic Four doesn't end with them killing Galactus. They scare him off with the Ultimate Nullifier. I think that's how First Steps will end, and that would leave the door open for Galactus to return in Doomsday or Secret Wars.

I think that matters because Galactus has a unique relationship with Franklin Richards in the future. Baby Franklin is the character alluded to by the title First Steps and by confirming that Sue Storm is pregnant. She's probably going to deliver him in the movie. That kid is going to be the family's link to future MCU events.

When Franklin is older and part of the Future Foundation, he battles the Mad Celestials at one point and resurrects Galactus as his herald.

On a side note, I think any character of that scale needs a smaller character to ground and humanize the visual. The Iron Giant needs Hogarth. The shots of Arishem in Eternals needed someone like Sersi in the foreground for us to process what we're looking at. Franklin Richards could serve that role for Galactus. So when Franklin reassembles Battleworld into a restored 616 universe after Secret Wars, Galactus could be right at his side.

Neve Campbell rumored as Polaris in Avengers: Doomsday

Another update came from scoopers including Alex from The Cosmic Circus, so take these with a big old grain of salt. Neve Campbell was rumored to play Lorna Dane, aka Polaris. She's Magneto's daughter and a mutant who can manipulate electromagnetic fields, and she could be in Avengers: Doomsday. It's not confirmed, but it's a fun prospect.

In response, Beau DeMayo, former showrunner of X-Men '97, claimed he was the one who cast Campbell for an expanded voice role in X-Men '97 season 2. That would have happened before Marvel fired him. Campbell is best known as a live action actor, without much voiceover experience beyond, I think, a cameo on The Simpsons. She's not known for an iconic animation voice. X-Men '97 committed to bringing back lesser known voice actors from the '90s era for their iconic voices, or actors who could emulate them. The only known live action star in that voice cast was Theo James.

As for Campbell as the daughter of Ian McKellen's Magneto in Avengers: Doomsday, I dig it. Coming out of the Scream franchise in the late '90s and into the modern Scream sequels, she's exactly the Anna Paquin type of casting the 2000s X-Men movies would have gotten around to, had they not rebooted with a younger cast in X-Men: First Class. If Doomsday explores Earth 10005 and Magneto's lineage, and maybe doesn't commit to one of Wanda Maximoff or Peter Maximoff being part of it, Polaris would be the best option.

A ruined Sentinel on set suggests the Fantastic Four visit the X-Mansion

Earlier, I theorized that the Fantastic Four ship in the Thunderbolts post credits scene had first visited the X-Men universe and was on its way back. That tied into Alan Cumming's comments that he's going to be in a fight scene with Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards. Recent set material, which seems to have been captured without Marvel's permission and which I won't share, indicates we're headed in that direction.

It's not a big spoiler. It shows a set that looks like a garden with damaged statues, similar to what we've seen outside Charles Xavier's X-Mansion. Lying in the middle of that garden is the broken body of a giant Sentinel. It looks like a live action version of the bulbous, curved robot design from the '90s X-Men animated series and X-Men '97.

The studio confirmed the original X-Men cast is returning. Kelsey Grammer also returned as Beast in the post credits scene of The Marvels, in the basement of the X-Mansion. So we have to assume this is Earth 10005, and that we'll see the higher floors and outer grounds of that mansion. It isn't too much of a surprise.

Kelsey Grammer hadn't seen a Doomsday script

Kelsey Grammer told Rob Lowe on his Literally podcast that he hadn't seen a script yet, though the filmmakers had given him a preliminary introduction to the idea. "They've called me a while later and said, 'We think we want to put you in another movie.' So, I'm really excited about it. I've had a preliminary introduction to the idea. They are still very secretive about the script," Grammer said.

Since Grammer was in that scene in The Marvels, I think they needed him to understand what universe he's in and what's going on in this part of the movie.

Tom Holland's Spider-Man deal was reportedly still being negotiated

Tom Holland's name was surprisingly left out of the March 26 set chairs announcement. But according to scooper Daniel RPK, Marvel Studios still wanted Holland to play Peter Parker in Doomsday, and Marvel and Sony were still negotiating. Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, starring Holland, reportedly wrapped ahead of schedule, and there was apparently some optimism the deal might work out.

Rumors of a new X-Men lineup built around Xavier, Cyclops and Jean Grey

While Doomsday will feature the original X-Men and others from their timeline, Avengers: Secret Wars is probably going to introduce, or at least hint at, a new cast of X-Men for the MCU going forward. That means rumors about Marvel's plans for the franchise in the Mutant Saga.

Scooper Jeff Sneider claimed on The Hot Mic podcast with John Rocha that an unnamed source said Marvel planned to build its new lineup around Charles Xavier, Cyclops and Jean Grey. It's not confirmed, so take it with another big grain of salt. According to Sneider, one name considered for Jean Grey is Daisy Edgar-Jones from Twisters, and one name considered for Professor X is Colman Domingo.

I would love to see Colman Domingo in any MCU role, and I'd definitely love to see his take on Charles Xavier. But to bring in these fresh mutants, the old guard has to be cleared away. That may include an actress known as one of the best final females of horror, Neve Campbell. So at the time, it looked like Hawkeye, Peter Parker and Neve Campbell's Scream heroine had made Doom's list.