First Look at Robert Downey Jr.’s Doom Reveals Classic Inspiration for the MCU’s Take on the Villain

The recent Disney Blockbuster Consumer Products was not the sort of place one would expect first looks at Marvel Studios upcoming projects; however, it seems to have been the most revelatory convention for the studio in some time.

Marvel reportedly let is slip that Scorpion, Boomerang and Tombstone were set to antagonize Tom Holland‘s Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, potentially putting to rest a number of rumors about the film’s plot and villains. As if that wasn’t enough, a short sizzle reel of footage from Avengers: Doomsday was also shown and according to on attendee, it provided the first look at that film’s villain, Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr.

According to Film Threat’s Chris Gore, Doom’s face will indeed be disfigured and, in his opinion, looks to be inspired by the look of creatures from “classic Universal Monster movies.”

Without any additional context, Lon Chaney‘s Phantom of the Opera would seem to be one possible comparison and would like up with Jack Kirby‘s belief that Victor Von Doom was “paranoid” because of the damage done to his face. The extent of that damage has varied widely over the years, with Kirby drawing it as only a small scar, others, such as Esad Ribic depicting a much more complete disfiguration and John Byrne drawing something intermediate to the the two extreme ends of the spectrum.

The description of a disfigured Doom certainly helps explain the tracking dots seen on Downey’s face in a recent behind the scenes photo of the actor and may indicate that Ribic’s interpretation of the character’s face, seen in Jonathan Hickman‘s 2015 Secret Wars, inspired the villain’s MCU appearance. With less than a year until Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters, perhaps it won’t be long before the studio chooses to let the whole world behold the face of Doom.