Ever since Robert Downey Jr. was announced to be playing Doctor Doom in December's Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel fans have wondered how the film would handle this in the context of the multiverse. Would Victor von Doom be a variant of Tony Stark, the character Downey played for over a decade? Would he never take off his mask, meaning Avengers like Steve Rogers and Thor wouldn't have to address how their new enemy suspiciously looks a lot like their old friend?
David Harbour seemingly spoiled the answer to that question over the summer. However, now the Thunderbolts* star is singing a different tune and denying he ever did such a thing. [Warning: Potential spoilers (Who knows?) for Avengers: Doomsday (may) follow.] In August, Variety interviewed Harbour about several of his projects. When asked for an out-of-context line from Doomsday, Harbour said (while pointing), "You … are Tony Stark." If true, the Red Guardian calling a character Tony Stark certainly seems to imply that Downey's Doom takes his mask off in Doomsday and his face is recognizable as the MCU hero.
Except, Harbour denies he ever said this. Chatting with ScreenRant at New York Comic Con, Harbour played coy when asked about his infamous line. "Did I say that I said that?" he said.
"I think you guys make this stuff up." Instead, Harbour said the line he gave was the Red Guardian counting down from five, and then said "something very important happens" when he's done counting. "I don't know about the Tony Stark thing," Harbour said. It's possible that the whole "You … are Tony Stark" line was just a miscommunication.
It's also possible that the Marvel Studios spoiler police got to Harbour and gave him a lesson in damage control. Who knows, maybe Marvel will draft Benedict Cumberbatch to babysit Harbour during interviews now, like he did for Tom Holland. We won't have to wait long to find out how Avengers: Doomsday handles Doctor Doom's character and appearance.
The first Avengers movie in seven years will unite old MCU favorites like Chris Evans' Steve Rogers, newcomers like the Fantastic Four, and old hats from the Fox movies like Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier for the explosive film. Avengers: Doomsday will be released in theaters Dec. 18.
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