Robert Downey Jr. goes bad; joins actors to play multiple characters in the MCU

In an attempt to revive their fortunes, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) decided to go back to tried-and-tested actor Robert Downey Jr. (RDJ) and cast him as Dr. Doom in the upcoming Fantastic Four flick. His character will not only replace Jonathan Majors's Kang the Conqueror, but will also try to steer the MCU on a different path.

Who other than RDJ would be a more apt choice to take the MCU in the right direction? He did, after all, kickstart it way back in 2008 with Iron Man. However, many fans are worried that RDJ's return as the Fantastic Four villain will disrupt the MCU timeline. Fans can breathe easy though, as the Fantastic Four flick will only be part of the MCU in name; their adventures will take part in another dimension, where there might not even be an Iron Man.

Contrary to popular belief, RDJ isn't the first major Hollywood star to don a second costume within the superhero universe. In fact, many actors before him have played two superheroes, two supervillains, or one superhero and one supervillain in the MCU and DCEU, or both.

Let's take a look at these actors and discuss how their decision to go for the change benefitted them, or didn't. Read on:

Josh Brolin - Thanos in the Avengers franchise, Cable in Deadpool, Jonah Hex in DCEU, and Young Agent K in Men In Black 3

You might remember him as supervillain Thanos in the Avengers franchise, but limiting Josh Brolin to just one baddie would have been an injustice to his talent. The first time he played a comic book character was in Jonah Hex in 2010 where he played a bounty hunter with mysterious powers. Brolin was again part of the superhero universe with Men In Black 3 where he played the younger version of Tommy Lee Jones's Agent K. Thanos in the Avengers series and Cable in Deadpool 2 came next, making him the actor with the most appearances in a comic book universe.

Idris Elba: Heimdall in MCU, Bloodsport in The Suicide Squad, Roque in The Losers, and Moreau in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Idris Elba also has four appearances in films revolving around comic books, even though one of those flicks - The Losers - wasn't a superhero movie. The first time Elba appeared in a superhero film was in 2011 when he was part of Thor as Heimdall the sole protector of Bifrost in Asgard. The same year, he appeared as an original character Moreau in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance which was followed by multiple appearances as Heimdall in the MCU. Elba then made his entry into the DCEU with The Suicide Squad as supervillain Bloodsport who becomes part of a task force in exchange for lighter sentences.

Ryan Reynolds - Hannibal King in Blade: Trinity and Deadpool in MCU; Green Lantern in DCEU

Ryan Reynolds may be basking in the glory of success with Deadpool and Wolverine, but this isn't his first rodeo as a superhero. In fact, if a list were compiled of actors with the most appearances as different characters in a superhero world, Reynolds would find himself among the top three. The first time he played a superhero was in Blade: Trinity in 2004, where his character Hannibal King was an ally of the titular character. Five years later, Reynolds appeared as Deadpool for the first time in X-Men Origins: Wolverine but since it was a film about Wolverine, he did nothing more than just be the title character's sidekick.

Instead of waiting for his turn to play the main superhero, Ryan Reynolds jumped ship to DCEU and found himself playing Green Lantern in 2011. Partnered with his future wife Blake Lively, the film bombed so badly at the box office that the actor had to distance himself from it. The only way to recover from the shock was to return to the Deadpool character, which he did in 2016. This time Deadpool was more like the version we know today, and with every installment in the franchise, RR keeps making the audience fall in love with his performance, be it with Wolverine or not.

Chris Evans - Johnny Storm, Jensen, and Captain America

Before he came to life to lead the Avengers as Captain America, Chris Evans played Johnny Storm in the first two Fantastic Four films (that's why Deadpool was confused too!). Although the movies did well at the box office, Evans decided to explore the superhero universe with his second coming as Steve Rogers who went on to become Captain America. The switch heralded the actor to superstardom, and laid down the foundation of the MCU, which is still going strong after two decades. He also played computer hacker Jensen in The Losers which was loosely based on a comic book series.

Michael B Jordan - Johnny Storm, Erik Killmonger

In his short career, Michael B Jordan has played two iconic characters in the MCU - Johhny Storm in the Fantastic Four reboot and Erik Killmonger in the Black Panther franchise. While the former wasn't much appreciated by fans, the latter was and that's why Jordan even had a cameo in the Black Panther sequel which was released after the death of Chadwick Boseman, the Black Panther actor. Before he played a superhero/villain in live-action films, Jordan provided the voiceover for Cyborg in the Justice League animated universe.

Sam Elliott - Hulk and Ghost Rider

In 2003, long before the MCU became as huge as it is today, Sam Elliott played General Thaddeus Ross in the first Hulk movie where he opposed Eric Bana's Bruce Banner every step of the way. Four years later, he was back in the comic book universe as Phantom Rider in the Ghost Rider, a mentor to Nicolas Cage's titular character. What's interesting is the fact that the character he played is rumored to have been based on a younger Sam Elliott.

Rebecca Romijn - Mystique in the X-Men series, Joan in The Punisher

Rebecca Romijn wasn't well-known when she appeared as Mystique in the first X-Men movie in 2000, but soon became popular as the person behind the supervillain. Between the release of the second and the third X-Men movies, she also appeared in The Punisher as the title character's neighbor Joan, marking her second appearance in the MCU.

Zachary Levi - Thor: Ragnarök and The Dark World, Shazam! in DCEU

Although he had made a name for himself as Chuck Bartowski in the world of espionage, Zachary Levi was also part of the comic book universe both in the DCEU and the MCU. He played second fiddle to Chris Hemsworth's Thor in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarök as Fandral but leveled-up to major superhero when he said the magic words in Shazam! The first Shazam! film was a huge success in 2019 but the sequel couldn't live up to the expectations four years later. Nevertheless, Zachary Levi's performance in both installments was appreciated by audiences and critics alike.