Doctor Doom Marvel Project Plans Revealed on Hot Mic

Howard Stern built his reputation by saying shocking things on the microphone. But his latest shocking comment making the rounds was broadcast accidentally. After recording an episode of his Sirius XM radio show, Stern and his co-host Robin Quivers talk about summer plans, unaware that their mics were still going. Under the sound of ads and promotional music, listeners caught Stern referring to a fan-favorite character.

In a clip circulating on Twitter, Stern is griping about his upcoming schedule when Robin asks if he’ll be working over the summer. “I told you, I’m doing Doctor Doom,” Stern responds, followed by conversation too muddled to make out. One can clearly hear Stern reference the variety show America’s Got Talent, for which he served as a judge, and the phrase “I’m an asshole,” which could refer to either his character on a Doom project or his general dissatisfaction with his workload.

On one hand, this news may not be as out of left field as it initially appears. Last year, Marvel signed a contract with Sirius XM to produce podcasts, many of which have focused on characters who haven’t appeared in the MCU, such as two Wolverine series starring The Hobbit’s Richard Armitage as Logan. Later installments include several Wastelanders series, set in the post-apocalyptic future of Old Man Logan, including Wastelanders: Doom.

While it seems most likely that Stern is referring to the upcoming Doctor Doom podcast, a couple of surprising name-drops raise the possibility for something more substantial. “I called Robert Downey Jr.,” Stern can be heard saying. “I was asking him about acting tips.” Before the clip cuts off, Stern asks about a phone number for “Jon” – possibly Jon Favreau?

If Downey and Favreau are involved, then this could be something much larger than just a podcast. Fans have been clamoring for a proper cinematic representation of Doctor Doom since Disney acquired Fox for X-Men and Fantastic Four movie rights. With Mr. Fantastic’s appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, via Doom’s Time Platform, it seems that the Latverian dictator is not far away. Kevin Feige has indicated that he wants a more established director for the first MCU Fantastic Four movie, someone he can be more hands-off with. Although he’s been quite happy working on The Mandalorian and other Star Wars shows, it’s hard to think of someone better suited for Marvel’s First Family than the guy who launched the MCU.

Downey Jr. has been pretty adamant that Avengers: Endgame is his last performance as Tony Stark, even letting Mick Wingert voice the character on What If…?. But Iron Man and Doom have a long history in the comics, crossing over in stories such as Armor Wars (the title of an upcoming Disney+ show) and Doom even became Iron Man for a short time.

Whatever the project may be, here’s one thing we know for sure: Stern is not excited. “I’m fucking miserable about it,” the shock jock says, proving that he can offend listeners, even on accident.

UPDATE: Thanks to Twitter user @bringbackjackie, we have a little more info about the hot mic. According to @bringbackjackie‘s transcription, the conversation begins with a producer telling Stern that “Kevin Feigeman” called to find out if “the schedule works for you.” After clarifying that the producer meant Kevin Feige, Stern confirms that it will work but “it’s gonna suck.” The transcript also found that Stern does indeed ask for Jon Favreau’s phone number.