Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom
Well, that’s a shocker: Robert Downey Jr. will be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to play Victor Von Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, the next Avengers movie. The Russo brothers made the announcement at Marvel’s San Diego Comic-Con panel on Saturday night, shortly after being announced as the directors of both Doomsday and the follow-up movie, Avengers: Secret Wars.
Downey Jr. walked out on stage in a Doom costume, complete with mask, for a dramatic reveal. Marvel Studios’s Instagram account posted the actual moment of the unmasking, and the fan reaction that followed:
A post shared by Marvel Studios (@marvelstudios)
“New mask,” Downey Jr. said. “Same task.”
The Oscar-winning Downey Jr. revived his career with his portrayal of Tony Stark in Iron Man and a litany of other Marvel projects. His time as Stark ended in Avengers: Endgame, as the character died in that movie.
But a silly thing like a character dying won’t stop Downey. He’s coming back to play one of the richest villains (nay, characters) in all of superhero-dom: Doctor Doom himself.
“What can I tell you? I like playing complicated characters,” Downey Jr. said.
Reports first emerged in November 2023 that Marvel was considering pivoting their central villain from the Avengers saga, moving from Kang to Doom. This followed the conviction and sentencing of Kang actor Jonathan Majors for domestic abuse and assault. Marvel officially dropped Majors in December 2023.
Avengers: Doomsday is slated to arrive in theaters May 1, 2026. Secret Wars is slated for about a year later, on May 7, 2027. At SDCC, Marvel Studios also announced that the new Fantastic Four, long-time rivals of Doom, will be appearing in both Doomsday and Secret Wars as well.
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