“Avengers: Doomsday” stars Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. Doom, setting up a Marvel comeback.
Marvel Cinematic Universe veteran Robert Downey Jr. is making a comeback as Dr. Doom in a new film dubbed “Avengers: Doomsday.”
Joe and Anthony Russo are directing the film as part of their own comeback to Marvel. The two next “Avengers” films, “Avengers: Secret Wars” and “Doomsday,” which will feature Victor von Doom/Dr. Doom, will be directed by the same team.
Although Downey has stated in recent interviews that he was open to rejoining Marvel, fans assumed that meant he would return as Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man. The fandom is completely taken aback by Downey’s reappearance as the evil Victor von Doom, even the boisterous crowd at Marvel’s San Diego Comic-Con presentation. On Saturday night, Downey triumphantly showed up at Hall H to announce his return.
Robert Downey Jr. is still alive and well in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor, who is most renowned for his role as Iron Man, will formally make a comeback to the comic book movies in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars as the villain Doctor Doom.
The announcement was made on July 27, 2024, during Marvel’s San Diego Comic-Con panel by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. Additionally, he said that the film’s director, Anthony and Joseph Russo, will helm Avengers: Doomsday, which is scheduled for release in May 2026.
Downey spoke to the crowd from the stage, “Same mask, new task.” Going dark, the actor will now play legendary Fantastic Four villain Victor von Doom, who will also make an appearance in May 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars.
The thrilling development was swiftly shared on social media by the official Marvel Studios X account. Robert Downey Jr. plays Dr. Doom in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday, which is directed by the Russo Brothers once again. The caption said, “Only in theaters May 2026.
In the 2019 film Avengers: Endgame, the 59-year-old actor played a man who gave his life in order to vanquish Thanos and preserve the universe. The actor recently stated that he wouldn’t mind working for Marvel again. “With pleasure. In an April 2024 interview with Esquire Magazine, he stated, “It’s too much a part of my DNA.”
“I was chosen for that role. And as you can see, I always advise against betting against Kevin Feige. It’s a losing wager. The house is him. He went on, “He will always prevail.
After Jonathan Majors was sacked from the MCU after his domestic abuse trial and conviction last year, the studio renamed the film Avengers: Doomsday from The Kang Dynasty.
During the Marvel Studios panel at San Diego Comic-Con today, it was revealed Robert Downey Jr. will be joining the MCU again Doomsday. At the conclusion of the panel, Downey Jr. appeared, surrounded by Doom Bots, and said he would “see you in two years” alongside Doomsday. The movie will be released on May 7, 2027.
Sadly, nobody came out of the hall knowing exactly how this is going to operate. Is he in any way portraying Iron Man, Tony Stark, who perished (like, really, really perished!) in Avengers: Endgame while battling Thanos? Is this another individual who has a striking resemblance to Tony Stark? Is he from one of the countless different planets? Who knows?
Downey Jr.’s only comment on the matter was, “New mask, same task.” What am I able to tell you? I enjoy portraying nuanced roles.
As strange as this may seem, the MCU is more than capable of accommodating this kind of lookalike foolishness, so whatever the reasoning behind this casting is, there will almost definitely be a storyline behind it that goes beyond merely wanting Downey Jr. back.
The Russo Brothers will be returning to the MCU to direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, which is scheduled for release on May 1, 2026, a year early, as we also discovered during the same conference.
It was previously anticipated that Avengers 5 would be named Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and center around, well, Kang. But Disney severed relations and took action to downplay Kang actor Jonathan Majors after he was found guilty of one count of assault and one count of harassment in December of last year. Since then, there have been reports that Marvel will be switching from a Kang-centric phase to a Dr. Doom-centric one, and it seems like those rumors were accurate.
