Robert Downey Jr. surprised Marvel fans when he arrived as Victor Von Doom inside Hall H at the 2024 Comic-Con.
After playing Iron Man for over a decade, Downey is headed to the evil side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the villainous Doctor Doom. Downey’s Doom will be the primary antagonist in the next two Avengers movies: Doomsday and Secret Wars.
Downey is not the only major player returning for another go-around with Marvel. Joe and Anthony Russo, known professionally as the Russo Brothers, will direct Doomsday and Secret Wars. The Russo Brothers previously directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.
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In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, the Russo Brothers teased Downey’s involvement, including how the Oscar winner has influenced the development of his character.
“He is so immersed in it. He is so dialed in,” Joe said about Downey’s impact on Doom. “He’s writing backstory, costume ideas… We were just on the phone with him this morning before we got here talking about it. He just loves really rich three-dimensional characters. He sees a real opportunity here with the character.”
The Russo Brothers are gearing up to begin filming on Doomsday in London next month. With Avengers projects, details are sparse due to the secretive nature of the movies. Doomsday and Secret Wars will likely include large ensemble casts, with many MCU heroes showing up in some capacity.
The only characters confirmed for Doomsday are the Fantastic Four, which consists of Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on May 1, 2026. One year later, Avengers: Secret Wars opens on May 7, 2027.