Robert Downey Jr. is returning to Marvel Cinematic Universe albeit not as our favourite superhero Iron Man.
During Marvel’s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, the Hollywood superstar made a surprise appearance to announce his role in Avengers 5, officially titled Avengers: Doomsday, where he will portray Doctor Doom.
The Russo Brothers, who previously directed Downey Jr. in Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, are set to direct Avengers: Doomsday and its direct sequel Avengers: Secret Wars. Introducing Downey Jr. at Comic-Con, Joe and Anthony Russo emphasised the necessity of making another critical movie before tackling Secret Wars. And given Marvel’s downward trajectory since, we do understand that necessity.
“There is one very important character that is required to do Secret Wars justice… it could be the most important character in all of the Marvel universe,” Joe Russo stated.
“If we’re going to bring Victor Von Doom to movie theaters worldwide, then we need the greatest actor in the world to play that character,” he continued. “As proof of the unimaginable possibilities in the Marvel multiverse, we present the one person who could play Victor Von Doom.”
With that, a choir dressed in robes and Doctor Doom masks took the stage, and Downey Jr. revealed himself to an enthusiastic crowd.
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“New mask, same task. What can I tell you? I like playing complicated characters,” Downey Jr. quipped.
This Marvel return for Downey Jr. follows his first Oscar win for his role in Christopher Nolan’s 2023 film Oppenheimer. He bid farewell to Tony Stark in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, where Tony sacrificed himself to save the universe.
While Tony Stark remains dead, the character Downey Jr. will play in Doomsday is likely a variant — an alternate universe version of Tony Stark who followed a different path.
Downey Jr’s return is another step towards Marvel’s revival, the first step being Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine’s coronation in the MCU. In the film Deadpool & Wolverine, the popular X-Men character, along with several others, was made part of the universe. The film, to us, felt like a curtain raiser to all the big things that may happen in the future.
Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled for release on May 1, 2026.
