Credit: Marvel StudiosRobert Downey Jr. is officially back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but not in the way that any fan could have expected.
San Diego Comic-Con 2024 Reveals
San Diego Comic-Con is arguably the world’s biggest fan event, albeit one that has transformed over the years into essentially a four-day press event for huge corporations like The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Apple. Despite that, fandoms of all kinds look forward to Comic-Con every year for the big reveals that will be unveiled for upcoming franchise projects.
Marvel Studios skipped San Diego Comic-Con Hall H, widely regarded as the prime spot for big announcements in 2023; in hindsight, that seems like an admission of its comparatively weak offerings at the time and superhero fatigue. This year, however, Kevin Feige and the rest of the Marvel brass are back in force and have a whole lot to promote.
Related: “We’ll Never Say Never” Marvel-DCU Crossover in the Future, Kevin Feige Says
The star of the show, up until last night, was Deadpool & Wolverine, the MCU’s triumphant return to the top of the box office after flops like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) and The Marvels (2023).
Along with appropriately cheesy stunts like a Deadpool choir and Ryan Reynolds’ neverending quest to remind everyone he’s cool because he makes fun of Green Lantern (2011), Marvel had a lot to pump up to try to get fans back on board with the franchise.
New footage of Captain America: Brave New World was shown, Giancarlo Esposito finally revealed his mysterious role, and Harrison Ford even stomped around with some very Red Hulk-like movies on stage.
The new Fantastic Four movie was given a new subtitle and a glimpse at the upcoming World Devourer, Galactus (who will be portrayed by Ralph Ineson). The trailer was shown for Thunderbolts*, but all of the above has been overshadowed by the big reveal of the year.
Robert Downey Jr. Is Doctor Doom
Last night, crowds were blown away by the surprise unveiling of Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man himself, as a new character for the MCU.
“New mask, same task.”
Robert Downey Jr. surprises Hall H to announce his return to the MCU as Doctor Doom. pic.twitter.com/j1SEjzse3p
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) July 28, 2024
It has been expected for some time that Victor Von Doom, AKA Doctor Doom, the longtime foe of the Fantastic Four in Marvel Comics and one of the most iconic and complicated villains in Marvel Comics history, would be joining the MCU in the near future.
While there have been rumors about the casting and even that Robert Downey Jr. was in discussions, it is still something of a shock to see the Iron Man actor officially announced as the new Doctor Doom.
The announcement of RDJ as Doctor Doom was appropriately dramatic. Numerous figures in cloaks and steel masks appeared on the stage, only for the actor to stride forward and pull off his helmet to reveal himself. RDJ told the ecstatic crowd, “New mask, same task. What can I say? I like playing complicated characters.”
It was also officially announced that Joe and Anthony Russo (jointly referred to as the Russo Brothers) had returned to Marvel Studios to direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. After the monumental success of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) and the company’s current struggle to retain audiences, it appears that Feige was ready to return to two reliable directors.
Just announced in Hall H:
The Russo Brothers return to direct Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday, starring Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. Only in theaters May 2026. #SDCC pic.twitter.com/oqnSwWKnYn— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) July 28, 2024
Related: ‘Hulk’ Movie Finally in the Works at Marvel
Avengers: Doomsday replaces Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, which had been previously announced to star Jonathan Majors as the titular villain. However, Majors’ New York City arrest for assault and harassment in 2023 threw those plans into disarray; the actor has since been fired, and now, with the arrival of Doctor Doom, it can be assumed that the plot has been entirely scrapped.
Robert Downey Jr. first portrayed Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, in 2008, beginning a historic career comeback and the ascension of the world’s most commercially successful film franchise. He officially closed out the role in Endgame, but it appears that Marvel was able to bring him back, albeit in a very different role.
Rumors from industry insider Jeffrey Sneider speculated that RDJ was in discussions to portray Victor Von Doom as a Multiversal Variant of Tony Stark, similar to how Jonathan Majors portrayed multiple versions of Kang in Loki and Quantumania. This now appears to be extremely likely, although the connection between Doctor Doom and Stark is yet to be confirmed.
But one thing is certain, at least for now: Robert Downey Jr. is back, and this time, he’s bad.
Do you think there’s a connection between Tony Stark and Doctor Doom?