Credit: Marvel Studios / edited by Inside the MagicIn just over a year, Avengers: Doomsday (2026) will officially debut, marking the beginning of the end of Kevin Feige’s Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After pivoting from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, following the allegations and sentencing of Jonathan Majors (He Who Remains/Kang the Conqueror/Victor Timely), Marvel Studios decided to push forward with another iconic comic book villain, Victor Von Doom, AKA Doctor Doom.
Announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Feige shared that Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) directors Anthony and Joe Russo will helm The Kang Dynasty‘s replacement, Avengers: Doomsday, and its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars, which is slated for December 2027.
The biggest shock, though, came with the confirmation that Robert Downey Jr., known for his tenure as Tony Stark/Iron Man in the MCU, would be taking on the iconic and fearsome villain. This casting announcement both excited and confused fans, with criticism levied at the erasure of Doom’s Romani heritage, as well as using such a familiar face to take on the role even with the Multiverse Saga being in full flow.
Avengers: Doomsday looks to match its franchise predecessors as one of the biggest crossover events in the MCU’s history. Not only that, but the movie will seemingly travel back to a key moment from Endgame, possibly returning to Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Peggy Carter’s (Hayley Atwell) emotional reunion at the end of the movie. In fact, it could even be this exact moment that causes Doctor Doom to commence his Battleworld plan.
Boasting a cast that spans both the MCU and 20th Century Fox/Studios universes, levelling up what fans saw in Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) last year, Doomsday will feature characters like Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Professor Charles Xavier/Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Sam Wilson/Captain America (Anthony Mackie).
Despite appearing in a small capacity in the post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), a first frontal look at Doctor Doom has been shared at the 2026 Merchandise Expo in China. CinXperience (@CinXperience) posted the artwork look:
First Look at Promotional Art for Doctor Doom in ‘AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY’.
Displayed at the Disney 2026 Merchandise Expo in China.
#AvengersDoomsday hits Theaters December 18, 2026!
First Look at Promotional Art for Doctor Doom in ‘AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY’.
Displayed at the Disney 2026 Merchandise Expo in China.#AvengersDoomsday hits Theaters December 18, 2026! pic.twitter.com/yRFqVpjgCa
— CinXperience (@CinXperience) September 11, 2025
Unlike many other characters from 20th Century Studios’ roster of actors, Marvel Studios decided to recast the part of Doctor Doom with Robert Downey Jr. Notably, the late Julian McMahon played the role in the 2005 Fantastic Four movie and its 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. In animation, Ross Marquand has voiced the role for Marvel TV shows.
Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are not intended to end the Multiverse Saga as Endgame did for the Infinity Saga, but to usher in a new era for MCU storytelling. Both the Russos and Kevin Feige have spoken about this duo of films being new beginnings for the aging franchise, with the latter even going so far as to say that a reset is looming. That reset will be led by the X-Men team.
While the arrival of the X-Men in the MCU is being kept tightly under wraps, fans do know that Thunderbolts* (2025) director Jake Schreier is taking on directing duties for the highly anticipated movie.
How do you feel about this new take on Doctor Doom in the MCU? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!