We had assumed the concept art that was mistakenly shared online a few weeks ago (though the Russo Brothers denied that this had anything to do with the upcoming Avengers movies) featured the Doctor Doom armor and mask Robert Downey Jr. would don in Avengers: Doomsday, but it seems the actor's actual look as the iconic Marvel Comics villain will be very different.
Downey Jr. turned 60 this week, and the artwork on the invitation to his birthday bash in London has now found its way online. As you can see, the art shows RDJ in a green military-style suit, purple cape, and a gold mask that takes more than a little inspiration from Tony Stark's Iron Man armor.
This could simply be some artwork created for the invitation with nothing to do with the movie, but it might be very telling that Downey Jr. was photographed at his party sporting the same curly hairstyle.
Is it possible that Victor Von Doom could be introduced in this outfit before donning the more God Emperor Doom-inspired costume from the concept art in Avengers: Secret Wars?
Click on the image at the link below for a closer look.
Ever since we first learned that Downey Jr. would be making his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, fans have wondered whether the actor would play an evil Multiversal variant of Tony Stark or the actual Victor Von Doom.
According to a recent rumor from scooper MTTSH, Doom is not a Stark variant, and simply bears a striking resemblance to the late Avenger. Apparently, the villain will use this to "present himself as an ally to the MCU."
This would appear to back up previous plot rumors that Doom will lead an evil group of Avengers that come from another earth, initially posing as allies to help prevent more incursions. It's also been said that "the entire point of creating these characters that reflect the original line-up, is because they'll be facing off against each other."
Here's what co-director Anthony Russo had to say when asked how Downey Jr. can return to the MCU as a completely new character during a recent interview.
"We can’t explain that as it’s part of the story. But there’s nobody else in the world who could play this character the way he’s about to."
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on May 1, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027. Both films will be directed by the Russo brothers, who also make their MCU return after helming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
"Being able to create stories and explore characters within the Marvel Universe fulfilled a life-long dream of ours, and we discovered a powerful connection with audiences in each film that we made. We’re thrilled to collaborate once again with Kevin, Lou and the entire Marvel team to bring this epic adventure in storytelling to new and surprising places for both the fans and ourselves”, said The Russos in a statement after the SDCC panel.
You can check out the full (for now) Doomsday cast list below.
• Paul Rudd as Ant-Man
• Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
• Tom Hiddleston as Loki
• Lewis Pullman as Sentry
• Florence Pugh as Yelena
• Danny Ramirez as Falcon
• Ian McKellen as Magneto
• Sebastian Stan as Bucky
• Winston Duke as M’Baku
• Chris Hemsworth as Thor
• Kelsey Grammer as Beast
• James Marsden as Cyclops
• Channing Tatum as Gambit
• Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent
• Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm
• Rebecca Romijn as Mystique
• Patrick Stewart as Professor X
• Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler
• Letitia Wright as Black Panther
• Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor
• Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards
• Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost
• Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm
• David Harbour as Red Guardian
• Robert Downey Jr as Doctor Doom
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing
• Anthony Mackie as Captain America