Once again, social media is being flooded with possible leaks from Avengers: Doomsday. It's always hard to separate legitimate images from clever fakes, especially as technology has advanced significantly since the days when a supposed Avengers: Age of Ultron post-credits scene featuring Spider-Man fooled everyone.
Today, we have a possible first look at Robert Downey Jr.'s unmasked Doctor Doom. If these images look familiar, it's because they were among the photos that leaked with those character portraits (which have since been confirmed as real) at the end of last year.
A few prolific scoopers and leakers on social media have claimed these are the real deal, and it seems likely that the first image is from the aftermath of Victor Von Doom's wife and child dying. We're not sure what's going on with that line down the centre of his face; perhaps it's meant as a metaphor regarding the villain's duality?
As far as we're aware, there are still no plans for Doom's likeness to Earth-616's Tony Stark to factor into Avengers: Doomsday's plot. It's been seven years since Downey bid farewell to Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame, and between these scars and the lack of Tony's trademark goatee, it's not as if the mind instantly goes to the Oscar-winner's previous MCU role.
Only time will tell whether these shots of the unmasked Doom are legitimate. These look more like makeup tests than moments from the film itself, and there are conflicting reports about whether we'll see what lies beneath the villain's mask in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Before dismissing these photos, don't forget that Avengers: Doomsday has been plagued by leaks, most of which were real. From behind-the-scenes shots of Doom, Steve Rogers, and the Fantastic Four to the moment the Multiverse's Mightiest Heroes assemble to battle Doom's Sentinels, we've seen a lot from this one.
"It was really weird being the guy — everyone else is hanging out, they’re the good heroes, and I’m [in] this mask and this hood. I’m like, 'They’re all on one side of the camera, and I guess they’re all mad at me or something,'" Downey recently said. "But I’ll say this: getting to know [Hayley Atwell] better, all of [mine and Chris Evans’] history, because you’re a legit dude."
"Because you don’t say yes because you can; it has to feel right. And I think that in Doomsday, what happens with this key relationship is so exciting and unexpected and beautiful," he continued. "I will say Doom, for now, because I got to really observe what I’ve been missing the whole time, just everybody else."
Check out this possible Avengers: Doomsday leak in the X posts below.
In Avengers: Doomsday, beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered.
Avengers: Doomsday stars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Mabel Cadena, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, India Rose Hemsworth, and Wesley Holloway all make their Avengers franchise debuts.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, as do X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, with Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. The movie is produced by Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, and Jonathan Schwartz, with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18.