Promo art has frequently given us a first look at upcoming superhero movies, and it appears we can now add Avengers: Doomsday to the list.
As you can see below, artwork on display at the Walt Disney Studios Marketing Expo in Shanghai has revealed our first look at Robert Downey Jr. suited up as the MCU's Doctor Doom.
We've done some digging, and as far as we can tell, this isn't comic book artwork. The last time a banner like this was spotted, a piece of Alex Ross artwork was being used to hype up Avengers: Doomsday's big bad. However, this is a new piece, with a design that's similar to the comics but also quite distinct.
We should also point out that the promo image of Spidey, which many fans assumed was a generic placeholder, ended up being accurate to what he'll don in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, so chances are this is Downey's Victor Von Doom.
Back to Doom, and the gauntlets, chainmail, and belt all appear to be unique to the MCU. The Russo Brothers seem to be pulling inspiration from how the villain looked during Jonathan Hickman's Avengers and New Avengers runs (which culminated with Secret Wars).
We also see some magic-inspired symbols on his pauldrons and midsection, and some finer details on Doom's mask.
Talking about his and Anthony's inspiration for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars earlier this year, Joe said, "Well, we always create our own version of the story. So, we use the comics as loose inspiration."
"But, you know, I grew up on the original run," he continued. "That's something that got me into Marvel comic books. The Hickman run is also fantastic [and they're] very different from each other in a lot of ways, so we'll draw inspiration from both of them."
Check out this first look at Avengers: Doomsday's Doctor Doom in the X post below.
Avengers: Doomsday stars 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, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Lewis Pullman all make their Avengers franchise debuts in the movie.
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, and Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, and Ryan Reynolds are also set to appear, according to recent reports from the trades.
The Russo Brothers direct the movie from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's Michael Waldron is also working on the script.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.