Has Red Guardian actor David Harbour just revealed a major Doctor Doom spoiler?
Although the majority of fans now seem to be on board, the initial announcement that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to the MCU as an entirely different character in Avengers: Doomsday after playing Tony Stark for so many years was met with a mixed response.
While speaking to CBR in a recent interview, Downey confirmed that they are doing "something different" with the character.
"A lot of it has been… there's some experimentation," said the Oppenheimer star. "We've had our moments of, 'Let's shift here.' But we landed in a place that I think will more than suffice. And it's not even about how I executed it. It's about the way it's been structured, and the other characters."
Though the trailers have revealed a few details, we still don't know exactly how this new big-screen take on the classic villain will be depicted in the movie. Rumor has it that Downey Jr. is playing the Victor Von Doom, and not an evil Stark variant, but that doesn't mean his resemblance to Iron Man won't factor into the story in any way.
During an interview with Variety, Harbour was asked to share one of his lines from Doomsday without any additional context.
"We pressed Harbour for any detail about the next Marvel Cinematic Universe installment and asked him to recite a line from the movie, completely out of context. He offers a deadpan line in a Russian accent (and pointing): 'You … are Tony Stark.'”
Harbour is known for goofing around and having fun during interviews, so we'd say there's a pretty good chance he's joking here. But if he isn't (Marvel snipers be damned), this dialogue would obviously confirm that at least some of Earth's Mightiest Heroes will see Doom without his mask.
Don't expect any studio-demanded retractions like the recent Sebastian Stan situation, but Harbour might feel compelled to clarify that he wasn't being serious!
Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars were hit with significant delays last year, with Doomsday now set to arrive in theaters on December 18, 2026, and Secret Wars positioned for December 17, 2027.
Both movies 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.
"Universes collide and the Multiverse Saga begins its final chapter in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday. Beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and ultimately face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered. This epic film will lay the foundation for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe."
Doomsday will star:
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, and Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent
Along with 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, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, and, of course, Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom.