Cameras are now rolling on Avengers: Doomsday (without a completed script, by all accounts), and star Robert Downey Jr. has taken to social media to share a new photo from the set.
The Oppenheimer Oscar-winner is clearly not in full costume as Victor Von Doom here, but he does appear to be wearing at least part of his undersuit as he sits reading co-star Jeremey Renner's new book. RDJ is also flexing his bicep, and it looks like he's bulked up somewhat to play the iconic villain... With some help from extra padding!
If you look closely, you'll also notice some red dots on Downey's head and face, which may confirm that VFX will be used for either Doom's mask or possibly his disfigured face.
Check out the photo at the link below.
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