When Marvel Studios and filmmaker Jon Favreau cast Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in 2008's Iron Man, it was considered quite a risk.
The actor had a troubled past, which, while long behind him by that point, was still problematic in the eyes of some. He also wasn't a bankable star at that point in his career, but Iron Man was a B-list superhero, so Kevin Feige and company really had nothing to lose.
Iron Man was a critical and commercial hit. Iron Man 2, while not quite as warmly received by critics, also did well, and Iron Man 3 was the first MCU solo movie to gross over $1 billion. Along the way, Downey established himself as one of the Avengers franchise's biggest draws and scored record-setting paydays for movies like Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
In 2019's Avengers: Endgame, the Oscar-winner ended his 11-year run in the MCU when the Russo Brothers had Iron Man make the ultimate sacrifice to stop Thanos.
It was a phenomenal farewell, but with it no longer feasible to move forward with Jonathan Majors' Kang as the Multiverse Saga's big bad, Downey was revealed as the new Doctor Doom at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con. Following a brief appearance in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the actor will take centre stage in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
However, the latter movie might not be the end of the line for Downey's Victor Von Doom. According to insider Daniel Richtman, Marvel Studios wants the former Iron Man to continue playing Doctor Doom after Secret Wars.
This would mean he'd continue in the role into the Mutant Saga. Whether that's as a villain for the Fantastic Four or as the new Iron Man remains to be seen, but the latter option seems likely.
After the comic book version of Secret Wars, Doom's face was healed, and he became the "Infamous Iron Man." It won't be to the liking of everyone, but this could mean we see Downey return to his most iconic role, albeit as a bad guy looking to do some good. What a story arc that would be after the next Avengers movies!
Only time will tell whether that's the plan for Downey's Doom, but it seems we won't be bidding farewell to him in yet another Avengers movie next December (and let's face it, ending his story there would be a real waste).
Avengers: Doomsday officially 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, and India Rose Hemsworth 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 trades have pointed to Ryan Reynolds and Hayley Atwell also appearing in Avengers: Doomsday.
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. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's Michael Waldron has also been enlisted to help.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.