There were rumors that Robert Downey Jr. might be set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a Tony Stark Variant who went down a dark path and became Doctor Doom, and last night during Marvel Studios' San Diego Comic-Con panel, we got confirmation that the fan-favorite actor will indeed debut as the iconic villain in Avengers: Doomsday (formerly titled The Kang Dynasty).
Despite the rumor, this news still came as a pretty big surprise, as most fans were under the impression that this was more an idea that had been tossed around than a set-in-stone plan.
While there's definitely some excitement for RDJ's return and curiosity about his take on Doom, the announcement was met with a mixed response (to say the least), as many fans were looking forward to the introduction of the actual Victor Von Doom.
This also runs the risk of confusing more casual fans - as even other MCU actors are wondering what exactly is going on.
In response to Downey Jr.'s Instagram post, the actor's Iron Man co-star Gwyneth Paltrow wrote: "I don't get it, are you a baddie now?"
To be fair, Paltrow doesn't exactly keep up to date with the developments and intricacies of the MCU, and has even admitted to forgetting which Marvel movies she’s appeared in.
We still don't know for certain what the plan is for Downey Jr.'s Doom. An evil multiverse version of Stark seems like the most likely route to go, but there's a chance he could play the Victor Von Doom who just happens to bear a striking resemblance to the Armored Avenger.
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 statemnet after the SDCC panel.
Have another look at Downey Jr.'s photos below, and let us know what you make of this development in the comment section.