Summary
- Downey Jr. Returning as Doctor Doom for MCU's Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars was confirmed at Comic-Con 2024.
- Rumors suggest Downey Jr. May continue playing Doctor Doom beyond Avengers: Secret Wars.
- Fans speculated that Doctor Doom's return may be a temporary stunt but a scooper claims Downey Jr. Will continue as the MCU's Doctor Doom.
Robert Downey Jr. Is returning to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars to play the villain Doctor Doom. However, fans hoping this might be a one-time stunt-casting event may want to brace themselves for surprising news.
Downey Jr.'s return to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars was first announced at Marvel Sudios' Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. While the Hall H attendees were audibly excited by this casting announcement, many fans were disappointed that Marvel Studios was resorting to casting arguably the MCU's most famous face instead of finding a new actor to portray the iconic Doctor Doom. There had been some hope that a new actor would eventually take over the Doctor Doom role, but a new rumor may have dashed those hopes.
Rumor: Actor Who Dropped Out of Thunderbolts Eyed to Play X-Men Character
The X-Men MCU reboot is rumored to have another contender to play an iconic character, and this actor was formerly part of the Thunderbolts cast.
Is Robert Downey Jr. Done Playing Doctor Doom After Avengers: Secret Wars?
Notable scooper MyTimeToShineHello claims Marvel Studios wants Robert Downey Jr. To continue playing Doctor Doom after Avengers: Secret Wars. As noted by @JoshDenofNerds, some fans hoped that Downey Jr.'s return to the MCU as Doctor Doom would be temporary. However, MyTimeToShineHello reaffirmed Josh's belief that Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom wouldn't be replaced, clarifying in no uncertain terms, "Yep this IS the MCU Doom."
After Downey Jr.'s return as Doctor Doom was announced, there was initially some confusion regarding whether or not the Academy-Award-winning actor's incarnation of the Fantastic Four villain was merely an evil Tony Stark variant. Even Iron Man co-star Gwyneth Paltrow was confused by Downey Jr.'s return as Doctor Doom. It's since been clarified that Downey Jr. Is playing Victor von Doom, not an evil version of Tony Stark who happens to wear the villain's iconic armor instead of the Iron Man suit. Fans have formulated theories about how the MCU will explain Tony Stark and Doctor Doom's identical appearances. However, with Avengers: Secret Wars rumored to reboot the franchise, many of these theories posit that Downey Jr's Doctor Doom will be replaced by the 'real' Victor von Doom, allowing a new actor to take on the role. Unfortunately, if MyTimeToShineHello's information is correct, Marvel Studios has no intention of delivering a 'proper' version of Doctor Doom.
While few fans doubt Downey Jr. Can play Doctor Doom well, it's difficult for many not to see this casting decision as blatant desperation. After Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios experienced box office disappointment and outright bombs. Yes, films like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 or Deadpool and Wolverine were blockbuster hits. However, Ant-Man 3, The Marvels, and others did not reach the height of past MCU successes, leading most to assume Marvel Studios' days of guaranteed box office hits were over. It's understandable why Marvel Studios wants to bring back its most bankable star. However, part of the appeal of seeing Marvel Studios regain the film rights to the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom was that fans would see a new (and hopefully the best) cinematic interpretation of these characters. So, Marvel Studios casting an actor they've already seen in the MCU as Doctor Doom, a villain worthy of an entirely fresh start, is disappointing to some fans.
Avengers: Secret Wars is scheduled to be released in theaters on May 7, 2027.
Avengers: Secret Wars
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- December 17, 2027
- Director
- Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
- Writers
- Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Stephen McFeely
Avengers: Secret Wars is the sixth Avengers film and takes place during phase six of Marvel's Cinematic Universe. The film will see several heroes from the prior phases return and battle against a cosmic threat to rival Thanos, and borrows elements of the Marvel Comics event of the same name.
- Cast
- Robert Downey Jr., Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Hannah John-Kamen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anthony Mackie
- Prequel(s)
- Avengers: Doomsday
- Franchise(s)
- Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Budget
- $500 million
- Studio(s)
- Marvel Studios
- Distributor(s)
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Source: MyTimeToShineHello