Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the character that made him a superhero icon — kind of. The actor surprised Marvel’s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday to announce that he’s returning to star in “Avengers 5,” which is titled “Avengers: Doomsday,” playing Doctor Doom.
The Russo Brothers, who directed Downey Jr. in “Captain America: Civil War,” “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame,” are returning to direct “Avengers: Doomsday” and its direct sequel “Avengers: Secret Wars.” Joe and Anthony Russo introduced RDJ at Comic-Con on Saturday, saying that before they make “Secret Wars” they need to make another “essential” movie first.
“There is one very important character that is required to do ‘Secret Wars’ justice… it could be the most important character in all of the Marvel universe,” Joe Russo said.
“If we’re gonna bring Victor Von Doom to movie theaters worldwide, then I think we’re going to need the greatest actor in the world to play that character,” he continued. “As proof of the unimaginable possibilities in the Marvel multiverse, we give you the one person who could play Victor Von Doom.”
At that, a choir of people in robes and Doctor Doom masks took the stage and Downey Jr. revealed himself to roars from the crowd.
“New mask, same task. What can I tell you, I hate playing complicated character,” Downey Jr. said.
Downey Jr.’s Marvel return comes after he won his first Oscar for his role in Christopher Nolan’s 2023 film “Oppenheimer.” He said goodbye to the Tony Stark character after over a decade of anchoring the MCU in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” which saw Tony give up his life to save the universe.
That Tony is still dead, but the character Downey Jr. is playing in “Doomsday” is likely a variant — an alternate universe version of Tony Stark who went down a different path in life.
Downey Jr.’s Marvel return is also the replacement for Jonathan Majors’ Kang, a supervillain teased in the Marvel TV series “Loki” and film “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” who was being teed up as the next Thanos-like villain for the MCU. He was due to rule over “Avengers 5” under its previous title, “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” but Majors was dropped by Marvel after being convicted of domestic assault.
The trajectory has clearly been reworked with Doctor Doom now serving as the next Thanos-level threat that will pave the way for “Secret Wars,” a comics storyline that saw pretty much every single Marvel character come together and suffer devastating losses.
“Avengers: Doomsday” is slated for release on May 1, 2026.
Head here for all TheWrap’s coverage of San Diego Comic-Con 2024.
