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Robert Downey Jr. will be making his return to the Avengers universe in two new movies – but will not be reprising his role as Iron Man.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that the Oscar winner, 59, will be returning to the franchise during Marvel’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday.
The actor will play supervillain Victor von Doom (also known as Doctor Doom), in the 5th and 6th Avengers films, titled Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Downey Jr. made his dramatic entrance at the convention in a Doom costume, surrounded by replica Doombots, before taking off his silver mask and revealing his face to shocked fans who gave him a standing ovation.
The actor was seen addressing the crowd at the convention in a clip shared by Variety, telling the crowd, ‘New mask, same task. What can I tell you, I like playing complicated characters.’
Robert Downey Jr., 59, will be making his return to the Avengers universe in two new movies – this time as a supervillain; pictured at the San Diego International Comic-Con on Saturday
The actor will not be reprising his beloved role as Iron Man (seen in a 2008 still from Iron Man)
The two films will be directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the brothers who directed Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to premiere in May 2026. It will be followed by Avengers: Secret Wars, which is expected to premiere in 2027.
Marvel Studios also made the announcement on Twitter, sharing a poster for the upcoming film with the caption: ‘Just announced in Hall H: The Russo Brothers return to direct Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday, starring Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. Only in theaters May 2026. #SDCC.’
Doctor Doom is one of Marvel’s most iconic supervillains, and the archenemy of the Fantastic Four.
He is a genius-level scientist who has a tragic backstory.
Tony Stark (the genius behind Iron Man) and Doom share some similarities: They both wear metal masks, they’re both incredibly wealthy, and they both possess extraordinary intellects.
Avengers 5 was previously titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
It was then reworked, with a new title and direction, after Jonathan Majors was dropped by Marvel in December 2023.
The actor will play supervillain Victor von Doom (also known as Doctor Doom), in the 5th and 6th Avengers films, titled Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that the Oscar winner will be returning to the franchise during Marvel’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday
Downey Jr. made his entrance at the convention in a Doom costume, surrounded by replica Doombots, before taking off his silver mask and revealing his face
Shocked fans gave him a standing ovation following the theatrical reveal
The two films will be directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the brothers who directed Avengers: Endgame in 2019; (L-R) Feige, Downey Jr., Joseph and Anthony Russo
Doctor Doom is one of Marvel’s most iconic supervillains, and the archenemy of the Fantastic Four. He is a genius-level scientist who has a tragic backstory
Marvel Studios also made the announcement on Twitter, sharing a poster for the upcoming film, which is set to hit theaters May 2026
Majors was set to play villain Kang the Conqueror in the films, but was dropped by the studio after he was found guilty in a domestic abuse case.
Downey had said in recent interviews that he was open to returning to Marvel, but fans had assumed he meant he would come back as Iron Man (Tony Stark).
He first portrayed playboy super-genius Stark in 2008’s ‘Iron Man.’
The actor went on to reprise the role in 10 Marvel films over 11 years, including ‘Iron Man 2’, ‘Iron Man 3’, ‘The Incredible Hulk’, ‘The Avengers’, ‘Captian America: Civil War’, ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’, Spider-Man: Homecoming’, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and Avengers: Endgame.’
Endgame saw Iron Man’s death. Last December Feige told Vanity Fair that he had no interest in undoing the emotional moment in order to bring the character back.
‘We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again. We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.’
Meanwhile Downey Jr. has expressed his interest in coming back to the franchise.
Following his Oppenheimer Oscar win, he was asked if he would be interested in returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
He first portrayed playboy super-genius Tony Stark (Iron Man) in 2008’s ‘Iron Man’. He went on to reprise the role in 10 Marvel films; seen in a 2016 still from Captain America: Civil War
Avengers 5 was previously titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, with Jonathan Majors set to play villain Kang the Conqueror. It was then reworked when Majors was dropped by Marvel, after he was found guilty in a domestic abuse case; Majors seen in June in LA
‘Happily. It’s too integral a part of my DNA,’ he told Esquire magazine in April.
‘That role chose me. And look, I always say, “Never, ever bet against Kevin Feige.” It is a losing bet. He’s the house. He will always win.’
The new casting caps off a triumphant year for the actor.
Aside from his Academy Award win for his performance as Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, he also recently earned an Emmy nomination for his role in Park Chan-wook’s HBO miniseries, The Sympathizer.
