Robert Downey Jr. is officially returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but instead of portraying Iron Man, he will be playing the powerful Marvel villain Doctor Doom. The announcement was made by directors Joe and Anthony Russo and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige at Marvel's Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. The Russo Bros. also returned, and will be directing Downey Jr. in the fifth Avengers film, officially retitled from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to Avengers: Doomsday. They will also be helming Avengers: Secret Wars for Marvel Studios.
About two dozen olive robed men with metal with Doctor Doom-like masks walked on stage, joining the Russo Bros. and Feige. “If we’re going to bring Doctor Doom to the screen — he is one of the most complex characters, most entertaining characters in all of fiction, Anthony Russo said at the event. “If we’re going to do this … then we are going to need the greatest actor in the world.” The audience at Hall H were already excited; he continued: “As proof of the unimaginable possibilities of the Marvel Universe, we give you the one person who could play Victor von Doom…”
Then a masked figure in a green suit came forward and took off his mask: Robert Downey Jr., proud, ready for the applause. 6,500-plus people in Hall H cheered in disbelief. You can watch the clip from DiscussingFilm in the tweet below:
Is Robert Downey Jr. playing Infamous Iron Man version of Doctor Doom?
Insider Jeff Sneider shared a leak in his newsletter earlier this month, saying that he'd heard Downey could play a multiversal version of Doctor Doom in one of the next two projects.
"Speaking of Doctor Doom, there's still no word yet about his casting in Fantastic Four, as insiders denied my inquiry about Robert Downey Jr., who I was told might come back as an alternate-universe Tony Stark who becomes Doctor Doom instead of Iron Man," Sneider wrote. "It seems far-fetched, yes, but I figured that if there was any hope of Downey coming back, there'd have to be a new wrinkle for him to play. So, for now, we continue to wait…"
Back in 2016, Infamous Iron Man, from Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, was launched as a part of All-New, All-Different Marvel. The series follows Victor von Doom as acquires Stark Tech, transforming himself into his own Latverian version of the Invincible Iron Man. This Doom dons a sheer silver tech, complete with his iconic green hood and green accents instead of the scarlet and gold armor that the villain is known for.
At this time, Marvel Studios hasn't officially confirmed that Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom will be Infamous Iron Man, so we'll have to wait for more updates.
Avengers: Doomsday is currently scheduled to premiere in May 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars is set to release in theaters in May 2027.
