Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU, but Iron Man isn’t. Instead, he’ll be taking a new name and wearing a new mask–that of Victor von Doom, one of Marvel’s greatest villains. RDJ kicked off the MCU and introduced superheroes to Earth-616 in 2008’s Iron Man and ended his run as Tony Stark in 2018’s Avengers Endgame. This could be the MCU’s coolest moment–or its silliest.
Downey revealed his new role on the Hall H stage, coming out in a Dr. Doom mask and tearing it off to reveal his face to a surprised audience. His comment was simple: “New mask, same task.”
As part of Marvel Studios’ San Diego Comic-Con 2024 panel, the studio announced that directing team Joe and Anthony Russo will return to direct a pair of new Avengers films, with Avengers: Doomsday coming in 2026 and Avengers: Secret Wars following a year after. Victor von Doom will act as the primary antagonist for this pair of movies.
