In a move that rattled the walls of Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con International and nearly broke the internet on Saturday, Marvel Studios announced that Robert Downey Jr. – who kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008 with Iron Man – will be returning to the MCU donning an altogether difference metal mask as legendary villain Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday in May 2026.
“New mask, same task,” Downey said after taking the stage to
an approving roar in a Marvel Studios panel that gave fans a glimpse into the
future of the MCU, which included the reveal that Anthony and Joe Russo (Captain
America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers:
Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame) will be returning to helm the
next two Avengers films: the aforementioned Avengers: Doomsday
and Avengers: Secret Wars, which will hit screens May
2027.
The reveal effectively erases Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,
which was meant to pit Earth’s Mightiest Heroes against Kang, a villain first
introduced in 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, a film that
received a somewhat lukewarm response from fans and critics. Offscreen, actor
Jonathan Majors – who played an outcast Kang variant in that film and reprised the
role in the Disney+ Loki series – was convicted on two counts of domestic
assault and harassment and will not be playing the character moving forward. In
lieu of a recast, Marvel Studios and its president Kevin Feige have opted to
shift creative plans completely, focusing on one of Marvel’s top villains and
the return of one of the primary architects of the MCU for the fifth Avengers
film.
But what does it mean? Is Downey playing a Tony Stark variant that’s broken bad, or is there other multiversal madness at play? Theories are already swirling online amid both praise for the reveal and criticism that bringing back both Downey and the Russos is a desperation play considering the MCU is described by many – including Deadpool in his latest movie – as being in a “low point” right now.
Personally, I’m confident in the Russo brothers and feel, based on his post-Endgame interviews, that Downey wouldn’t return to the MCU as Iron Man or any other character if there wasn’t a strong reason for him to do so. Now, back to Doom scrolling ...
Hall H. Marvel Studios. Enough said.
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) July 28, 2024
Tonight, the talent and filmmakers of Marvel Studios’ upcoming films brought excited fans a first look at what’s next for the MCU. #SDCC2024 pic.twitter.com/IZr62hJKvM
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