Robert Downey Jr.'s Most Important Marvel Chapter Begins Today

1 week ago 19

Published Jul 20, 2026, 5:45 PM EDT

Ben is a Senior Writer on the New TV team at Screen Rant. He graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class B.A. Degree in English Literature and History.

Born and raised in Ireland, Ben has always had a love for storytelling in all forms of media and operates multiple projects under the name Benjamin Blogs. Ben is a comic book writer and podcast host, in addition to his work as an entertainment journalist. He has worked as both a writer and editor for Screen Rant, Collider, and other media outlets across various departments, including features, news, reviews, and interviews.

Robert Downey Jr. already helped to build the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Tony Stark throughout the Infinity Saga, but today begins a brand-new chapter for his time with Marvel. While the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom has been controversial, there are many people excited to see the legendary actor return to the MCU.

And while the announcement to declare RDJ would be playing the ruler of Latveria came two years ago at SDCC where the actor came out in a mask and green suit, there has been very little revealed about his character, his portrayal, his costume, or even his story, but now, two years on with SDCC about to begin again, the campaign for Avengers: Doomsday appears to be underway.

The Fantastic Four X Channel Kicked Off Avengers: Doomsday Marketing

Yesterday, on July 19th, the official Fantastic Four X channel shared a video clip from The Fantastic Four: First Steps where Reed Richards, as played by Pedro Pascal, talks about regular family dinners every Sunday at 7pm. This video then trails off and another voice eerily rings through, suggesting something big was coming.

Now, it seems as though this reveal obviously pointed to a major news update for the film today, but it also kicked off a wider cycle of information and marketing which is coming at the perfect time. San Diego Comic Con will once again have a Marvel panel after their surprising absence in 2025, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is due to arrive by the end of the month, and excitement for a project of Avengers: Doomsday's scale needs to start building now.

In previous months, we have had interesting marketing tactics employed, such as a several-hour-long stream of chairs with actor names, and also a surprise pop-up in a London coffee shop, but nothing has really put the star of the upcoming film front and center. That is, of course, RDJ's Doctor Doom, who is the very reason the film is being called, "Doomsday."

One Day Later, The Avengers: Doomsday Trailer Finally Dropped

Today, July 20th, Avengers: Doomsday finally released the long-awaited and hotly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday trailer, which has been largely confirmed to be the same trailer shown at CinemaCon in Las Vegas back in April, albeit with more polish and special effects than that earlier version contained.

Evidently, this is what the fanbase has been waiting for, with several good looks at RDJ as Doom in the full armor and cloak, along with a tease of his voice which is a complete departure from RDJ's standard voice and the voice used in the role of Tony Stark, giving this character a real sense of identity and finally making him a part of the MCU in a way that he simply wasn't up to this point.

This Is Likely Robert Downey Jr's Swansong For The Marvel Cinematic Universe

Doctor Doom Kneeling in Avengers Doomsday Trailer

When looking back at the MCU's most popular story arc, the Infinity Saga, there was a clear trail leading to their big bad, Thanos, as early as 2012's The Avengers before the resolution of that arc in 2019 with Avengers: Endgame. Unfortunately, the Multiverse Saga has been a lot messier, and the introduction of Doom is coming much later, leaving RDJ with a lot of catching up to do.

Despite this, the arrival of RDJ back in the MCU, and the way the character is being built in marketing like this trailer is certainly setting a tone and expectation for what fans will be seeing in Avengers: Doomsday, and, of course, Avengers: Secret Wars, where the character will likely complete their story.

In this way, it seems likely and nearly inevitable that this will be Robert Downey Jr.'s final outing in the MCU as the story seeks to shift gears and move in a different direction. But it's fitting that after RDJ built the Infinity Saga, he should now return to send off the Multiverse Saga and welcome in a new age of the MCU after the events of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.