Since Avengers: Endgame and the departure of RDJ, the MCU has undergone a transition period. The Multiverse Saga began, which is set to conclude in 2027 with the release of an upcoming Marvel movie, Avengers: Secret Wars. The prequel to that movie, Avengers: Doomsday, was initially titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, with the titular Kang the Conqueror set to be the Thanos of the Multiverse Saga after being teased in Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
However, several Multiverse Saga projects were not as well-received as the consistent installments of the Infinity Saga, and the actor chosen to play Kang, Jonathan Majors, faced assault charges in December 2023. This caused the MCU to cut ties with him and pivot towards Avengers: Doomsday and a new central antagonist. Doctor Doom, an iconic Marvel Comics villain, will replace Majors' Kang as the Multiverse Saga's big threat, with Robert Downey Jr. in the role.
This casting decision caused controversy and excitement alike, with Marvel bringing RDJ back as a villain to capitalize on his Academy Award win in 2024 and reignite the excitement the franchise held for over a decade before its more inconsistent period from 2021 onward. Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, stated, "We had to take one of our greatest characters and utilize one of our greatest actors," even referencing RDJ's Academy Award success as a big reason for the casting.
Admittedly, this big swing certainly had the intended effect. Chatter about the MCU increased massively after the reveal, with Avengers: Doomsday immediately becoming one of the more intriguing franchise projects in years. Along with many other reveals, RDJ's MCU recasting as Doctor Doom spearheaded the attempt to revitalize the franchise, with haters and fans alike wanting to see how the move would pay off after the actor's iconic role as Tony Stark.
Robert Downey Jr.'s New MCU Role Is Part Of A Deeper Marvel Rebrand
One of these other attempts to rejuvenate the MCU with Avengers: Doomsday went hand in hand with RDJ's recasting: the reveal that the Russo Brothers are directing the movie and its sequel. The Russo Brothers directed four of the best MCU movies, including Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Evidently, Marvel Studios is trying to overcome recent stumbles and return the franchise to its glory days.
This coincides with several other aspects of Avengers: Doomsday's story. The film will see RDJ's Doom as the main antagonist, likely giving him a central role, just as Thanos had in Avengers: Infinity War. To stop him, The Avengers will team up with The Fantastic Four, a nostalgic team in nature, and the X-Men, played by the iconic actors who brought them to life in the 20th Century Fox franchise. All of this is to lean more into the nostalgia of the MCU at its peak, as well as that of other Marvel franchises.
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Avengers: Doomsday looms closer and the confirmed cast members set to star in the next MCU team-up movie are steadily emerging as weeks progress.
Chris Evans, who similarly retired from the MCU in Avengers: Endgame alongside RDJ, will also return in Avengers: Doomsday as Captain America, further supporting the movie's nostalgic foundations. Moreover, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will be multiversal in nature, especially given that they are the concluding chapters of the Multiverse Saga. This will undoubtedly lead to big multiversal cameos from other well-known Marvel actors.
Be it Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's possible return as Spider-Man, Hugh Jackman's potential role as Wolverine, or the wider legacy Marvel surprises akin to the ones featured in Deadpool & Wolverine, the two MCU movies will almost certainly contain more well-known cameos from past Marvel movies. All of this, with RDJ leading the line as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, is part of a broader MCU rebrand that aims to restore the franchise to its zenith after a shaky few years.
Everything We Know About Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom Role
Although Robert Downey Jr. has been recast as Doctor Doom to bolster the MCU's push towards "old-school" thrills, Avengers: Doomsday will still give the character a compelling story. Initially, after RDJ's casting was announced, audiences wondered whether this version of Doom would be a Tony Stark variant. Shortly after the reveal, though, the Russo Brothers and RDJ confirmed that the latter will be playing Victor Von Doom, not a variant of Iron Man.
This, as well as the character first being teased in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, indicates that RDJ's version of the villain will have similarities to his comic book counterpart. After all, Victor Von Doom is the archenemy of Reed Richards and The Fantastic Four, who will play a big part in Avengers: Doomsday. The film will also prominently feature Latveria, the fictional Marvel country of which Doom is the monarch.
Beyond that, the only confirmed aspect of Doom's story in the film is that he has an interest in Franklin Richards, the infant son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm, introduced in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The post-credits scene of that movie showed Doom appearing in front of Franklin, with the latter touching the former's scarred face. Exactly how Franklin ties into Doom's plan, however, remains to be seen.
From a speculation standpoint, it could be the case that RDJ has multiple roles in Avengers: Doomsday and/or Avengers: Secret Wars. The multiversal setting of both films means he could appear as a variant of Tony Stark alongside his part as Victor Von Doom. For now, though, all that is known about Robert Downey Jr.'s MCU recast in Avengers: Doomsday is that it was driven by the desire to restore Marvel Studios' former glory, capitalize on the actor's Oscars success, and, narratively, has something to do with young Franklin Richards.
Release Date
December 18, 2026
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Vanessa Kirby
Sue Storm / Invisible Woman
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Johnny Storm / Human Torch
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Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Ben Grimm / The Thing
English (US) ·