Robert Downey Jr. is officially returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he won't be playing Iron Man again. Instead, the Oscar-winning actor will play the legendary villain Doctor Doom in a new Avengers film titled Avengers: Doomsday, which will lead directly into Avengers: Secret Wars. Both films will be directed by the Russo brothers, who directed Downey as Iron Man in the Marvel blockbusters Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.
It remains to be seen whether Downey is playing a different Tony Stark who became Doctor Doom in the Marvel Multiverse (which seems likely) or the real Victor Von Doom from the comics, but one person who seems surprised by the actor's return to Marvel is his former co-star Gwyneth Paltrow.
“I don’t get it, am I a bad guy now?” Paltrow asked in the comments section of Downey’s Instagram post announcing his return to Marvel as Doctor Doom.
The Russo brothers added in the same comments section: “We've always said green is your color…”
Paltrow has been friends with Donnie for over a decade, after they were cast as Tony Stark and Pepper Potts in 2008's “Iron Man,” which kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They went on to star in two more standalone “Iron Man” films together and have appeared alongside each other in several other Marvel films, from “Spider-Man: Homecoming” to “Avengers: Infinity War” and more.
The two actors last appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2019's “Avengers: Endgame,” which was notably marked by Downey's death as Iron Man. During a fan Q&A on Instagram last year, Paltrow said her time with Marvel was probably over because “why do you need Pepper Potts without Iron Man?”
Now that Downey is back at Marvel, could there be room for Paltrow to return as well? It’s anyone’s guess since he won’t be returning as Iron Man. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said in December that it was important for Marvel Comics not to mess with Iron Man’s death in “Avengers: Endgame.”
“We all worked so hard for so many years to get there, and we don't ever want to magically undo it in any way,” he told Vanity Fair at the time.
But this year, Downey has been quite vocal in interviews about his interest in returning to the Marvel Universe. Speaking to Esquire after winning his Oscar for his role in “Oppenheimer,” the actor was asked if he would return to the MCU now that he was an official Oscar winner. The actor didn’t hesitate to say yes.
“Luckily, it’s part of my DNA,” Downey said. “This role chose me. I always say, ‘Never bet against Kevin Feige.’ He’s a losing bet. He’s the home run. He’ll always win.”
Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to hit theaters on May 1, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027.
