Tony Stark died a hero, but Robert Downey Jr. He lived long enough to see himself turn evil. And Pepper Potts is confused by it all. According to Delivery timeRobert Downey Jr.'s Instagram post highlighting his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Victor Von Doom, aka Doctor Doom, has garnered over 122,000 comments and 12.6 million likes in the first 24 hours. While most of the comments were overwhelmingly positive, his previous post about Downey's return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Victor Von Doom, aka Doctor Doom, has been a hit. The Avengers co-star Ghouinith baltrow He looked shocked and confused.
On Saturday afternoon, during Marvel's panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Kevin Feige introduced the Russo brothers to fans gathered in Hall H, confirming their return to the MCU for the first time since Avengers: EndgameThe directing duo then shocked audiences by announcing that the fifth Avengers film (previously titled Avengers: Kang Dynasty) has been renamed Avengers: Judgment DayBefore Downey's role as Doctor Doom was revealed, as the video shows, the fan response was overwhelming, and as you might expect, his casting shocked Marvel fans online.
But the announcement may not have been entirely thought out, because someone apparently forgot to tell Bieber.
Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow has played Pepper Potts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so many times that she can’t remember all the movies she’s appeared in. She’s clearly not a Marvel fan, but she was understandably confused by the announcement, with some die-hard fans having a lot of questions. However, her response to Downey’s post was classic:
I don't get it, are you a bad person now?
While Paltrow may have been stumped by the casting, Downey's MCU colleagues have expressed their excitement. The Russo brothers agreed, commenting, “We always said green was your color,” while Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) commented, “Little boy, green suits you.” Jeremy Renner (Hawkai) also joined in the commentary, saying: “Bringing on DOOM 🔥!!!”
Fans are now debating how Doom will be introduced. While the multiverse is the obvious justification here, it remains to be seen exactly how that will be interpreted. In the comics, Tony Stark became Doctor Doom in other universes, so Doom could easily be a form of Tony Stark. Which makes sense, as we know. Fantastic Four: The First Steps It's a story from an alternate universe, and its origin can be explored there.
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Robert Downey Jr. is back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom. Do you love him or hate him?
With Deadpool and Wolverine’s overnight box office success, the MCU seemed to have found its footing again – and that was even before San Diego Comic Con. Come July 27, 2024, none other than the returning Robert Downey Jr. reveals himself to be playing Victor Von Doom in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday. While everyone in Hall H jumped out of their seats when they saw who was under the mask, the reaction online was a little different. “So awkward,” “Probably the dumbest move ever,” “They just wasted Dr. Doom,” “It looks fake”… Still, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I personally find this interesting but not amazing – it seems like they’re desperate to get people to forget about Kang and the low points of the MCU.
Why did the Marvel Cinematic Universe bring in Doctor Doom?
It's safe to say that the MCU has had a hard time finding its footing aftergame overA number of Disney+ films and series have failed to impress critics and fans alike, resulting in disappointing box office returns. In response, Marvel seems to be following the same formula that Deadpool and Wolverine And Spider-Man: No Way Home, Using the multiverse to introduce familiar faces like popular Marvel characters. Casting Downey as Doctor Doom is certainly a risk, but Marvel apparently deemed it necessary in response to the Jonathan Majors controversy.
The MCU was set to have Kang, played by Majors, as the next “big bad” in the multiverse, with Majors even playing the character in both Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania And Loki. But after he was convicted of domestic violence, Marvel changed its plans and dropped Majors and the character entirely.
Downey is set to appear as Dom in Doomsday And Avengers: Secret WarsBut it is not known whether it will also appear in The Fantastic Fourwhere the character is closely associated with Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and his team.
Avengers: Judgment Day
The film will be released in theaters on May 1, 2026.
