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The next Avengers movie will star Robert Downey Jr., albeit not as the heroic Iron Man — the role he played for over a decade that provided the backbone of the MCU — but as the villainous Doctor Doom. RDJ’s casting in the role of Doctor Doom has been a controversial one and will likely remain the case until opinion can be formed following the release of Avengers: Doomsday next year.
At last summer’s Comic-Con, Marvel Studios announced that Robert Downey Jr., fresh off of winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, would star as Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, making him the next ‘big bad’ of the franchise he helped build.
The reason that Marvel had to hastily pivot to Doctor Doom is because their previous ‘big bad’, Kang the Conqueror, was played by Jonathan Majors, whom they had to fire due to his legal issues, thus resulting in a forced storytelling course correction. That’s unpredictable and understandable. The decision to cast RDJ, however, is far more complex, as many fans believe it speaks to a general dearth of creativity that’s currently plaguing the formerly unassailable MCU.
Production on Avengers: Doomsday began a few weeks ago and the Russo Brothers (who’ve already directed two Captain America movies and Infinity War/Endgame) provided on update on RDJ’s commitment to the character, saying that he’s been writing backstory for the iconic Marvel villain.
“He is so immersed in it. He is so dialed in. He’s writing backstory, costume ideas… we were just on the phone with him this morning before we got here talking about it. He just loves really rich three-dimensional characters, and I think he sees a real opportunity here with the character,” the duo told Entertainment Tonight.
Avengers: Secret Wars will be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “Phase Six,” which officially kicks off with the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps in July. Production on the preceding Avengers film, Avengers: Doomsday recently began production ahead of its scheduled release in May 2026, which will then be followed by Secret Wars in 2027. Marvel fans are hoping, however, that Downey will debut as Doom in The Fantastic Four (consider Doom is traditionally an F4 villain), whether that be in the actual film or a post-credit scene.