Marvel Studios Panel At SDCC

Source: Jesse Grant / Getty

In a cinema shocker, Robert Downey Jr. will return to Marvel Studios as the villain Dr. Doom for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.

After Avengers: Endgame, Marvel mortgaged its cinematic universe future on actor Jonathan Majors who co-starred in two seasons of the Disney+ show LOKI and Ant-Man: Quantumania. He was also set to star in the now-scrapped Avengers: Kang Dynasty.

As we all know, he would later be found guilty of assault and harassment charges and quickly terminated from Marvel. Majors’ demise and a slew of misses jeopardized the future of the MCU, leaving fans feeling uneasy about what was to come.

According to Variety, however, there’s nothing to fear as Marvel has smashed the panic glass by announcing Roberty Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU. During Saturday’s San Diego Comic-Con, RDJ returned to Hall H and announced he would return as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday.

“New mask, same task,” Robert told the stunned crowd. “I like playing complicated characters,” he said as fans chanted his name.

Thanks to the source material, they can take several routes with RDJ portraying Victor Von Doom. It’s unclear if he will play a Tony Stark variant that becomes the iconic villain, or if he will be a new version of the character.

Regardless, fans can rejoice as the MCU seems to have a solid path forward after a disappointing string of past releases.

Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters in May of 2026 and will also feature the return of the Russo brothers behind the camera.

Watch Robert Downey Jr. during Marvel’s Hall H presentation below.

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