Robert Downey Jr., aka the man who launched a thousand superhero movies and even more memes, is dusting off his super suit — but this time, it’s for the bad guys.
Yes, you read that right. The 59-year-old (who’s still rocking those shades like a rockstar) just announced at San Diego Comic-Con that he’s coming back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). But this ain’t your grandma’s Iron Man comeback. Nope. RDJ’s suiting up as the Fantastic Four’s doom-and-gloom villain, Doctor Doom. Yes, the metal-faced, cloak-wearing dude who probably wakes up every morning thinking, “How can I out-dramatize Darth Vader today?”
For those furiously Googling, Downey’s Doom is set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027), so go ahead and mark your calendars… with a reminder to calm down.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, RDJ, master of charisma and facial hair, spilled the tea (and maybe a few arc reactors) on how this whole thing came to be.
Plot twist #2: Kevin Feige is the ultimate bromance partner.
“I mean, Kevin and I are pals,” RDJ said, casually dropping Feige’s name as if he were just any ol’ dude at your neighborhood barbecue. “We’ve been keeping in touch since Endgame.” Yeah, you know, the multi-billion-dollar movie that ended with half the MCU in therapy and the other half in a retirement home.
Apparently, RDJ had an “instinct” (or maybe his Spidey sense was tingling) that he needed to chat with Disney head honcho Bob Iger. And he had ideas. Big ones. Ones that involved theme parks, of all things. Because why not?
“So, my wife Susan and I are sitting down with Feige,” Downey explained, “And Kevin’s like, ‘Look, dude. You gotta come back.’ And Susan’s over here like, ‘Hold up! Come back as what? We’re not doing the same shtick again.’”
Cue Feige’s dramatic answer: Doctor Doom.
Enter RDJ’s raised eyebrow.
Now, RDJ isn’t just jumping into Doom’s metal armor without doing his homework. “Kevin’s a very sophisticated, creative thinker,” RDJ said, trying to casually hide the fact that Feige probably dreamt this entire plan up during a midnight snack binge while reading comic books in his Iron Man pajamas.
When Kevin first threw the name “Victor Von Doom” into the mix, RDJ’s first thought was probably, “Isn’t that the guy with a medieval castle who yells at the sky a lot?” But after five minutes on Wikipedia, RDJ was like, “Wow. This guy’s intense. Let’s do it!”
But before sealing the deal, RDJ and Feige had to meet with Bob Iger, who’s basically the guy that signs off on anything involving magic, theme parks, and intergalactic warfare. Iger liked the idea (obviously, he’s not one to turn down the man who made Disney billions). Soon enough, RDJ and Feige found themselves touring Disney’s research and development lair — aka Walt Disney Imagineering.
Plot twist #3: RDJ is a nerd at heart.
“You wanna talk about two dudes who are impossible to impress? That’s me and Kevin. But at Disney Imagineering, our minds were blown. Like, Tony Stark testing a new suit blown,” RDJ said, probably while eating an avocado toast (just guessing).
He dropped some cryptic hints about the insane tech Disney is cooking up, but of course, because he’s RDJ, he couldn’t say too much. Gotta keep some mystery for the actual movie, right?
And for those wondering why on Earth RDJ is doing all this, his response was pure RDJ philosophy. “This is the only way I can give the fans an experience they’ve been craving,” he said, gazing thoughtfully into the distance, probably imagining himself in a Doom cape. “And also, it’s the perfect place for me to mess around with my love for the future of entertainment.”
So, get ready, Marvel fans! RDJ is back, but this time… he’s the villain.