Downey Jr. is Back in the MCU & More Reveals from SDCC

San Diego Comic Con went down this past weekend, which is a tentpole event for many key announcements in the sci-fi, comic-book, and superhero media space; with Marvel, DC, and other key players revealing a ton of new information from their upcoming projects. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige ran the Marvel panel which delivered some interesting news about the studios’ flagship upcoming films.

Robert Downey Jr. to play Doctor Doom in the MCU

This one has left fans a little confused, but ecstatic at the same time. Iconic Iron Man / Tony Stark actor Robert Downey Jr. will return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing notorious villain Doctor Doom. The studio also announced that the next Avengers movie will be titled Avengers: Doomsday. Given the multiverse possibilities introduced in the franchise, it’s likely that Downey Jr. will be a variant of Tony Stark who becomes Dr. Doom as opposed to Iron Man, but this is just a theory.

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While Marvel initially introduced Kang (in the Loki TV show as well as in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quanumania) as the potential villain for the next Avengers movie, it seems like the company has now pivoted and set to focus on Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom due to off-screen complications with Kang actor Jonathan Majors.

The Russos are Back

In some more positive news, Avengers: Endgame and Infinity War directors Joe and Anthony Russo were confirmed to direct the next two Avengers movies: Doomsday, releasing 1 May 2026 and the next big finale, Avengers: Secret Wars, releasing 7 May 2027.

So, it seems like Marvel is relying on their dream team to once again deliver, capitalising on the love for Downey Jr. and utilising the services of their tried-and-tested directing duo in the Russos.