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His reappearance was announced at the San Diego Comic-Con. At this annual pop-culture gala, Downey emerged from behind Doctor Doom’s signature face mask and cape at the last minute to surprise a crowd of fans.
Downey Jr.’s Upcoming Films And Characters
Downey Jr will reprise his role next in the May 2026 release of “Avengers: Doomsday” and again a year later for “Secret Wars.” Asked if he’s sick of performing endless variations on one character, Downey Jr, who turns 59 this year, told reporters, “I like playing complicated characters.”
Despite spearheading the Marvel movie universe, beginning with the title role in 2008’s Iron Man, Downey, Jr hasn’t had a part in a Marvel film since the 2019 “Avengers: Endgame.” He won an Oscar this year for playing J Robert Oppenheimer in the 2023 movie, “Oppenheimer”, and remained one of the biggest Hollywood stars around.
After a short hiatus, 2025 marks Marvel’s return to theatres with three titles in quick succession before the vastly reassembled Avengers make another appearance. “Captain America: Brave New World” will feature Harrison Ford, who replaces the recently deceased William Hurt as General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross. Florence Pugh will take on a leading role in Thunderbolts and Pedro Pascal will make his Marvel debut in “The Fantastic 4: First Steps.”
Box Office Success And Challenges
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Disney’s Marvel movie series brought in more than $30 billion (£23.3 billion) at the box office, a first for any franchise. Last year performed poorly, but spin-offs such as “Deadpool & Wolverine”, with its stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, are back on track, taking an estimated $96 million, worldwide, on its first day.
A year ago, Marvel dropped their villain of the year, Kang the Conqueror, who happens to be the actor Jonathan Majors for being convicted of assaulting his girlfriend.
Robert Downey Jr is due back in the Marvel-verse this time in the role of Dr Doom in an upcoming two-part movie directed by Joe and Anthony Russo. The Russo brothers will supervise two additional “Avengers” films, called “Doomsday” and “Secret Wars”, to follow up on the current climax of Downey’s return.
Downey’s Untouchable Legacy As Iron Man
Downey had played Tony Stark/Iron Man in Marvel Studios’ first production, 2008’s Iron Man, and appeared in 11 other films in the decade that followed. Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, The Incredible Hulk, The Avengers, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame are some of ‘Downey Jr’s best features.
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Iron Man died solemnly in Endgame, a moment Marvel Studios’s president Kevin Feige has said they would never undo. “We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again,” Feige told Vanity Fair. “We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”
Downey’s Willingness to Return to the Marvel Universe
Despite Iron Man’s conclusion, Downey has been open about returning to the Marvel universe in a new role. Speaking to Esquire magazine after his Oscar win for “Oppenheimer,” Downey didn’t hesitate to express his willingness to come back.
“Happily. It’s too integral a part of my DNA,” he said. “That role chose me. And look, I always say, ‘Never, ever bet against Kevin Feige.’ It is a losing bet. He’s the house. He will always win.”
The announcement of Downey’s role as Doctor Doom adds to an already remarkable year for the actor. His portrayal of Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Additionally, he received an Emmy nomination for his roles in Park Chan-wook’s mini-series “The Sympathizer” on HBO.
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