A rumor claims that Marvel Studios’ announcement that Robert Downey Jr. will return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom is a diversion for another big twist or reveal involving the actor.
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame (2019), Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios and directors Joe and Anthony Russo announced they were helming the next two Avengers films titled Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars at the company’s Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con.
During their Avengers: Doomsday announcement it was revealed that Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the role of Doctor Doom.
Joe Russo announced Downey Jr as Doctor Doom saying, “We give you the one person who can play Victor Von Doom.” Robert Downey Jr. then walks forward and tears off his Doctor Doom mask.
Robert Downey Jr. is Doctor Doom#SDCC24 #FantasticFour pic.twitter.com/pOkdQoOATu
— Nerdrotic (@Nerdrotics) July 28, 2024
Following this announcement, scooper WDW Pro shared that this announcement is a diversion.
He said, “I don’t like to spoil films. And to tell you exactly what I have heard is happening here would spoil two films at least. So here’s what I will say. If you wanted to have RDJ, Robert Downey Jr., come back for the Avengers, and if you wanted what he’s really going to do to be a surprise then you would need a diversion. You would need a misdirection something like having him come out as Doctor Doom and announcing that he’s playing Doctor Doom at the San Diego Comic-Con. You might then be able to have him film and I’m sure he will play Doctor Doom.”
WDW Pro continued, “I’m just saying to all of you out there without getting into the specificities because, again, I do not want to ruin a movie for anyone and that goes against the ethos of this channel. I’m just recommending to you that there is more to this than meets the eye. And they are trying to save a huge applause for when you go into that cinema when you go in and you see those movies.”
“So, if you needed to have RDJ do something fantastic you need cover because cannot film the movie with him without people knowing about it,” he explained. “He can’t just be a cameo. That’s not going to work. And if he’s more than a cameo everyone’s going to know. And he needs to be on the red carpet so you need a cover. That is all I’m going to say without going into any specifics of what’s actually going to happen.”
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in Iron Man (2008), Marvel Entertainment
There have been numerous rumors that Downey Jr. would return as Tony Stark dating back to November 2023. Variety’s Tatiana Siegel reported that her sources within Marvel studios informed her “there have been talks to bring back the original gang for an Avengers movie. This would include reviving Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, both of whom were killed off in Endgame.”
However, she added, “But the studio hasn’t yet committed to the idea — if it were able to bring those actors back, it wouldn’t come cheap.”
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man in Iron Man 2 (2010), Marvel Studios
Shortly after that report, MyTimeToShineHello claimed that Robert Downey Jr. had already agreed to return as Iron Man at the beginning of the month.
The user simply shared to X, “RDJ already agreed to come back.”
RDJ already agreed to come back pic.twitter.com/BzN89nfNHW
— MyTimeToShineHello (@MyTimeToShineH) November 1, 2023
READ: Russo Brothers React To Robert Downey Jr. Possibly Returning As Iron Man: “We Closed That Book”
Pro also noted, “According to my sources this is true. Robert Downey Jr. has indeed signed on to Marvel.”
He later added, “We think this is an intent to, is because we don’t think he’s necessarily been given a script although a pitch has probably been made to him. We believe that to be absolutely true.”
The idea at the time was that Robert Downey Jr. would return for three movies.
Interestingly, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige informed Vanity Fair in December that there were no plans to have Downey Jr. return to the role of Iron Man.
He told the outlet, “We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again. We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 11: Kevin Feige, President, Marvel Studios speaks onstage during the Walt Disney Studios presentation at Cinemacon in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2024. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
Marvel Studios producer Stephen Broussard also told Gizmodo back in February 2023, “Well, I think one of the meta-narratives of Phase Four was about new characters. It was about new people stepping into mantles. If you look at, like, Cassie [Lang in Quantumania] getting a suit and Kate Bishop [in Hawkeye], new characters being introduced like Jack in Werewolf by Night.”
“After these first 10 years of Marvel storytelling, torches are being passed, like with Robert Downey Jr. no longer being [on the] table and stuff like that. So it was kind of like a new generation stepping to the forefront which, again, has always happened in the comics,” he added.
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and Don Cheadle as War Machine in Captain America: Civil War (2016), Marvel Studios
As for what this diversion is actually hiding, the most obvious possibility would be Brian Michael Bendis’ 2016 storyline that saw Victor Von Doom become Infamous Iron Man following the events of “Civil War II.” So while he plays Doctor Doom, it’s a Doctor Doom that becomes Iron Man.
Infamous Iron Man #1 (2016), Marvel Comics
READ: Rumor: Iron Man, Captain America, And Black Widow To Be Recast For ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’
However, another possibility is Downey Jr. returns to Iron Man proper in the wake of Avengers: Secret Wars given numerous rumors claim the film will be a soft reboot of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Scooper Syl Abdul shared, “MCU Earth 616 will no longer exist after Secret Wars.”
Sounding like MCU Earth 616 will no longer exist after #secretwars 👀
Ijs, I think feige cookin 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/3aTYxeoinC
— SyL ☕#IYKYK (@sylabdul) September 19, 2023
He elaborated in a video, “Is this going to reboot the MCU as we know it? Now, the concept in 2015 Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars is that all of these different Earths were kind of molded together. Yes, Feige is basically taking pieces of stuff that he wants to keep from all of this different realities and he’s going to put it together as a new Marvel universe.”
“The MCU Earth 616 as we know it, that’s going to be gone,” he reiterated. “Not as far as erasing the history of the stories, but that’s not going to be the same Marvel Universe by the end of Secret Wars.”
Later in the video, he added, “But with Secret Wars this is really [Feige’s] chance to, again, wipe the slate clean of stuff you don’t really want to do going forward. Then you bring in your mutants. You bring in Fantastic Four. You really do something special for the entire Marvel Universe.”
Secret Wars = Total MCU Reboot?
Here’s What I’ve Heard… pic.twitter.com/HLL9tr2lHc
— SyL ☕#IYKYK (@sylabdul) September 19, 2023
It’s not hard to imagine that Downey Jr.’s Iron Man is plucked out of the past and works to combat Doctor Doom in Avengers: Secret Wars.
What do you make of this rumor that the Doctor Doom announcement is a diversion for an even bigger surprise with Robert Downey Jr.?
