Robert Downey Jr. is back in the MCU, but not as a hero, but as a supervillain
Marvel Studios returned to San Diego Comic-Con with a dancing Deadpool variant and a choir, as well as news about the next two Avengers movies and surprise guests including Harrison Ford and Robert Downey Jr. Robert is coming back to the Marvel movies, but not as Iron Man.
Marvel Studios saved their biggest surprise for the end of their highly anticipated panel at the ongoing San Diego Comic-Con, and it was a bombshell to end all bombshells. In addition to revealing the main villain and title of the upcoming fifth Avengers movie, they also made a major casting announcement.
What are Marvel’s plans for Robert Downey Jr. in the upcoming Avengers movies?
Switching from what was once Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, Marvel’s fifth major crossover movie will now be titled Avengers: Doomsday, focusing mainly on classic villain Victor Von Doom. However, one might wonder how Robert Downey Jr. would play one of Marvel’s biggest villains when he’s already one of the MCU’s biggest heroes.
The official debut of the fifth Avengers movie came with the reveal that Doctor Doom would be a major focal point ahead of Secret Wars. However, very few could have predicted that the strange and absurd rumours that had been circulating recently about Robert Downey Jr. playing the villain were true, yes, it is true Robert Downey Jr. is going to play the famous role of the Fantastic Four’s archenemy Doctor Doom in the upcoming Marvel movie.
As the Russo Brothers said in front of an army of costumed and masked Doctor Dooms in SDCC’s Hall H: “As proof of the unimaginable possibilities in the Marvel Multiverse, we tell you about a man who could play Victor Von Doom.”, right before RDJ stepped forward and took off his mask. The multiverse makes this possible in several exciting ways, many of which centre around the MCU’s Doctor Doom, a darker take on Tony Stark. Also read – 3 members of The Nelons, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame quartet, died in a Wyoming plane crash
Captain America Villain Revealed
The cast of Captain America: Brave New World – Giancarlo Esposito, Danny Ramirez, Tim Blake Nelson, and Anthony Mackie – were the first to join the stage and give details about the upcoming film. Giancarlo revealed that he will be playing the villain Seth Voelker, also known as Sidewinder.
The cast then showed a scene from the film on the big screen, revealing that President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, played by Harrison Ford, hopes to rebuild the Avengers with Mackie’s Sam Wilson. It also showed Ford’s character transforming into the Red Hulk.
After fans were shown clips from the film, Ford joined the panel and showed off his powers to the crowd.
Thunderbolts Revealed
The Thunderbolts cast and director also surprised fans with a short clip from the film. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan and David Harbour (in full costume and speaking in character as Red Guardian for the first time) took the stage and shared some more details about their characters. The film is set to be released in May 2025.