- Roberty Downey Jr. is set to play Dr Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars
- The films will be released in 2026 and 2027
- One of the directors of the films, Joe Russo detailed the research Downey Jr. was doing for his role
Avengers fans are already excited to see Robert Downey Jr. play the villain. He is focused on doing so! The Iron Man star is playing Dr Doom in the two upcoming Avengers films, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. For over a decade, Downey Jr. played the leader of the Avengers, Iron Man. Now he is looking for a new acting challenge!
The actor is reuniting with Avengers movie directors Joe and Anthony Russo. The two have co-directed many movies, including Avengers: Endgame. They are directing Doomsday and Secret Wars. Although the movies aren’t due to release until 2026 and 2027, the Russo brothers have teased fans on what to expect.
It was announced In July 2024 that Downey Jr. would play Dr. Doom at a Marvel panel at Comic-Con.
With the crowd, he joked, “New mask, same task”.
Read More: All we know about Avengers: Doomsday
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the brothers were asked about Downey Jr. and how he was preparing for such a different role. Read on to find out what they said about Downey Jr. here!
What did the Russo brothers say about Robert Downey Jr.?
The Russo brothers were asked how excited they were to reunite with Downey Jr. and how he was preparing for the role. In response to the question Joe Russo began: “It’s a very intense process developing the character. He’s so immersed in it. He is so dialed in.”
Joe Russo also said that Downey Jr. was writing the backstory for his character and giving costume ideas.
The brothers said Downey Jr.’s effort into the character was because he “loves rich, three-dimensional characters”.
Or…maybe he loves playing a bad guy?
Is Robert Downey Jr. the villain in Avengers: Doomsday?
As we have stated, he will play Dr Doom in the new Avengers movies. Victor von Doom is from The Fantastic Four comics and is the ruler of the fictional country Latveria. In summary, his existence is to torture the Fantastic Four superhero team as he is their archenemy.
Of course, he has played villains before, just not in Marvel! Who could forget his portrayal of Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer? He betrays his former friend for political gain, nothing is more morally wrong than that.
Will RDJ appear in Fantastic Four: First Steps?
Despite his character being first introduced in the Fantastic Four comics, whether he’ll appear in Fantastic Four: First Steps is up for debate. Trailers released so far for First Steps do not show the presence of Dr Doom like we expect Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars will.
However, it would make sense to establish Doom in First Steps since the other movies won’t be released for a while. At least that way it would give fans a teaser into who Doom is and what role he’ll play. But it’ll only be a few months before we find out whether we’ll get a sneak peek of Downey Jr. as Dr Doom.
In the meantime, stay tuned for updates on Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars.
