Saturday, Marvel Studios Announced It was announced at San Diego Comic-Con that Downey Jr. would be returning to the MCU. Downey Jr.’s return came shortly after Joe and Anthony Russo, directors of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, were named directors for the next two superhero crossover films, due for release in 2015. “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Avengers: Secret Wars” They are scheduled to be released in May 2026 and May 2027, respectively.
Doomsday will be the fifth Avengers film, replacing The Kang Dynasty, with Doom apparently taking over as villain from Jonathan Majors’ character, Kang the Conqueror. Marvel cuts ties with Majors He was convicted in December 2023 of assault and harassment.
Meanwhile, “Secret Wars” will likely draw from multiple comic book series of the same title. In 2015, Jonathan Hickman’s “Avengers” comic book series culminated in a rebooted “Secret Wars” storyline in which multiple universes were destroyed and their remnants came together in a world ruled by Doctor Doom. That means that’s where the MCU seems headed.
It’s unclear whether Downey will play Tony Stark/Iron Man, the alternate universe villain turned villain, specifically Victor Von Doom. Disney Press Release I’ve identified him as “Victor Von Doom,” but since it’s a comic book, the jury is still out on that one. There are plenty of stories in Marvel comics that link Iron Man with Doctor Doom that could be chosen for the film adaptation.There are some interesting stories There’s a scene where Tony Stark becomes Doom and Doom becomes Iron Man, and Doom spends a lot of time wearing the mask, so any potential confusion about his similarity to the Stark character may be eliminated.
Downey’s return has drawn mixed emotions on social media, with some fans expressing disappointment that Marvel is bringing him back to the MCU given his heartbreaking send-off as Tony Stark in Endgame, while others suggested that having one of Marvel’s biggest names return to the franchise could be encouraging after the series’ recent lackluster box office performance.
“I totally get why the announcement that RDJ is going to be Doctor Doom wasn’t a happy one for everyone. I think it’s great and could be something special.” I have written Jordan Maison, editor of pop culture website Cinelinx on X.
The decision to bring back the Russo brothers brings to an end a long search for a new director for “The Avengers.” The Russo brothers have an extensive Marvel resume, having directed 2014 MCU masterpieces “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War.” Their biggest successes were “Infinity War” and “Endgame,” which merged more than a dozen characters into one story and were hugely successful, grossing more than $2 billion each. “Endgame,” released in 2019, grossed $2.79 billion, making it the second-highest grossing film of all time, behind James Cameron’s “Avatar.”
In addition to Downey’s announcement and Russo’s return, Marvel released details about three upcoming films: Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, and The Fantastic Four. Comic-Con attendees shared notes and videos from the showcase on social media. Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk From the new “Captain America” movie, Fantastic Four Superhero Costumes And eat their villain, the planet Galactus.
Marvel’s big announcement came during a strong weekend at the box office for the studio: The 34th MCU film, “Deadpool and Wolverine,” starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, earned an estimated $438 million worldwide over the weekend, including a domestic opening of $205 million. The highest grossing R-rated movie of all timeBefore adjusting for inflation, the film’s domestic opening gross surpassed 2018’s “Black Panther” ($202 million) but was slightly below 2012’s “The Avengers” ($207 million).
Downey’s return and the success of “Deadpool & Wolverine” show that Marvel doesn’t mind leaning into nostalgia, especially at a time when the company is going through some difficulties. Biggest commercial flop and major problem. While there’s still a long way to go before the MCU’s next “Avengers” film hits theaters, it’s clear that Marvel is looking to the future on one hand and the past on the other, as it seeks stability.
