It’s been one year since Marvel Studios announced that Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Recently, Doomsday wrapped filming.
In a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Iron Man 3 director Shane Black said Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Doctor Doom is “going to singlehandedly reinvigorate the entire comic book movie industry.”
At first, Black thought the casting seemed like a cynical idea, revisiting the actor who always saves the genre. However, after seeing Downey’s approach, Black is convinced: “It’s going to work. It’s really going to work.” He hinted that Downey has brought something fresh to the role but said he’s “not at liberty to say anything” more.
Black said, “I think he’s going to singlehandedly reinvigorate the entire comic book movie industry with that.”
He added, “I mean, it seemed at first like a cynical idea — you know, ‘Oh, let’s just go back to the well of the one guy that always seems to save us.’ But it’s going to work. It’s really going to work. And he’s brought something to it… I’m not at liberty to say anything, not that I know. I’m thrilled because I’ll be first in line to see that. I haven’t seen all the Marvel movies, but I’ll see that one first.”
Here’s the plot synopsis for Avengers: Doomsday:
“Doctor Doom has officially arrived on the Marvel Cinematic Universe stage. This villain, a master of cutting-edge science and powerful magic, will unleash a cascading crisis across the multiverse. Marvel’s most iconic actor, Robert Downey Jr., also returns as Doctor Doom!“
The film is directed by the Russo brothers from a screenplay by their longtime collaborator Stephen McFeely and Michael Waldron. The film features cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel (Bohemian Rhapsody, X-Men: Days of Future Past) and production design by Kasra Farahani.
The official cast members of the film include Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Danny Ramirez as Falcon, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Hemsworth as Thor, Letitia Wright as Black Panther, Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, and Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost. Ian McKellen as Magneto, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, James Marsden as Cyclops, Kelsey Grammer as Beast, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, and Channing Tatum as Gambit. Pascal as Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm (Human Torch), Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (The Thing), and Lewis Pullman as Sentry.
Produced by Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, and Russo Brothers will produce through their AGBO banner.
Avengers: Doomsday will be released in theaters and IMAX across the United States on December 18, 2026.
Source: ComicBook.com
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