Not too long ago, a hard-to-believe rumour started floating around online about Robert Downey Jr. potentially returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom. It felt like a misinterpretation of previous claims, particularly as there's been chatter about the actor playing a villainous Iron Man Variant for several years now.
Well, during a splashy Hall H panel at the San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend, Downey was indeed unveiled as Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars' Doctor Doom.
Jeff Sneider was first to share that news earlier this year and has dropped a few interesting updates in his latest piece on The InSneider.
It sounds like Marvel Studios was eager to cast Javier Bardem as Galactus, but when he ran into a scheduling conflict with the upcoming F1 movie, they reportedly decided against chasing other A-List names and went with the much cheaper Ralph Ineson.
Those savings are now heading to Downey who looks set to make nine figures for his MCU return.
Sneider adds that the deal only closed at the beginning of next week and confirms the plan is still for us to first meet Downey's Doctor Doom in the mid/post-credits scene for The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
It remains unclear whether this version of Marvel's First Family will have a history with the Doom Variant who takes centre stage in the next Avengers movies, though it's certainly possible he hails from their world. Either way, The Fantastic Four: First Steps feels like an appropriate place to introduce one of that team's greatest foes, even if they've never crossed paths before.
We learned at Comic-Con that the Fantastic Four will appear in Doomsday and Secret Wars, so assuming they're given a big enough role, there's still time to delve into Doom's hatred for Reed Richards and the villain's complicated feelings for Sue Storm.
While Downey will presumably head to The Fantastic Four: First Steps set to shoot this scene, it's possible the Russos might film it when production on Avengers: Doomsday begins early next year.
"It’s incredibly exciting," The Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman said on Saturday night. "I’m a huge fan of Robert Downey Jr., of course, and there’s no one bigger. And I have heard about it for a while, and I had to keep that secret for a while. But it’s really exciting! I kept it under wraps."
The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in theaters on July 25, 2025, with Avengers: Doomsday following in May 2026 and Avengers: Secret Wars set to arrive in May 2027.