Robert Downey Jr. was officially unmasked as Doctor Victor von Doom at Marvel’s Comic-Con panel on Saturday, and fans were predictably stunned. Both Doctor Doom and Jonathan Majors, who was officially replaced as the MCU’s big bad, trended worldwide after the big announcement.
“RDJ Doom is either the most creatively bankrupt decision ever or it’s going to be the coolest sh*t we’ve ever seen,” one fan wrote on the Reddit megathread.
Fans expressed shock or simply posted-mind-blown emojis on Twitter and elsewhere, while others debated the significance of this reveal. Is this a multiverse Tony Stark? Or someone else entirely? Downey Jr’s cryptic quote offered a hint: “New mask, same task.”
“New mask, same task.”
Robert Downey Jr. surprises Hall H to announce his return to the MCU as Doctor Doom. pic.twitter.com/j1SEjzse3p
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) July 28, 2024
“A Doom variant that has Tony Stark’s face. That sh*t is pretty smart if you’re gonna do the multiverse,” another fan mused. “All of the Avengers will feel morally uncomfortable as their greatest hero is now their greatest enemy. This kind of makes his sinister nature even more scary. Genius move when you think about it.”
Another fan speculated, “That’s interesting. I feel like if it was a Doom variant from another universe that turns out to be Tony Stark they would had kept it a surprise a la no way home. So them putting him since now makes me think he’ll actually play Victor Von Doom which would be okay since he is
disfigured.”
The dramatic nature of Downey Jr’s reveal, in which he strode on to the stage in a green cloak and ripped off his mask. It’s a moment that will surely be remembered as one of the most dramatic reveals in recent Marvel history.
Robert Downey Jr going from Iron Man to Doctor Doom #SDCC pic.twitter.com/pnXV2k6BL3
— Blake Garman (@FrostedBlakes34) July 28, 2024
Robert Downey Jr playing dr doom is a great move by marvel. The aura gonna be insane to watch pic.twitter.com/pmWKAxdfRV
— kira 👾 (@kirawontmiss) July 28, 2024
RDJ just won an Oscar for playing an insecure villain jealous of a super scientist, so him playing Doctor Doom is very fitting pic.twitter.com/BZLjoaGO1x
— Henry Gilbert (@hEnereyG) July 28, 2024
However, it wasn’t lost on fans that Avengers: Doomsday was previously titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, only for Marvel to pivot after Majors’ conviction in his domestic assault case. More than one fan referred to Downey Jr’s casting – and the return of Anthony Russo and Joe Russo as director – as a “break glass in case of emergency moment.”
“If they want a clever way to remove Kang from the MCU, I hope they recreate this moment from the original Secret Wars comics of Doom just vaporizing Kang in an instant with a Doom-controlled Ultron,” a fan quipped.
If they want a clever way to remove Kang from the MCU, I hope they recreate this moment from the original Secret Wars comics of Doom just vaporizing Kang in an instant with a Doom-controlled Ultron: pic.twitter.com/9DQZ8Rcbqs
— Henry Gilbert (@hEnereyG) July 28, 2024
The casting capped off a big night for Marvel Studios as it showed The Fantastic Four: First Steps for the first time, introduced Giancarlo Esposito to the MCU, and shed more light on Thunderbolts. During the panel, Kevin Feige confirmed that the MCU is the first franchise to cross $30 billion as Deadpool & Wolverine opens in theatres across the world.
Now the future of the MCU is set. We’ll know soon enough whether Marvel is able to return to the heights of Endgame, or if the Robert Downey Jr casting is yet one more example of a franchise stuck playing the hits. For more, check out everything else announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2024.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
