Comic-Con Shocker: Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU … to play villain Dr. Doom in two films

At San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday night, Marvel Studios figuratively blew the roof off of the famous Hall H with a literal unmasking of Robert Downey Jr. in an announcement of his return to the MCU.

But he won’t be reprising as Tony Stark/Iron Man, who perished in Avengers: Endgame: The Oscar winner will be breaking bad as Dr. Victor Von Doom — aka one of Marvel Comics’ original villains, Dr. Doom.

Studio head Kevin Feige first announced that Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo were also returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a pair of forthcoming films, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Feige was flanked by rows of baddies in green robes wearing Doom’s iconic metal mask.

Joe Russo then said, “As proof of the unlimited possibilities of the Marvel [Multiverse], we give you the one person who could play Victor Von Doom.”

At this, a figure wearing a green suit emerged, dramatically walked to the front of the stage, and took off his silver mask, revealing Downey’s face — to a thunderous response from the crowd.

“New mask, same task,” Downey said, referring to the difference between Iron Man’s faceplate and Doom’s covering. He added, “I tell ya, I like playing complicated characters.”

As reported, the Oppenheimer star had hinted he reconsidered a return to Marvel, after 10 appearances as Stark beginning with 2008’s Iron Man. For his part, Kevin Feige insisted to Vanity Fair they’d never “magically undo” Stark’s climactic Endgame sacrifice — and apparently the Multiverse will provide a way to bring Downey back without doing just that.

Downey later posted a photo of himself face to face with the mask, to which his fellow Avenger Mark Ruffalo, aka The Hulk, commented “green suits you.”

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