Assemble Marvelites! We got the news.
Saturday Night, July 27, was a big night at the SDCC 2024.
Marvel Studios has found Doctor Doom, and it’s none other than, Robert Downey Jr..
The hero will return, and he will return as the villain.
SDCC 2024: Marvel’s Big Reveal
Just like in previous years, the Marvel Studios panel stole the show at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige returned to the Hall H stage for the first time since 2022, unveiling plans for the next few years of the MCU. This year focused on upcoming films, including 2025 releases Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, and Fantastic Four.
The panel ended with major announcements: Joe and Anthony Russo will return to the Avengers franchise, and Robert Downey Jr. will play Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Fantastic Four: First Steps
SDCC 2024 showcased the teaser of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, with stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, along with director Matt Shakman, in attendance. Additionally, Michael Giacchino will provide the film’s score.
The teaser footage began with a Super 8-style clip, featuring Pascal’s Reed Richards teaching a classroom of kids about the multiverse under a banner reading “Fantastic Science with Mr. Fantastic.” To capture their attention, Reed shifts from a lecture to asking if they’d prefer to see a “big explosion.”
Next, we see Sue (Kirby), Ben (Moss-Bachrach), Johnny (Quinn), and Reed in sleek space suits, followed by a Jetsons-inspired flying car gliding through a retro-futuristic NYC skyline. And then, the group boards a spaceship, leading to a dramatic title reveal. The film is set to release on July 25, 2025.
Finally, the teaser closes with a striking image: Galactus, wearing a massive purple helmet, leans down and peers through a window of a lavish apartment.
Doomsday: Downey’s Return
At the panel’s end, Feige announced Joe and Anthony Russo as directors for Avengers 5 and Avengers: Secret Wars. They revealed The Kang Dynasty would now be Avengers: Doomsday.
Moreover, Doctor Doom, not Kang, fits better for Secret Wars. In the 2015 comic, Doom is the main villain, ending a six-year storyline.
And finally, The Russos unveiled Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. The hero who died as Tony Stark, in 2019, will return to play the villain in the upcoming two movies. However, the Russos suggest that he will play Doom himself, not an evil Stark variant.
What’s Next?
While involving the Fantastic Four in both films makes sense, Downey’s return raises questions. Although, it adds nostalgia, how will the story adapt Doom’s comic book role? Answers will come with Doomsday in May 2026 and Secret Wars in May 2027.
