It’s been said that the cast and crew of Marvel Studios are a family, so it’s no surprise that Robert Downey Jr. and the Russo Brothers are making a huge return to the franchise, in not one, but two Avengers films.
Downey Jr, whose turn as Tony Stark aka Iron Man anchored the franchise, before dying in Avengers: Endgame (2019), will next play Fantastic Four villain Victor von Doom and mark the character’s debut in Avengers: Doomsday in 2026.
The Russo Brothers, who helmed four of the biggest movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) – Captain America: Winter Solider (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and the second highest grossing movie of all-time, Avengers: Endgame, will also make their return with Doomsday, as well as the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).
While Secret Wars was previously announced, it did not have a director and it would have followed the fifth Avengers film, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. In recent years though, the personal and legal drama surrounding Kang actor Jonathan Majors saw the studios fire the actor and relook its plans, and today’s announcement at Hall H during the annual San Diego Comic Con marks the first time that the studio has revealed the replacement of The Kang Dynasty with Doomsday.
The Fantastic Four family – Reed Richards aka Mr Fantastic, Susan Storm aka Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm aka Human Torch and Benjamin Grimm aka The Thing, to be played by Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach respectively, will make their appearance in the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps from director Matt Shakman. The news of the official name for the Fantastic Four movie, along with the characters appearance in both Avengers sequels, were also made at the same Hall H session by Marvel Studios.
The return of Downey Jr marks a new chapter for the famed actor, who first played the playboy super-genius in 2008’s Iron Man, which kickstarted the MCU. More recently, the actor won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his turn as United States Secretary of Commerce Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s masterful epic, Oppenheimer (2023), and he also earned an Emmy nomination for his role in Park Chan-wooks’ mini-series The Sympathizer at HBO.
Despite his post MCU success, the actor has never closed the door on further appearances in the MCU, though fans assumed that he would reprise his role as Tony Stark, or at the very least, the evil variant of the character, Superior Iron Man.
“Happily. It’s too integral a part of my DNA,” Downey said when asked if he would ever return.
“That role chose me. And look, I always say, ‘Never, ever bet against Kevin Feige.’ It is a losing bet. He’s the house. He will always win.”
Since directing Endgame, the Russos produced 2022’s Academy Awards Best Picture winner, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and have directed their attention towards streaming, producing Amazon’s Citadel and Netflix’s Extraction movies. Their post-MCU directing projections have not hit the success at Marvel, including directing the Tom Holland-led crime drama Cherry (2021) for Apple TV+, and 2022 action movie The Gray Man with Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans at Netflix.
Prior to this news, the duo had often said that the Secret Wars was one of their favourite comic book stories and would love a chance to do a live-action take on it.
“The one series that we adored growing up was Secret Wars. It’s incredibly ambitious. It would be bigger than Infinity War and Endgame. But it’s a massive undertaking.”
While both new Avengers would bring them back to the MCU, it will likely feature a new cast of heroes from the recent Phase 4, 5 and 6, though they would have a familiar face in Downey Jr.
Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?
Natalie
