Marvel has confirmed a slew of stars joining Robert Downey Jr. in Avengers: Doomsday – but the Doctor Doom actor teased there could be more notable names joining the cast list.
Yesterday (March 26), a lengthy livestream took place on YouTube where 26 actors were confirmed to make an appearance in the fifth Marvel Avengers instalment, Doomsday.
Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby, who are set to debut as Mister Fantastic and The Invisible Women in Fantastic 4: First Steps later this year, were revealed, alongside surprise stars Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen, who will reprise their roles as Professor X and Magneto, respectively.
James Marsden and Rebecca Romijn are also set to make their mark on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as X-Men icons Cyclops and Mystique, while Channing Tatum is also back as Gambit
Two MCU actors whose names were notably absent from the Avengers: Doomsday announcement though were Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.
The Deadpool & Wolverine stars were nowhere to be seen, and they’re not the only actors who were notably absent.
Chris Evans – who reprised the role of Fantastic 4’s Johnny Storm last year and previously played Captain America – wasn’t listed, and neither was Chris Pratt, who was last seen as Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman could still return as Deadpool and Wolverine (20th Century Studios/Marvel/Disney)
Elsewhere, there’s no Spider-Man (played by Tom Holland), no Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, or the likes of Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) or Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) in the revealed cast list.
It’s understood Reynolds, Jackman, and co. could still make an appearance in Avengers: Doomsday though.
Following yesterday’s livestream, RDJ took to Instagram to help facilitate a tease that more names could be dropping soon.
“That’s what u call a deep bench of talent,” the Iron Man icon wrote.
“Actually it’s more like a row, but an extra long one… That must be it.. right?”
In response, the official Marvel Instagram account typed: “There’s always room for more.”
Meanwhile, Doomsday directors the Russo Brothers added: “It’s time…”
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RDJ and Marvel have teased more names are coming (Instagram)
So it seems Kevin Feige and Marvel aren’t quite finished announcing the Avengers: Doomsday cast—isn’t that exciting?
The upcoming superhero flick is currently slated for a May 1, 2026 release, with its follow up, Avengers: Secret Wars, arriving a year later in May 2027.
If you want your Marvel fix before that though, Captain America: New World Order, starring Anthony Mackie, is still in cinemas.
Next up, we have Thunderbolts* in May 2025, Ironheart on Disney+ in June, Fantastic 4: First Steps in July.
Plus, we’re also getting Marvel Zombies and Wonder Man by the end of the year!
All actors announced for Avengers: Doomsday so far
- Chris Hemsworth
- Anthony Mackie
- Vanessa Kirby
- Paul Rudd
- Florence Pugh
- Wyatt Russell
- Tenoch Huerta Mejía
- Simu Liu
- Sebastian Stan
- Letitia Wright
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach
- Kelsey Grammer
- Lewis Pullman
- Danny Ramirez
- Joseph Quinn
- David Harbour
- Winston Duke
- Hannah John-Kamen
- Tom Hiddleston
- Sir Patrick Stewart
- Sir Ian McKellen
- Alan Cumming
- Rebecca
Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo have reacted to the news that Robert Downey Jr. fancies another shot at playing Iron Man.
Fans were elated to hear the news that Robert Downey Jr would ‘happily’ return as Iron Man.
Now, you might remember it was the Russo brother who killed off Tony Stark, after the hero sacrificed his life to defeat Thanos at the end of Endgame.
But death is rarely permanent in the MCU. Patrick Stewart’s Professor X has been brutally murdered three times now and still comes back for more, while Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is back for this summer’s Deadpool and Wolverine, despite his heartbreaking demise in Logan.
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man was seen as a ‘crazy’ idea. (Marvel)
In an interview with Esquire after his Oscar win, talking about if he would be open to returning, Downey Jr said: “Happily. It’s too integral a part of my DNA.
“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.”
Fans were ecstatic to say the least about his comments, with one saying: “I would literally start watching the MCU again if he came back.”
Another said: “His return in Secret Wars will be the biggest cinematic moment of the decade.”
Well fans might be disappointed, because Kevin Feige himself appeared to pour cold water all over the idea of RDJ’s return last year.
Speaking to Vanity Fair in December 2023, the Marvel Studios president said: “We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again.
“We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”
Robert Downey Jr. starred as Iron Man in the MCU. (Marvel/Disney)
And it seems as though directors Joe and Anthony Russo are singing the same tune as the president.
Speaking to GamesRadar+, Joe and Anthony expressed their confusion regarding the cinematic return.
Anthony said: “I don’t know how they would do it.
“I don’t know what the road to that would be [laughs].”
Joe agreed, saying: “I mean we closed that book so it would be up to them to figure out how to reopen it.”
Before his sensational acting career, Downey Jr struggled with substance abuse.
Former Marvel Studios presenident David Maisel, the man who cast the RDJ, said his fellow execs thought he was ‘crazy’ for doing so.
Speaking to the New Yorker, he said: “My board thought I was crazy to put the future of the company in the hands of an addict.
“I helped them understand how great he was for the role.
“We all had confidence that he was clean and would stay clean.”
Turns out the decision to go ahead with the casting went down well, to say the least.
Gwyneth Paltrow has shared her thoughts on Robert Downey Jr returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Downey Jr’s long-running arc in the MCU came to a dramatic end in Avengers: Endgame when Iron Man helped destroy arch-baddie Thanos using the power of the infinity stones
Of course, the damage from using the stones and the final effort ended up costing Tony Stark his life, bringing the story of one of the original characters in the franchise to a close.
But after his last appearance in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, the actor is now set to make a return to the MCU.
However, Downey Jr will not reprising his role as Iron Man/Tony Stark and instead will be portraying an entirely new character.
This will be as the villainous Dr Doom, the pseudonym of Victor von Doom who is a frequent opponent of the Fantastic Four.
During a surprise appearance at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) on Saturday (July 27) the star revealed that he would be taking on the role in Avengers: Doomsday, as well as Avengers: Secret Wars.
After dramatically removing his mask, Downey Jr said: “New mask… same task. What can I tell ya, I like playing complicated characters.”
And now Paltrow – who starred alongside Downey Jr in all three Iron Man movies – replied to the actor’s post on Instagram announcing the casting.
Robert Downey Jr is set to return to the MCU. (Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Warner Bros.)
Referencing how he has shifted from playing the heroic Iron Man to the villainous Dr Doom, she joked: “I don’t get it, are you a baddie now?”
And Paltrow was far from the only MCU alumni to comment on the post.
Mark Ruffalo, who played the Incredible Hulk/Bruce Banner, wrote: “Hey brat, green suits you.”
The Russo Brothers also commented, saying: “We’ve always said green is your colour…”
This is in reference to Dr Doom’s look, which is a green cloak and a sinister metallic mask.
At present it’s not clear exactly how Dr Doom will be incorporated into the MCU.
There is of course the slight issue of Downey Jr already being synonymous with Tony Stark in the franchise.
While this could be solved by simply having the character never shown without the mask, it could also be another version of Stark from the multiverse, explaining the likeness.
Among those who commented was actor and comedian Seth Green, who reflected the mood by writing simply: “I am entertained.”
Robert Downey Jr will return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the upcoming Avengers movie, but on specific conditions.
Downey Jr was one of the longest-running stars of the MCU, beginning with his starring role in Iron Man in 2008.
Eleven years, six starring roles, and three cameos later and Downey Jr’s arc as Tony Stark / Iron Man came to a close with the character’s death in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
Over the course of this arc in the MCU Downey Jr reportedly netted between $500 million and $600 million for his performances.
Now he is set to return to the MCU, but not in his old role of Tony Stark, despite the multiverse storyline leaving that possibility open.
Instead, Downey Jr was drafted in to play the part of the villainous Doctor Doom in upcoming titles in the MCU.
But it seems that securing Downey Jr’s return came with some big caveats, and costs, for the star.
Downey Jr recently picked up an Oscar for his performance in Oppenheimer. (Gareth Cattermole/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)
Among them is that Downey Jr is reportedly asking that the upcoming projects be directed by Antony and Joe Russo.
The Russo Brothers have previously directed four films in the MCU – Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014, Captain America: Civil War in 2016, Avengers: Infinity War in 2018, and Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
Downey Jr reportedly stipulated that he would want an upcoming film to be directed by the Russo Brothers in order for him to return to the MCU.
And working with the Russo Brothers isn’t the only thing that’s coaxed Downey Jr back into the Marvel fold.
Downey Jr will return to the MCU as Doctor Doom. (Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
Sources have said that the Russo Brothers are being paid some $80 million for their services in directing two upcoming Avengers movies.
As for Downey Jr, his contract is reported to be ‘significantly more’ for his performance as Doctor Doom.
And a salary is not the only thing which Marvel has reportedly put on the table for Downey Jr.
Other perks for the actor reportedly include private jet travel, a dedicated security team, and an entire ‘trailer encampment’ for him.
Despite being one of the most well-known franchises in the world, the MCU has struggled since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, which brought the long-running infinity stones plot line to a close.
But despite some lukewarm box office takings on recent movies, at least by Marvel standards, there are still new projects in the works.
Among these are the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars.
While it’s likely you can’t imagine Robert Downey Jr being anyone other than Iron Man, it turns out he nearly landed a very different role.
Downey Jr‘s first Iron Man movie was released in 2008 and marked the beginning of what’s now known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Following its success, Iron Man 2 was released just two years later and Downey Jr’s character went on to star in a series of other Marvel movies as well.
To date, Marvel’s highest grossing movie is 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, which raked in almost $3 billion world wide.
While Iron Man was the first film in the MCU, it wasn’t the first Marvel movie. Some earlier films based on Marvel comic book characters include Blade, X-Men, Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and Hulk (to name a few).
Robert Downey Jr plays Tony Stark – AKA Iron Man – in the MCU. (Paramount Pictures)
Another movie was Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, which hit cinemas in 2007.
It stars Jessica Alba (Sue Storm), Ioan Gruffudd (Reed Richards), Chris Evans (Johnny Storm) and Michael Chickis (Ben Grim) – and it turns out Downey Jr was almost cast in the movie too.
Downey Jr had been considered as the role of Doctor Doom in the film, but the part went on to be given to Julian McMahon.
The actor has featured in nine Marvel movies. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Director Jon Favreau sat down with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige last year to mark the 15th anniversary of Iron Man where they discussed the different path Downey Jr nearly went down.
“I remember Robert had come in for a general on [Iron Man],” recalled Favreau. “You had all met with him already for, like, Doctor Doom or something on another project.”
He added: “I think that he’d come through from Fantastic Four, so everybody sort of new who he was and I remember sitting down with the guy and I was like, ‘Jeez. He just got it. He’s got that [sparkle] in his eye and he’s ready.”
And the rest was history.
While Downey Jr auditioned for a role in a different Marvel movie, there’s a good chance that had he been cast as Doctor Doom that he would have still landed the Iron Man gig as Evans went on to bag the role of Captain America.
The first Captain America wasn’t released until 2011 however, giving some film fans a bit of time to forget that he was also Johnny Storm as well.
Since joining the MCU as Captain America, it won’t have come as a surprise that Evans isn’t going to be part of the new Fantastic Four cast.
Instead, Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn will portray Johnny Storm, with Vanessa Kirby taking on the part of Sue Storm.
Elsewhere Pedro Pascal has been cast as Reed Richards and Ebon Moss-Bachrach is set to star as Ben Grimm.
Featured Image Credit: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic via Getty/Paramount Pictures
