Robert Downey Jr stunned fans as the Iron Man star removed a mask during the San Diego Comic-Con Hall H panel to reveal that he will play Doctor Doom, one of Marvel’s biggest villains, in the upcoming film Avengers: Doomsday.
The panel on Saturday was flooded with hooded figures wearing masks of the comic book villain known for his sorcery and science when Downey Jr revealed his face. “I like playing complicated characters,” he said as fans began to chant his name.
The Russo brothers are returning to direct both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
The panel had plenty more showstopping moments, as it began with a boisterous Deadpool choir, inspired by the recent film Deadpool and Wolverine, which the Marvel president, Kevin Feige, said had set the box office record for the highest grossing R-rated film ever.
Deadpool & Wolverine has the largest domestic box office opening of 2024, according to industry analysts. US and Canadian sales through Sunday should hit between $175m and $185m, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.
The cast of the upcoming film Captain America: Brave New World later joined the stage with lead Anthony Mackie sharing how his version of the titular superhero is different from actor Chris Evans’s version.
“He’s not so much a muscle bound guy, he’s more of a cerebral, thoughtful character,” Mackie said.
Harrison Ford, who replaces the late William Hurt as Thunderbolt Ross, joined the cast at the event. David Harbour also walked into Hall H amid the seated audience members wearing the costume for his Black Widow character, Alexei Shostakov, AKA the Red Guardian, who will feature in the upcoming movie Thunderbolts, which centres on a team of Marvel anti-heroes.
Another major villain joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe is cosmic entity called Galactus, the antagonist of The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
