Years after his last appearance as Tony Stark, Downey returned to the MCU as Doctor Doom in the next “Avengers” films.
Tony Stark died a hero. But Robert Downey Jr. lived long enough to become the villain.
Downey appeared to have ended his Marvel career in 2019 after playing Stark in 10 films before his superhero Iron Man finally died fighting Thanos in “Avengers: Endgame.”
But on Saturday, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige surprised the crowd at San Diego Comic-Con when he announced that Downey would return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe — this time as Doctor Doom or Victor Van Doom.
Downey proceeded to reveal himself on stage and took off his mask amid cheers from the crowd.
“New mask, same mission,” he noted of his return.
One of Marvel’s most fearsome supervillains, Dr. Doom will appear in the upcoming “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Avengers: Secret Wars.”
But many online have expressed confusion over the casting.
Fans are questioning how the role will actually work, with some speculating that Downey will actually play a variation of the evil multiverse version of Stark, Doctor Doom, and others wondering if Downey will play a character that has nothing to do with Iron Man. Dr. Doom wears a mask, meaning Downey’s role is expected to consist mostly of voice work.
Even Gwyneth Paltrow, who co-starred as Pepper Potts in the “Iron Man” franchise, shared her surprise on Downey’s Instagram post, writing, “I don’t get it, are you the bad guy now?”
Memes quickly spread online after the announcement, mocking Downey’s return to the MCU so soon after winning the first Oscar (for “Oppenheimer”) of his decades-long career.
Some expressed disappointment over how much money Downey would have to accept to return to Marvel, questioning what a lucrative deal was.
Many online criticized the casting, writing that it was “done strictly for fan service” and preferring a fresh face instead of a familiar MCU star.
After the disappointing box office numbers of recent films like “Captain Marvel” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Mania,” some fans called the decision a “desperate” play by Marvel to hold out until “Deadpool & Wolverine” dominates the box office this weekend.
However, others said that regardless of the role, they are happy to see Downey return.
Downey’s new role appears to replace “Fantastic Four” villain Kong the Conqueror, who was the subject of numerous memes on Saturday.
In 2022, Marvel announced Kong would be the focus of the next “Avengers film,” titled “The Kong Dynasty” — retitled “Doomsday” — after the studio last year cut ties with Kong actor Jonathan Majors after he was convicted of assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend.
