The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a behemoth franchise that's constantly expanding thanks to new releases in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Arguably the most anticipated upcoming Marvel movie is The Russo Brothers' Avengers: Doomsday, which will feature Robert Downey Jr.'s return to the MCU as the villainous Doctor Doom. And when explaining why he's back, he surprisingly dropped Christopher Nolan's name.
What we know about Avengers: Doomsday is limited, but RDJ's involvement is enough to have fans excited. He's returning to the shared universe after taking home an Oscar for Oppenheimer, and during an appearance on Conversations for our Daughters, he addressed this career choice. He also referenced Charlie Chaplin, offering:
Now I’m dipping my toe back in there but I honestly feel like I’ve I don’t want to say I’ve earned the the right to be able to be granted access where no actor for hire has been. But I’ve always had this thing where I’m kind of, even in Chaplin it was about he transitioned from the silent era to talkies or did he? Because really it was but it was all to make The Great Dictator which was possibly the most important statement of his entire artistic career. And now having played Tony Stark for all those years, I’m coming back into Marvel again.
That reference is on brand, given how Downey played the title character of Chaplin. And it sounds like he wanted to join the cast of Avengers: Doomsday partly because of the way his career has morphed over the years. Now he's got an Oscar, and he's rejoining the MCU as it's also been greatly changed. Speaking as a fan, I can't wait to see him go from hero to villain in the next Avengers flick.
Later in that same conversation, he went on to drop Christopher Nolan's name, referencing his Oscar-winning turn in Oppenheimer. It sounds like the process of working with the Inception filmmaker helped to inspire his decision to return to Marvel. In the actor's words:
Without Lewis Strauss and without Nolan’s endorsement, it wouldn’t make as much sense to say, ‘Oh yeah, I’m going to hit that button again, but now I’m going to do it in this genre.’ But really, what’s interesting to me is digging into what happens backstage at the world, not being afraid of scale.
While Robert Downey Jr.'s Marvel career originally ended with Tony Stark's death in Avengers: Doomsday, it sounds like the wild success of Oppenheimer convinced him to dip his toes back into the shared universe. And after Jonathan Majors was fired as Kang, that's exactly what the franchise needed.
What exactly he brings to his new villain character will be revealed when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list. With the multiverse in play, it seems like just about anything could happen, and fans can't wait to see him back in the MCU.
