Robert Downey Jr.’s antagonist role as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday may be overshadowing a long-awaited hero’s MCU return in Avengers: Secret Wars. In December 2023, Jonathan Majors’ legal issues prompted Marvel to fire him, which led the MCU to replace Kang the Conqueror and the Council of Kangs in their role as the Multiverse Saga’s main antagonists. Now, it’s Doctor Doom who will pose the biggest threat to the Avengers, possibly reshaping the multiverse to his image in a live-action adaptation of Marvel Comics’ 2015 Secret Wars storyline. As revealed at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Robert Downey Jr. will play Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Doctor Doom has always held a grudge against Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four, which inspired Doom to torture Johnny Storm, brainwash and manipulate Sue Storm and Valeria Richards, and attempt to kill Ben Grimm in 2015’s Secret Wars. Ultimately, it’s Reed Richards himself who undoes Doctor Doom’s changes to the multiverse, though Doom’s hatred against Richards and his family endures. Doom isn’t just the Fantastic Four’s archnemesis, however, as he has repeatedly come to blows with the Avengers and many other heroes in the source material as well.

Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man Can’t Miss A Multiversal Secret Wars Reunion

Secret Wars Provides The Perfect Chance For A Team-Up Between Marvel’s Most Iconic Live-Action Portrayals

As exciting as Robert Downey Jr.’s casting as the MCU’s Doctor Doom may be, there’s still a chance Downey will return as Iron Man in Avengers: Secret Wars. Like its comic book inspirations, Avengers: Secret Wars is expected to gather heroes from all over the multiverse. Either Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars could see famous Marvel hero portrayals such as Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men, Wesley Snipes’ Blade, Nicolas Cage’s Ghost Rider, Jennifer Garner’s Elektra, Chris Evans’ Captain America, and Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man team up on the big screen.

Avengers: Secret Wars could be the multiversal equivalent to Avengers: Endgame, bringing together not only every major MCU hero introduced throughout the Infinity Saga and the Multiverse Saga, but also across every Marvel property outside the MCU. Given how iconic and relevant to the MCU’s success Robert Downey Jr. has been, it would be a mistake to leave him out of a multiversal crossover, especially considering how easy it is to justify his or his variant’s return with the help of the multiverse. The same could apply to Chris Evans’ Captain America.

Both Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans have said that the’re willing to return to the MCU some day.

How RDJ’s Doctor Doom And Iron Man Can Coexist

Avengers: Secret Wars Could Use A Comic Book Trick To Include Both Doctor Doom And Iron Man

Doctor Doom will likely be Thanos’ multiversal equivalent in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, and Iron Man’s MCU return could be as exciting as the Avengers’ assemble scene from Avengers: Endgame’s final battle, if not more. Doctor Doom’s encounter with a multiversal Iron Man could be awkward, as both characters would be played by the same actor. However, Doctor Doom almost never removes his mask in the comics. If Doctor Doom takes his mask off in the MCU – which is likely, taking into account the villain’s A-list casting – then he would likely keep it on when Iron Man is on screen.

Most of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars ’ runtime would go to the old and new MCU Avengers, as well as other multiversal characters audiences haven’t seen in a long time

If a multiversal variant of Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man appears in Avengers: Secret Wars, he would likely receive very little screentime in comparison to the rest of the cast. After all, Iron Man already completed his full character arc in Avengers: Endgame, and a new variant could only arrive for a climactic team-up at the end of Avengers: Secret Wars. Most of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars’ runtime would go to the old and new MCU Avengers, as well as other multiversal characters audiences haven’t seen in a long time, let alone together on screen.

Secret Wars Is The Best Possible Movie For RDJ’s Iron Man Return

Robert Downey Jr.’s MCU Return Would Only Become More Difficult After The Multiverse Saga

Robert Downey Jr. previously said that his MCU return was inevitable. What most fans didn’t expect was that Downey would return so soon, much less so in the form of the Multiverse Saga’s main villain. Still, Downey’s Iron Man is too much of a beloved character to ignore in the MCU’s biggest crossover event. If there’s a chance Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man will ever return in the MCU, there’s no better project to make that happen than Avengers: Secret Wars, which will culminate not only the Multiverse Saga and 19 years of MCU evolution, but also more than 29 years of Marvel movie history.

After Avengers: Secret Wars puts an end to the Multiverse Saga, the MCU will probably pivot away from the concept of the multiverse. Even if a Sacred Timeline full of alternate universes survives after Phase 6’s conclusion, the franchise will likely focus on a different overarching story. Therefore, bringing back beloved portrayals of famous Marvel characters will probably become increasingly difficult as the MCU’s next phases progress. So, while it may take some extra suspension of disbelief to see two characters played by Robert Downey Jr. in Avengers: Secret Wars, Phase 6’s main crossover mig