Popverse's top stories

• Spider-Man's ex Mary Jane is officially entering her villain phase with Death Spiral finale
• The first teaser for DC Studios' Clayface movie is here with the most diabolical needle drop of all time
• Watch You Had Me at Hockey with Rachel Reid, Ngozi Ukazu, Emily Rath, Bal Khabra, Stephanie Archer, & Kate Cochrane from Bookcon 2026!

Robert Downey Jr. had a massive year in 2024. From winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Oppenheimer to unveiling himself as the man behind the Doctor Doom mask at Marvel Studios' panel at San Diego Comic Con, it was clear that the Iron Man actor was beginning a new lease on his Marvel Studios career, despite Tony Stark dying five years earlier in Avengers: Endgame. 

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly about the forthcoming Avengers: Doomsday film, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige revealed how Robert Downey Jr.'s Oppenheimer role built the momentum that led to the studio greenlighting him as Doctor Doom. Feige said, "At the time, [Downey] was on his way to winning the Academy Award for Oppenheimer and there was every story about 'the greatest actor in the world,' and we thought, 'This could be it. Let's do it. It's a multiverse. We can do whatever the heck we want. He played the most iconic hero. Let's have him play the most iconic villain."

Oppenheimer was both a critical and commercial success, and Robert Downey Jr.'s Oscar win sealed a truth that just about anyone who cares about movies already knew: the guy can act. He had already been nominated back in 1993 for his performance in Chaplin, and he's excellent in Zodiac. Downey was so good in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang that there's literally a Key and Peele sketch about it. His Oscar win was deserved. 

But will audiences be behind Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday? That remains to be seen. Either way, we'll see how it all plays out when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters this December 18, 2026. 

Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:

• How to watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe in release or chronological order
• The best Marvel Comics stories of all time
• All the MCU movies ranked from best to worst
• Our weekly Marvel insider's column, Marvel Matters