Marvel gives fans first look at Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom

Ahead of Robert Downey Jr.’s highly anticipated return to the franchise, Marvel has released the first official concept art featuring his portrayal of Doctor Doom.

The Iron Man actor is set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in Avengers: Doomsday as an entirely new character. He last appeared as Tony Stark in the 2019 blockbuster Avengers: Endgame. Characters from across Marvel’s vast multiverse—including Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man, and Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova—will unite in this massive crossover event.

Andy Park, the former Director of Visual Development at Marvel Studios, gave fans their first official look at Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom mask. Park, who departed his role in April after a storied sixteen-year tenure, shared the illustration on X (formerly Twitter). He noted that Doomsday was “the final full film I had the honor of leading as Director of Visual Development at Marvel Studios”. He added, “This illustration commemorates that journey & reveals the characters & their looks for the first time.”

The artwork also provides a first look at returning X-Men characters, including Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming), Beast (Kelsey Grammer), and Mystique (Rebecca Romijn), none of whom had previously appeared in promotional materials. Additionally, Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, is positioned prominently as a mysterious central figure in the image.

Tony Stark’s death—where he sacrificed his life to defeat Thanos with the Infinity Stones—remains one of the most pivotal moments in MCU history. To prevent any spoilers before the film hit theaters, Marvel reportedly went to great lengths to hide the plot of Avengers: Endgame, even misleading Tom Holland, who is famously known for accidentally revealing secrets.

Holland later shared that the production crew told him they were filming a wedding scene, leaving him highly confused when he arrived on set for Stark’s funeral. He explained during an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, “This is how bad it is for me. I was told it was a wedding. I showed up to the ‘wedding’, and I was like, ‘Where’s Robert?’”

While Marvel is likely taking similarly extreme precautions to keep the plot of Doomsday under wraps, a brief teaser trailer released earlier this year showed the Fantastic Four traveling to Wakanda to meet Letitia Wright’s Shuri and Winston Duke’s M’Baku.