There have been a lot of big Marvel announcements and teases during San Diego Comic Con this year, but the one that has everyone talking is Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU to play Doctor Doom. He will be playing the role in two confirmed films, Avengers: The Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, and the Russo Brothers are also returning to direct both projects. This may have been the buzziest announcement at Hall H, and nobody seemed to see it coming. Apparently, even other actors within the MCU had no idea Downey was coming back, as Florence Pugh explained that she found out with everyone else.
Marvel is known for their secrecy. The studio famously gives cast members like Tom Holland partial scripts to big projects, and everything is kept on a need-to-know basis to prevent spoilers from getting out. This seems to include any big announcements at Comic-Con this year as well. The studio had ensemble casts from Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps present during their panel, but even they were kept in the dark about the big RDJ news. Pugh told GamesRadar:
I didn’t even see that either, I was doing press with you lot!
She is referring to the many journalists attending San Diego Comic-Con to connect with the cast and get the inside scoop on what's new and coming soon at Marvel. However even though it may seem like these actors are in the know, oftentimes they only know as much as fans. The Downey announcement was major, igniting fan response in a frenzy after the big reveal. It’s understandable why the MCU may want to keep that hush-hush until everything is official, and they can announce on their own terms.
The studio also may have kept the news from Pugh and the rest of the Marvel actors because even though people try their best, spoilers have gotten out before. Mark Ruffalo accidentally live streamed the first 20 minutes of Thor: Ragnarok while he was at the premiere, and Tom Holland let the Andrew Garfield surprise role in Spider-Man: Far From Home get away from him. It’s never on purpose, but the less people know about a thing, the less likely one of the cast members may let something slip.
As for Pugh, this announcement means even more than it does to some Marvel fans, considering she learned about a potential scene partner. Downey and Pugh both know each other from the Oppenheimer press tour, but despite both being in the film, they never shared the screen. Pugh is expected to be in both Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, so this could be her opportunity to finally properly work with the Iron Man star. Both are mega talented, and it would be exciting to see a meeting of the minds between Yelena Belova and Doctor Doom.
You can see both Florence Pugh and Robert Downey Jr. in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars when they both hit theaters on May 1, 2026 and May 7, 2027, respectively. Fans can also see Pugh in her soon to be Marvel project, Thunderbolts*, which is currently slated for April 30th on the 2025 movie release schedule. For more information on other MCU films heading to cinemas in the near future, make sure to consult our upcoming Marvel movie guide.
