Iron Man 3 director says Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom is "going to singlehandedly reinvigorate the entire comic book movie industry"

Iron Man 3 director Shane Black has a long working relationship with Tony Stark actor Robert Downey, Jr. on the film Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, the film which revitalized Downey's career and led to him being cast in 2008's Iron Man. Black knows Downey well, and he's got some strong predictions about how Downey's return to the MCU as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday will impact the entire superhero movie industry.

"I think he's going to singlehandedly reinvigorate the entire comic book movie industry with that," Black tells ComicBook. "I mean, it seemed like at first a cynical idea, you know, 'Oh, let's just go back to the well of the one guy that seems to always save us.' But it’s going to work. It's really going to work. And he's brought to it… I'm not at liberty to say anything, not that I know. I'm thrilled because I'm first in line to see that. I haven't seen all the Marvel movies. I'll see that one first."

Downey's casting as Doom has been somewhat controversial among fans, stoking concerns that the iconic villain's backstory may be changed to incorporate a Tony Stark twist to his identity. Nonetheless, the hype has also been real as expectations are through the roof.

The only official glimpse of the character we've seen so far came in the post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, in which Doom appeared briefly from behind, confronting Franklin Richards in the Baxter Building.

The sequence was directed by Doomsday directors Joe and Anthony Russo, who confirmed that it was indeed Downey in the costume on the set of Fantastic Four for the scene.

Avengers: Doomsday releases in theaters on December 18, 2026. While we wait, stay up to date on all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows in the works.