Marvel Reportedly Gives Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom a Reality-Bending Power That Changes Everything
One year out, Robert Downey Jr. storms back into the MCU—this time as Doctor Doom. The role remains under wraps, but fresh buzz hints at which heroes could share the screen with him.
About a year from now, Robert Downey Jr. is expected to walk back into the MCU — only this time as Doctor Doom. Marvel is keeping the role locked up like Fort Knox, but the merch machine is already nudging us toward what kind of Doom we might be getting.
The merch: Doom, portals, and a lot of magic
Marvel just rolled out a new wave of Popmart vinyls under the 'Across the Infinite Series' banner. One of them is Doom, and he is not being subtle. The figure has him in classic green, stepping out of a purple portal with crackling yellow, lightning-style energy flying off his hands. That is a pretty loud visual hint: this Doom is not just punching things.
The line also includes Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Loki, and more. Photos of the Doom figure hit social this week from collectors in Asia — including a Japanese Marvel fan posting on December 12, 2025, who said they spotted the series in Thailand and were told it was case-only buying, and that the Doom box felt like the heaviest one in the set. File that under: toy hunters doing the Lord's work.
If you know the comics, the magic tracks. Doom is a lethal mix of supreme scientist and high-level sorcerer. He is studied in obscure forms of magic, rivals the best practitioners on Earth, and was even in the running to replace Doctor Strange as Sorcerer Supreme when Strange stepped aside. If Marvel is foregrounding the sorcery in the merch, the movies probably will too. Not great news for the Avengers.
The official tease: Disney's China expo calls it out
Per an official newsletter for the Disney 2026 Merchandise Expo in China — shared via posts on X — Downey's Doom is described as an expert in cutting-edge science and powerful magic. The blurb makes the threat level crystal clear:
This villain, a master of cutting-edge science and powerful magic, will unleash a cascading crisis across the entire Multiverse.
So yeah, with Downey back and Doom being framed as the next big bad, it sounds like Marvel is lining up a multiverse-scale problem.
Marvel dusts off 'Infamous Iron Man' with a new subtitle
Meanwhile, Marvel is reprinting Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev's 'Infamous Iron Man' and giving it a new subtitle: 'The Rise of Doom.' Bleeding Cool flagged that the reprint's marketing directly name-checks Downey returning to the MCU as Doom in 'Avengers: Doomsday' (in theaters December 18, 2026). The promo also leans into a very specific angle from the comic: Doom stepping into a kind of heroic Iron Man role and claiming he'll succeed where Tony Stark failed. It teases interest from Ben Grimm, Pepper Potts, and Ironheart Riri Williams, plus a cosmic-scale foe, the return of Doom's most personal enemy, and a twist involving his mother. The collection bundles 'Infamous Iron Man' (2016) issues #1–12.
If Marvel is resurfacing that series and winking at Downey's casting in the copy, it is hard not to see it as a breadcrumb. Doom wearing the armor — and, in the movies, wearing the face we all associate with Iron Man — is a very particular kind of mind game.
So what does it all add up to?
The toys are flashing sorcery. The expo wording spells out science plus magic and promises multiverse chaos. The comic reprint points at a version of Doom who plays with Iron Man's legacy. None of this is a plot synopsis, but the pattern is not subtle: they are setting up a Doom who can break reality and get under everyone's skin at the same time.
- Popmart 'Across the Infinite Series' Doom vinyl: green cloak, purple portal, yellow magic; line also includes Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Loki, and more; early sightings in Asia with some stores pushing case-only purchases; one collector noted the Doom box felt heaviest.
- From Disney's 2026 Merchandise Expo (China) newsletter: Downey's Doom is a master of advanced science and powerful magic, framed as a multiverse-level threat.
- Marvel reprinting 'Infamous Iron Man' as 'The Rise of Doom': marketing nods to Downey as Doom in 'Avengers: Doomsday' (December 18, 2026), teases Doom attempting heroism, involvement from Ben Grimm, Pepper Potts, and Riri Williams, a cosmic adversary, and a storyline about his mother; collects issues #1–12.
- In the comics, Doom has both sorcery and super-science chops; he once vied for Sorcerer Supreme after Doctor Strange stepped down.
- The Russo Brothers are steering 'Avengers: Doomsday' — we still do not know which direction they are taking it.
Bottom line: a year out, Marvel is already telling us what kind of monster is waiting on the other side of that portal. And yes, it looks like he is wearing Tony Stark's face. Buckle up.