SDCC: Marvel Reveals “Fantastic Four” and “Avengers” Titles, Casts Doctor Doom

San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) is well underway, but as always, Saturday held the biggest announcements. For fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), perhaps nothing was bigger than the news around the upcoming “Avengers” and “Fantastic Four” films.

Not only did we get new titles for the upcoming movies, but Marvel announced the actor cast to play the iconic Fantastic Four villain, Doctor Doom, and you’ll never believe who it is.

Except you will, because the internet has already gone wild with the announcement, so there’s no need to build any suspense.

It’s Robert Downey Jr.

The Fantastic 4: First Steps

Marvel’s first family’s entry to the MCU has been a long time coming. While there have been a handful of “Fantastic Four” movies in the past, ranging from the “so bad it’s good” to “it’s alright,” they couldn’t make a proper entrance into the Marvel Cinematic Universe until Disney acquired 21st Century Fox.

Now that they have, the Fantastic Four are getting ready to make their debut. Director Matt Shakman introduced Hall H attendees to the upcoming installment, titled “The Fantastic 4: First Steps.”

“First Steps” won’t be set in the present day, instead featuring a “retro-future 60’s” setting. The film stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Susan Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing. It also features Julia Garner as the Silver Surfer and Ralph Ineson as Galactus, as well as Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne, and John Malkovich in yet-to-be-revealed roles.

While Galactus is an iconic Marvel figure, tied into the cosmic side of the stories, the announcement didn’t mention Fantastic Four villain Doctor Doom. That was saved for slightly later…

Avengers: “Doomsday” and “Secret Wars”

Doctor Doom is still making his MCU debut, but instead of taking on the Fantastic Four, he’ll be facing the entire Marvel Universe.

While Marvel originally planned to make Kang the Conqueror the primary antagonist of the upcoming “Avengers” films, plans for that were quickly scrapped after Jonathan Majors was found guilty of two domestic violence charges.

As such, “The Kang Dynasty” is out and “Doomsday” is in, leading up to “Avengers: Secret Wars.” To the delight of the crowd, Joe and Anthony Russo are making their return to Marvel as directors of the upcoming “Avengers” films.

Also making his return to the MCU is Robert Downey Jr., who played Tony Stark/Iron Man from the start of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with 2008’s “Iron Man” up until 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.” But RDJ is not returning as Tony Stark, but rather, as Victor von Doom himself.

Online buzz has been split on this announcement, with many fans excited to see the actor’s return, while others express skepticism at the casting decision or are worried that we’ll get a “snarky” Doctor Doom. However, the applause at the SDCC panel was nothing but enthusiastic.

What does this mean for Doctor Doom in the MCU? Naturally, we won’t know for a while. Whether we see RDJ’s face under Doctor Doom’s mask or not, whether this Victor von Doom is a multiversal variant of Tony Stark, or whether Marvel takes us for a complete twist, we’ll have to wait and see in “Avengers: Doomsday” in May 2026.

In the meantime, let us know your thoughts in the comments and keep an eye out for more news from Comic Con.

Sources: Marvel’s ‘Fantastic Four’ Titled ‘The Fantastic 4: First Steps’: Comic-Con Concept Footage Unveils Retro 1960s Vision and Galactus’ Head / Robert Downey Jr. Sets Marvel Return as Doctor Doom in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ / Big Marvel Studios reveals from its 2024 Comic Con panel, including Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. Doom