We may have our first look at Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday – and it’s all thanks to his birthday party invitation.
The actor celebrated his 60th birthday over the weekend, and one of his party invitations was shared on Instagram by jazz musician Eric Lewis. The comic book-style illustration, which you can see below, shows an iteration of the MCU’s new big bad, Doctor Doom, sporting a curly haircut, a green suit, and a purple cape. There are some neat touches to the faux comic book cover, like the price (60¢, to reference Downey Jr.’s age), and the release date (April 4, 1965, which is Downey Jr.’s date of birth). Downey Jr. has recently been spotted with a very similar haircut, and filming on Doomsday is set to kick off early this month.
Downey Jr.’s role in the movie was confirmed at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, and the rest of the film’s cast – including the Thunderbolts* and the Fantastic Four – was announced as part of a five-hour live stream last month (but there could still be plenty more names to come…). Infinity War and Endgame helmers the Russo brothers will be back to direct Doomsday and its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars.
“He is so immersed in it. He is so dialed in,” Joe Russo previously told Entertainment Tonight of Downey Jr. “He’s writing backstory, costume ideas… We were just on the phone with him this morning before we got here talking about it. He just loves really rich three-dimensional characters. He sees a real opportunity here with the character.”
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on May 1, 2026 as part of Marvel Phase 6. In the meantime, get up to speed with what else is still to come from Marvel and DC with our guide to all the other upcoming superhero movies.