Robert Downey Jr. performs as Doctor Doom at Comic-Con
Robert Downey Jr. will return to Marvel in the 2026 film Avengers: Doomsday, playing the iconic villain Doctor Doom.
Welcome back, Steve Rogers.
The first teaser trailer for Avengers: Doomsday has arrived, revealing for the first time that Chris Evans will be returning to the next Marvel movie. The trailer was shown in theaters before the release of Avatar: Fire and Ash on Thursday, December 18th, but has not been released online.
The video begins with former Captain America Steve Rogers arriving at the house he shares with Peggy Carter, where they settled at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Steve gets off his bike and enters the house, where he is seen picking up an old Captain America suit.
The trailer features a somber version of the Avengers main theme and ends with a shot of Steve holding a baby, presumably with Peggy.
Chris Evans makes surprise return in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
“Steve Rogers returns in ‘Avengers: Doomsday,'” the screen reads. There will also be a timer counting down to the release of “Avengers: Doomsday” in December 2026.
It was previously not confirmed that Evans would star in Avengers: Doomsday. In March, Marvel announced the film’s main cast on a livestream, but Evans’ name was left off the list.
“Doomsday” marks the first time the actor has reprized his role as Steve Rogers since he bid farewell to Marvel in “Avengers: Endgame,” which served as the finale for the studio’s previous films. The 2019 blockbuster ended with Steve traveling back in time and reconciling with his first love, Peggy Carter. The final shot of the film was Steve and Peggy sharing a dance.
Evans has since repeatedly stated that he was reluctant to return to the role of Steve because he didn’t want to ruin his emotional sendoff in Endgame. However, Evans returned to Marvel as a different character in 2024’s Deadpool and Wolverine. He made a surprise cameo in the film as Johnny Storm, the character he played in the Fantastic Four films.
After Evans left the Marvel franchise, Sam Wilson, played by Anthony Mackie, took over the role of Captain America, starting with the 2021 Disney+ streaming series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and continuing through the 2025 film Captain America: Brave New World.
Chris Hemsworth and Robert Downey Jr. also return to ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
Evans is the third major original Avengers star to be confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday. Chris Hemsworth stars as Thor, and Robert Downey Jr. also returns, but apparently not as Iron Man. Downey will instead play a new character, the villainous Doctor Doom, in Doomsday. It’s unclear if there is any connection between Doom and Tony Stark, whom Downey previously played at Marvel.
In July, Doctor Doom appeared in the credits scene of Fantastic Four: First Steps, where he was shown attempting to kidnap the son of Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby). Downey’s face was not shown in this scene.
The rest of the Avengers: Doomsday cast includes Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, Channing Tatum as Gambit, and Letitia Wright as Black Panther, as well as several original X-Men stars like Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, and all the major actors from Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four: First Steps. more. Mackie also returns as Sam Wilson.
“Doomsday” will be directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, the filmmaking duo behind Marvel’s final two-part series, “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame.” The latter is the second-highest grossing film of all time, behind 2009’s Avatar, and holds the record for the biggest opening weekend in film history.
“Avengers: Doomsday” full cast list
With Evans’ participation, the following stars have been confirmed to appear in “Avengers: Doomsday.”
- chris evans
- chris hemsworth
- Vanessa Kirby
- anthony mackie
- Sebastian Stan
- Letitia Wright
- paul rudd
- Wyatt Russell
- Tenoch Huerta Mejia
- Ebon moss backrack
- Simu Liu
- Florence Pugh
- kelsey grammer
- Lewis Pullman
- Danny Ramirez
- joseph quinn
- david harbor
- winston duke
- hannah john kamen
- tom hiddleston
- patrick stewart
- Ian McKellen
- alan cumming
- Rebecca Romijn
- james marsden
- Channing Tatum
- Pedro Pascal
- robert downey jr
“Avengers: Doomsday” release date
Avengers: Doomsday will be released in theaters on December 18, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars a year later on December 17, 2027.
