Robert Downey Jr.’s Dr. Doom Finally Speaks in New “Avengers: Doomsday” Trailer
“Victor was always the smartest guy in every room. He used to be different. He used to be kind. He used to be caring. And then everything he loved was taken from him.”
So begins a new Avengers: Doomsday trailer, with Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm describing a man she once knew well, Victor von Doom, played in the Russo Brothers’ upcoming film by Robert Downey Jr. Much ink has been spilled about Downey Jr.’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man launched the MCU as we know it, igniting a juggernaut studio and ushering in an era of sustained success across dozens of films. Downey Jr.’s swan song as the chatty, brilliant Stark came in 2018’s Avengers: Endgame, with his Iron Man going out as the ultimate hero as he sacrificed himself to save the universe from Thanos (Josh Brolin). Now, eight years later, Downey Jr. is back as one of the most iconic villains in the Marvel canon.
Kirby’s Sue Storm tells this story of the fallen Victor von Doom to an assemblage of Avengers and other superheroes who have gathered to face him—they include Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, Letitia Wright’s Shuri/Black Panther, Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi, and Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers.
“I knew he was lost,” Sue says. “I didn’t realize he was broken.”
We then see a decimated city and a pained Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) asking his former friend if he did this. Then we glimpse more people joining forces to face him, including Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Magneto (Ian McKellen), Johnny Storm/the Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and more. “All of you have lived stolen lives,” Dr. Doom says, Downey Jr. using an effective Eastern European accent, “but now you must give them back.”
We get a sense of Dr. Doom’s power toward the end of the new look, when he flicks away Thor without breaking a sweat (not that we could see him sweating behind his metal mask). He then raises his army of colossal Sentinels, the man-hunting robots that have haunted Marvel characters for many years across the screen and the comics.
This is the most substantial look we’ve gotten at Downey Jr.’s take on the iconic supervillain, and he certainly seems right at home in the mask and cloak. The fight is on.
Avengers: Doomsday comes to theaters on December 18. Disney and Marvel are screening it in their bespoke, premium format Infinity Vision, as their film opens the same day as Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three, which will be playing across IMAX theaters. It could be another historic weekend at the movie theater
Check out the trailer below.
Featured image: Robert Downey Jr. as Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. Photo courtesy of Marvel. © 2026 Marvel. All Rights Reserved.
