OSCAR-WINNER Robert Downey Jr announced his return to the Marvel superhero films during a presentation at Comic-Con yesterday, as the company attempts to reinvigorate its all-time record-grossing movie franchise Avengers.
Harrison Ford and Pedro Pascal were also officially unveiled among a batch of new stars joining the movie franchise, which has grossed US$30 billion (RM139.7 billion) at the box office but in recent years has suffered a number of high-profile flops.
Marvel film president Kevin Feige unveiled new details about multiple upcoming superhero movies at the San Diego Comic-Con in California, including the returning Downey Jr.
The actor, who launched the entire Marvel cinematic universe (MCU ) with Iron Man in 2008, will return as Doctor Doom, a prominent villain in the Marvel comic books.
He appeared anonymously on stage among a group of hooded and masked figures, before stepping forward and revealing his return.
“New mask. Same task. What did I tell you? I like playing complicated characters,” said Downey Jr at the convention.
Downey Jr won an Oscar this year for his role in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and had seemingly retired from the Marvel films after the movie Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
Doomsday
Marvel fans have complained in recent years about over-complicated plotlines and the departure of beloved characters, including Downey Jr’s Iron Man, with some calling for a wholesale reboot of the movies. The franchise was also rocked by domestic violence revelations about actor Jonathan Majors, who had been set to become the major new supervillain Kang across multiple films.
Majors, who was convicted for assaulting and harassing his then-girlfriend, was dropped by Marvel. Hence, the answer to who will fill that role was seemingly answered by Downey Jr’s return as a villain. Joe and Anthony Russo, the brothers who previously oversaw Avengers: Endgame, which became the highest-grossing film of all time at more than US$2.79 billion, will also return as directors of Avengers: Doomsday in May 2026 and Avengers: Secret Wars in May 2027.
Continuance of MCU
The Marvel event opened with dozens of singers and dancers dressed in the red and yellow of Deadpool and Wolverine, the new R-rated superhero movie that is enjoying a record breaking opening this weekend.
“But Hall H does not just look back. Hall H looks forward,” said Feige, referring to the Comic-Con event’s famous venue before setting out Marvel’s plans for the next three years.
Next year will see three films including February’s Captain America: Brave New World with Harrison Ford as Thaddeus Ross, a US president who turns into Red Hulk.
“I wanted a piece of the action,” said Ford on joining the Marvel franchise.
Also slated for release next year are Thunderbolts in May, starring Florence Pugh, and The Fantastic 4: First Steps in July, starring Pedro Pascal and set
in 1960s New York. Earlier yesterday at Comic-Con, Warner Bros, which runs superhero movies in the DC universe, showed a glimpse of The Penguin, starring Colin Farrell.
Spun off from the 2022 film The Batman, which starred Robert Pattinson as a grungy, noirish incarnation of the beloved superhero, The Penguin will show on HBO on Sept 19. – AFP
