*Courtesy of Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney.*

After years and years of fan demand, the complex character of Doctor Doom is entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe — but not in the fashion one might have been expecting.

At San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios president and producer Kevin Feige revealed that the Russo Brothers will return to Marvel after their hit successes including ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ to direct Avengers 5 (‘Doomsday’) and 6 (‘Secret Wars’). This came at a time when Marvel was already dominating this year’s SDCC.

The previously titled ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’ has been reworked and retitled ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ serving as the introduction of Doctor Doom.

Then, an even bigger announcement happened (watch below).

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Top Film (@topfilmmagazine)

Robert Downey Jr. unexpectedly announced his return to the franchise but not as his iconic portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man — a role that his completely synonymous with the actor — much like Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. This time, Downey will indeed play Doctor Doom (and no, he won’t be playing a Tony Stark variant).

Comic-Con 2024 gave Marvel a much needed boost in exitement after the lackluster shows and string of box office disappointments post-Endgame — also riding on the back of recent MCU instalment ‘Deadpool And Wolverine’s’ success — currently reaching toward $1 billion this weekend.

However, RDJ’s Doctor Doom reveal caused a stir among fans.

CATCH UP: Marvel Studios At Hall H: A Comic-Con Recap Of The Biggest News Of 2024

Downey is one of the best actors working today, and has been vocal about leaving the Marvel universe behind to seek more original projects. Something happened behind the scenes to make the actor change his mind, which led many fans to believe that Marvel urged him back as a ‘fail-safe,’ and with a ton of money in the process.

Downey’s previous work with Marvel earned him up to $600 million and the studios will be more than willing to pay the actor a hefty amount for his return — rumored to be around $100 million.

Some fans have commented that this reeks of “desperation” on Marvel’s behalf. With the actor so heavily tied to the MCU’s success with Iron Man, it’ll be impossible to distinguish the actor if he were to appear on-screen without any prosthetics for a different overall look.

Some fans online have theorized that Doctor Doom (Downey) has only been confirmed for two movies which means a soft reset of the MCU, with potential for another, more comic-faithful adaption of Doctor Doom later down the line.