Oscar-winner Robert Downey Jr. announced his return to the Marvel superhero universe at the world's largest pop culture forum, Comic-Con in California.
Harrison Ford and Pedro Pascal will also join Disney subsidiary Marvel, which has revealed plans to relaunch its superhero franchise, AFP reports.
Robert Downey Jr, the iconic Marvel actor best known for his portrayal of Iron Man, will return as a diametrically opposed character - Doctor Doom, a villain from Marvel comics.
He appeared onstage at Comic-Con on July 27, surrounded by a group of masked heroes, before coming forward and announcing his return to the Marvel movies to a crowd of screaming fans.
"New Mask. Same spot. What did I tell you? I love playing complex characters," said the actor, who retired from the Marvel universe in 2019 after playing Iron Man for 9 films.
The Marvel night opened with dozens of singers and dancers dressed in the red and yellow colors of the superheroes in this weekend's release of "Deadpool and Wolverine," which is expected to break a box office record.
Of all the Comic-Con events scheduled to date, Marvel's was undoubtedly the most closely watched.
In recent years, fans of Marvel movies have complained about the complexity of the plots and the departure of iconic characters, such as Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man.
The Disney franchise was also rocked by the domestic violence conviction of Jonathan Majors, who was supposed to become a new supervillain and was abandoned.
But the question of his replacement was apparently settled with the announcement that Robert Downey Jr. would return.
Brothers Joe and Anthony Russo, who directed Avengers: Endgame (2019), will also return to the Marvel universe. They will direct "Avengers: Judgment Day," which will be released in May 2026, and "Avengers: Secret Wars," slated for May 2027.
Next year will see the release of three films: 'Captain America: Brave New World' starring Harrison Ford as Thaddeus Ross, an American president who becomes the Red Hulk, while 'Thunderbolts' and 'Fantastic 4: First Steps' are scheduled for May and July 2025 respectively.
Earlier, Disney's rival Warner Studios offered a preview of "The Penguin" starring Colin Farrell, a spinoff Batman series due to air on HBO on Sept. 19. | BGNES
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