Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom Story & Game-Changing Doomsday Role Teased by Marvel (in an Unexpected Way)

Robert Downey Jr. will return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers: Doomsday, which will have the beloved Marvel actor stepping away from the role of Iron Man and becoming one of the universe’s biggest villains in Doctor Doom. There are plenty of theories regarding how this will all be handled within the story, and fans are hunting everywhere for clues. That’s led directly to Marvel’s latest tease of this game-changing role-reversal, and that new tease is happening in a truly unexpected way.

In the MCU, fans will see Downey Jr. go from a beloved hero to a presumably deadly villain, and there was actually a notable story in the comics that handled a similar transition, just in reverse. That story was the 2017 story Infamous Iron Man from Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, and in the aftermath of Downey Jr’s return announcement, the series has become harder to find and expensive to pick up. Now Marvel is reprinting the story in a complete collection, but that’s happening with some changes, including a rebranding of the story from Infamous Iron Man: Infamous to Infamous Iron Man: The Rise of Doom (via Bleeding Cool).

Not only is Marvel combining Vol. 1 and 2 into one collection for this reprint, but they have changed the subtitle and the official description and marketing for the book. That marketing makes it clear that this is to tie into Doomsday, building off of the parallels and transformation aspects of the story, and how it could give fans insight into how the film will handle that transformation. For context, here are the original official descriptions for Vol. 1 and 2.

“Infamous Iron Man 1: Infamous by Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, Paperback – January 1, 2017 – There’s a new Iron Man in town, and his name is…Victor Von Doom! The greatest villain of the Marvel Universe is no stranger to armor, but now he’s trying something new on for size. And where Tony Stark failed, Doom will succeed. But what is Doom’s master plan? As the secrets that propel Victor’s new quest as a hero start to reveal themselves, a who’s who of heroes and villains start looking for a piece of revenge for Doom’s past sins – beginning with bashful, blue-eyed Ben Grimm, the ever-lovin’ Thing! Next up at bat is someone from Tony’s past who has a big problem with Doom taking on the Iron mantle – but where has Pepper Potts, a.k.a. Rescue, been until now? The saga of Iron Man takes its strangest turn yet! COLLECTING: INFAMOUS IRON MAN 1-6″

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“Infamous Iron Man Vol. 2: The Absolution of Doom by Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev Paperback – November 21, 2017 – Collecting Infamous Iron Man #7-12. Think you’ve seen Victor von Doom versus Reed Richards battle before? Well, you’ve never seen anything like this! The Reed Richards from a dead reality calls himself “The Maker” -and his ultimate plans for this world are far more insane than anything Doctor Doom has ever attempted! Now Doom, as the Infamous Iron Man, is the only one who can stop the mad Maker. Victor is the hero? Reed is the villain? It is a world gone mad!”

In the new combined description, it is clear from the first line that this is being pitched in a way much more in line with what is about to happen in the MCU. Not only is Downey Jr’s name mentioned, but the description also highlights Doom’s heroic quest and the impossible opponent he now faces. You can find the new description below.

“Infamous Iron Man: The Rise Of Doom by Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, Paperback – July 14, 2026 – Iron Man’s very own Robert Downey Jr. returns as Doctor Victor Von Doom (you read that right!) in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday, in theaters December 18, 2026. The Marvel Universe’s greatest villain is no stranger to armor, but now he’s trying something new on for size: heroism. And where Tony Stark failed, Doom will succeed. But what is Victor’s master plan? That’s what a great number of folks want to know — including Ben Grimm, Pepper Potts and the other Iron Man: Riri Williams! In his heroic quest, Doom faces a cosmic-level adversary — and his most mortal enemy, whom he thought he would never see again! But what is the shocking truth behind Victor’s reincarnated mother? With enemies on all sides, how can Victor continue to carry on the legacy of Iron Man when the legacy of Doom haunts him at every turn? COLLECTING: Infamous Iron Man (2016) #1-12″

This will most likely be mirrored in the film to some extent, but it could go a number of different ways. We have to first learn what led to Doom’s creation and see what drives him, and with all of the multiversal chaos happening, you could see how Doom would see himself as the one person who can save the universe from its own destruction, leading right into Secret Wars. Fans are possibly going to find some hints of what the Russos have in store in Infamous Iron Man, at least on a conceptual level, and Marvel is making sure fans know that and can readily access the series.

Infamous Iron Man: The Rise of Doom will hit comic stores on July 14, 2026. Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters on December 18, 2026.

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