Summary
12 years later, theMCUhas completely flipped the firstAvengersmovie on its head. Back in 2012, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes assembled for the first time to stop Loki the God of Mischief, the very first crossover event of the early MCU that began with 2008’sIron Man. Now, the MCU is preparing for a major reversal that should prove to be incredibly exciting.
Marvel Studios' major announcement at SDCC 2025 is still shocking the world:Robert Downey Jr is returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom, beginning with 2026’sAvengers: Doomsday. However, whether RDJ is playing a dark Iron Man variant who becomes Doom or a more genuine Victor von Doom remains unclear.Regardless, it does create a fascinating twist for the MCU and 2012’sAvengers, one that can only really happen through years of interconnected storytelling and a multiverse of different realities.
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Fighting To Save The World From Loki’s Rule
In 2012’sAvengers,Tom Hiddleston’s Loki returns to Earth following his defeat in 2011’sThor, having allied himself with Thanos to retrieve the Tesseract in exchange for conquering and ruling Earth with the Mad Titan’s Chitauri armies. This prompts Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury to assemble the Avengers, a group of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to fight battles humanity couldn’t alone.This notably includes Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, the MCU’s very first heroto debut in their interconnected universe.
Following 2012’s Battle of New York, Iron Man and the Avengers saved the world and Loki was defeated, their very first on-screen villain. However, 2019’sAvengers: Endgameand its use of time travel created a variant of Loki, one who stole the Tesseract and escaped custody in 2012. This created a new timeline, resulting in his arrest by the Time Variance Authority in 2021’sLoki. This kicked off Loki’s dynamic heroic arc,one that ended in 2023’sLokiseason 2where the former God of Mischief rewrote his story, becoming the savior of the entire multiverse by holding all the various timelines together, preventing their destruction.
12 Years Later, Loki and Iron Man’s Roles Seem To Have Flipped
Fighting To Save The Multiverse From Doctor Doom?
Combined with the massive news that RDJ is going to become Doctor Doom, it seems as though Loki and Iron Man’s roles from 2012’sAvengershave effectively flipped.12 years later, Tom Hiddleston’s character has become a hero protecting the multiverse while RDJ will be a villain who will likely attempt to remake it in his own image, or take it all apart as the main antagonist ofAvengers: Doomsday(and likelySecret Warsas well). As such, it’s quite a testament to what over a decade of interconnected storytelling can do, especially when combined with the limitless possibilities of an entire multiverse.
