Twelve Years Later, The Avengers: Inception Has Been Totally Rewritten by The MCU
It is noteworthy that two of the main characters from the original Avengers film appear to have had their roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) reversed, twelve years after the film's release. In 2012, the first crossover event of the early MCU (starting with Iron Man in 2008) brought together Earth's Mightiest Heroes for the first time to take down the God of Mischief, Loki. The MCU is currently getting ready for a significant turnabout that should be very thrilling.
The Startling Announcement from the MCU and RDJ's Comeback
The world is still in shock at Marvel Studios' big news at SDCC 2025: Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom, starting with Avengers: Doomsday in 2026. It's unclear, though, if RDJ is portraying a more authentic Victor von Doom or a sinister Iron Man version who turns into Doom. In any case, it does offer an intriguing new angle for the MCU and the Avengers (2012) that is only possible after years of interwoven narrative and a multiverse of alternate universes.
The First Avengers: Iron Man's valiant debut and Loki's evil schemes
After being defeated in 2011's Thor, Tom Hiddleston's character Loki makes a triumphant return to Earth in 2012's Avengers. He has teamed up with Thanos to recover the Tesseract in return for the Mad Titan's Chitauri forces taking control of Earth. This forces Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson, to gather the Avengers, a team of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, to fight against enemies that humanity is unable to defeat on its own. This features Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), the first superhero to appear in the MCU's connected universe.
After the Battle of New York in 2012, Iron Man and the Avengers averted global disaster and vanquished their first on-screen adversary, Loki. But because to time travel in 2019's Avengers: Endgame, a new Loki was formed, one that stole the Tesseract and evaded capture in 2012. In 2021's Loki, this led to the creation of a new timeline and his incarceration by the Time Variance Authority. This was the beginning of Loki's exciting heroic journey, which culminated in the second season of Loki in 2023. In this adaptation of his own narrative, the erstwhile God of Mischief turned himself into the multiverse's savior, tying together all the other histories and saving them from obliteration.
The roles of Iron Man and Loki appear to have reversed.
In addition to the shocking announcement that Robert Downey Jr. will play Doctor Doom, it appears that the roles of Iron Man and Loki in the 2012 Avengers have been reversed. Twelve years later, RDJ, the primary enemy of Avengers: Doomsday (and perhaps Secret Wars too), will be a villain who aims to destroy the multiverse or reconstruct it in his own image. Meanwhile, Tom Hiddleston's character has evolved into a hero defending it. In light of this, it's impressive what more than ten years of interconnected storytelling can accomplish, particularly when paired with the virtually infinite possibilities of a universe.
Avengers: Doomsday and Marvel's Next Film Slate
The fifth installment in the Avengers film series, Avengers: Doomsday, has a cast of both new and returning actors taking on Victor von Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr. Phase 6 of the MCU will also begin with Avengers 5.
Future Marvel Films
Date of Release
Captain America: The World Is Yours
14 February 2025
Bolts of thunder
2 May 2025
The Incredible Four: Initial Actions
25 July 2025
Cutlass
November 7, 2025
Avengers: Doomsday
First May of 2026
Secret Wars, Avengers
7 May 2027
