Robert Downey Jr. Just Settled the Thanos vs. Doctor Doom Debate for Good

Robert Downey Jr. just settled the Thanos vs Doctor Doom showdown with a decisive pick, dropping it during a surprise appearance at the Avengers: Infinity War panel at SXSW London — and he’s back in the MCU with Avengers: Doomsday this year.

Downey Walks On at SXSW London

This all went down at SXSW London during a screening of 'Avengers: Infinity War'. The event already had some star wattage with Anthony and Joe Russo (the directors), and the likes of Anthony Mackie and Winston Duke from the cast. Then Downey rocked up, not listed, and with all the swagger you'd expect.

Joe Russo didn't waste time. He lobbed him a fan's question from earlier in the month: 'Who's more powerful, Thanos or Doom?'

Downey didn't blink: 'Doctor Doom,' he said. He even took the mick out of himself — 'I do have the green pop screen on my mic, don’t I?' (If you don't know: Doctor Doom usually sports green. Well played, sir.)

The State of the MCU (and Why It Matters)

Now, Downey didn't stop at just stoking the fan-fires. He gave a bit of a state-of-the-union about where Marvel is at, and he didn't sugar-coat the recent decline in quality. According to him, nothing's going to outdo the stories of 'Infinity War' or 'Endgame', and honestly — fair enough.

He did promise they're resetting everything with the next big film, though: 'We’re literally zeroing out the board, and we’re gonna try to earn your trust and respect all over again, and with the likes of these fellows, I think we got a pretty good shot.'

For the record, Joe Russo was singing a similar tune earlier that day in a session called 'Building Artistic Universes Without Borders'. His words: 'This is starting over from scratch. We want to make sure everybody feels like this isn’t leaning on anything from the past.' In other words, Phase Six really does mean back to square one for Marvel — or, as Joe dubbed it, 'phase zero.'

What We Actually Know About 'Avengers: Doomsday'

• When's it out? 'Avengers: Doomsday' lands in US cinemas on 18 December. Overseas fans might get in a bit earlier, but no dates are set.
• Who's making it? The Russo Brothers are back in the director’s chairs and co-producing through AGBO, their own banner under Marvel Studios. Stephen McFeely and Michael Waldron have written the script.
• What's the plan? It's the start of MCU Phase Six — and 'Doomsday' plus its direct sequel, 2027’s 'Avengers: Secret Wars,' are set to close out the current Multiverse-fuelled story arc.
• What about the cast? Downey’s back (Iron Man, obviously), with returnees Anthony Mackie and Winston Duke on hand at this event — so expect some familiar faces, though Disney hasn’t published a full list yet.

Honestly, for Marvel to flat-out admit they’re wiping the slate clean after the messiness of Phases Four and Five is — well, it’s equal parts surprising and overdue. The fact that they're leading with Doctor Doom as the next 'big bad', and that Downey came out so firmly Team Doom, probably tells you all you need to know about the direction they’re heading.