Popverse's top stories of the day

• Popverse's comic convention survival kit: An insider's guide to being a pro at cons
• WATCH: What keeps some of SDCC's top Artist Alley talent busy in San Diego every July?
• Marvel's new Dazzler relaunch has an album's worth of songs in the actual comic

We’re all still picking our collective jaws up off the floor after the surprise announcement that Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU – not as Iron Man but as iconic Fantastic Four villain Doctor Doom. The news rocked San Diego Comic-Con, but it also apparently shocked some of Downey’s fellow actors when Marvel Studios decided to bring him back, including War Machine himself, Don Cheadle.

While promoting his most recent film, Unstoppable, at the Toronto International Film Festival, Cheadle was inevitably stopped by reporters. Many asked him about his involvement with the upcoming Secret Wars film, to which Cheadle brushed them off with a “You know I can’t talk about that stuff.” However, he could be a bit more open about his reaction to Downey’s casting. “I was like, ‘What the fuck?’”

That is pretty much how we all reacted as well. Robert Downey Jr.’s return to Marvel had been speculated, questioned, and anticipated for years since Avengers: Endgame, but we all thought he would be back as Tony Stark. Seeing him as Doctor Doom is going to take some getting used to, so Cheadle’s remarks sum up how most pop culture newsrooms are feeling at the moment.

Cheadle followed up with a quick comment about the current state of the MCU. “They’re rewriting, they’re reworking, and so I honestly can’t even tease anything.” That isn’t surprising news as Marvel Studios recalibrates from its plans for Kang Dynasty into the newly announced Avengers: Doomsday film due out on May 1, 2026.

Popverse has assembled everything you need to know about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from our MCU watch order to a guide to upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows. Plus, we've taken the time to rank the entire MCU and compile the biggest outstanding questions from Marvel's connected films. Enjoy.