Robert Downey Jr. has always had a flair for showmanship, on-screen and off-screen. However, this Thanksgiving, the actor had another surprising tease for the Marvel Fandom. With a single Instagram image featuring Iron Man and Doctor Doom breaking a turkey wishbone, RDJ reignited the most heated debate of the Multiverse Saga: What exactly is his role in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’?
The MCU is preparing to enter one of its most ambitious stages ever, and ‘Doomsday’ is at the center of it. The film has been shrouded in complete secrecy. However, the buzz surrounding Robert Downey Jr.’s return this time as the legendary villain Victor von Doom has been more deafening than any press release could have ever been. And the tease by RDJ about the holidays came at the right time.
Robert Downey Jr. Sends ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Theories Into Overdrive
Three weeks before the first official trailer and when the fans are at the height of their curiosity, the wishbone image does not tell anything about the plot, but on an emotional level, it strikes in all the right places. It is nostalgic, playful, and full of symbolism. And that is precisely why the fandom has gone nuts with theories. The Instagram picture appears to be straightforward at first sight: Iron Man and Doctor Doom’s armored hands, each pulling a Thanksgiving wishbone in classic holiday tradition.
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However, MCU fans do not rest on superficial symbolism. They interpret all of it, the lighting, the composition, the position of the hands, and the fact that it was posted by RDJ himself. And honestly? They might be onto something. RDJ’s dual legacy in the MCU has been raising a lot of speculation. For over ten years, Tony Stark was the MCU. His arc, his sacrifices, and his death in ‘Avengers: Endgame’ became cultural milestones. The decision to revive Robert Downey Jr., even in a different role, was therefore bound to create a lot of theories.
Fans think that the tease is an allusion to a multiversal relationship between Iron Man and Doom. Others think Tony Stark from another universe may appear. Some even hope RDJ is secretly playing two roles. The image implies tension, duality, conflict, and maybe destiny. It is a joke, but also representative of two forces that are drawing the MCU narrative in opposite directions. Iron Man is the past; Doom is the anarchic future.
RDJ is fully aware of what he is up to. And he knows how to make fans go crazy. This is not the first occasion that he has fanned the fires. His Instagram has turned into a low-key Doom scrapbook over the last year. First, there was a DOOM #1 comic, then a Valentine’s Day Doom mask filled with chocolates. There was also an Essentials of Doom workstation post. And now? A wishbone face-off. Fans know RDJ’s humor. And they are aware when he is alluding to something larger.
‘Avengers: Doomsday’s Trailer Is Closer Than Ever
As the fandom is busy speculating about the hidden meanings and clues, Marvel is about to reach a huge milestone: the first official trailer of ‘Avengers: Doomsday’. And unlike the usual MCU releases, it is going directly to theaters. Disney is reportedly going to attach the trailer to ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ starting December 19. It is a business decision: both are Disney franchises, both are billion-dollar juggernauts, and cross-promotion guarantees huge audiences of various demographics.
In case you missed it: All The Marvel TV Show Moments That Will Decide The Fate Of ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
And it’s a brilliant choice. Marvel does not want ‘Doomsday’ to be just another installment in the Multiverse Saga that is ever-growing. Marvel does not want the fans to enter the theaters with half-baked expectations. Today marks exactly three weeks until that reveal, and the mood across the fandom is electric. Theories are everywhere. Speculation is rampant. And RDJ’s wishbone teaser is only adding fuel to the fire.
