With Brian Michael Bendis returning to Marvel Comics in 2026, the publisher is reprinting several of his most famous stories. One of them, Infamous Iron Man, seems particularly relevant to next December's Avengers: Doomsday and goes on sale in July.
However, the planned Infamous Iron Man reprint has been given an intriguing new moniker: The Rise of Doom.
The series, which ran for 12 issues and picked up with Victor Von Doom in the wake of Secret Wars. With his face healed, the villain suited up as the new Iron Man and became a "hero."
It didn't last, but many fans are convinced that it could inspire what we see in the next Avengers movies, especially with Robert Downey Jr. now playing Victor in place of Tony Stark.
The description for Bendis and Alex Maleev's series has also been updated, and once again confirms that Donwey is playing Victor, not an Iron Man Variant (we're still not convinced there won't be some sort of link between the two).
Iron Man's very own Robert Downey Jr. returns as Doctor Victor Von Doom (you read that right!) in Marvel Studios' Avengers: Doomsday, in theaters December 18, 2026. The Marvel Universe's greatest villain is no stranger to armor, but now he's trying something new on for size: heroism. And where Tony Stark failed, Doom will succeed. But what is Victor's master plan?
That's what a great number of folks want to know — including Ben Grimm, Pepper Potts and the other Iron Man: Riri Williams! In his heroic quest, Doom faces a cosmic-level adversary — and his most mortal enemy, whom he thought he would never see again! But what is the shocking truth behind Victor's reincarnated mother? With enemies on all sides, how can Victor continue to carry on the legacy of Iron Man when the legacy of Doom haunts him at every turn?
Below, you can check out the original covers for the collected editions of Infamous Iron Man/Infamous Iron Man: The Rise of Doom (via Bleeding Cool).
Avengers: Doomsday officially stars Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Lewis Pullman all make their Avengers franchise debuts in the movie.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, as do X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, with Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, and Ryan Reynolds are also set to appear, according to reports from the trades. Many actors are similarly rumoured to show up, including Tobey Maguire, Hugh Jackman, Brie Larson, Elizabeth Olsen, and countless others.
The Russo Brothers direct the movie from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's Michael Waldron is also working on the script.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.