Robert Downey Jr. Gives Doctor Doom a Peanuts Makeover In Surprising Avengers: Doomsday Crossover

Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom offers fans a surprise Peanuts and Avengers: Doomsday crossover for Halloween.

Downey Jr. is celebrating Halloween with an unexpected crossover between Avengers: Doomsday and one of the most recognizable animated holiday specials of all time. The Marvel Cinematic Universe star shared some artwork on his Instagram featuring Doctor Doom in a scene inspired by It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, offering fans a hilarious take on his character ahead of the highly anticipated superhero movie’s release.

The Halloween-themed image recreates a memorable moment from the classic Peanuts TV special. The illustration features Victor von Doom dressed up and trick-or-treating alongside three other costumed figures. However, things don’t go according to plan as a member of the Fantastic Four gives the supervillain a disappointing treat.

The image shows four trick-or-treaters standing outside a house on Halloween night. The three characters with Doctor Doom are wearing colorful hooded costumes in green, purple, and yellow, resembling the masked Latverian Witches from the upcoming movie. The group are standing in front of the house of Ben Grimm, who gives the villain a rock instead of candy.

The actor’s social media post directly references the 1966 cartoon special It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. In the episode, Charlie and his friends go trick-or-treating. However, while the other children receive candy, the titular character notices that people have been giving him rocks.

Downey Jr.’s Halloween post arrives as Marvel Studios prepares for the release of Avengers: Doomsday, which will mark the actor’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, in a completely different kind of role this time. The Oscar-winning actor portrayed Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, in 2008’s Iron Man. His character became one of the most important members of the Avengers. He starred throughout the Infinity Saga before he died in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.

Now, Downey Jr. is returning as the villainous Doctor Doom. His casting was originally announced during Marvel Studios’ Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024. The upcoming movie is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, who previously helmed both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

Avengers: Doomsday will bring back stars from several corners of the Marvel Universe, including the ones who existed before the MCU, like the original X-Men. Confirmed returning cast members include the late Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), James Marsden (Cyclops), Rebecca Romijn (Mystique), Kelsey Grammer (Beast), Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler), Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Anthony Mackie (Captain America), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), Florence Pugh (Yelena), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), and Chris Evans (Steve Rogers).

Avengers: Doomsday will be released in theaters on December 18, 2026.