Forget “Barbenheimer” and “Glicked,” December 18, 2026, is “Dunesday.” Following a difficult 2025 that perhaps summarizes the decade so far for the MCU, everything but the kitchen sink is being thrown at the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, the first Avengers movie since Endgame earned $2.7 billion. Described as a “complete reinvention” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by directors Joe and Anthony Russo, Doomsday is sure to be a spectacle and is worth watching even if just for its cast list alone.
From new additions to the franchise, such as Marvel’s First Family (Vanessa Kirby, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach), to classic MCU favorites such as Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, and Tom Hiddleston, and even a selection of X-Men favorites in Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, James Marsden, and more, Doomsday‘s cast is perhaps the most jaw-dropping ever assembled. However, the most enticing promise for the upcoming blockbuster is the return of Robert Downey Jr., although instead of donning his Iron Man suit, he will be controversially starring as the villainous Doctor Doom.
Ahead of Downey Jr.’s return to the franchise, fans are heading back to where it all began to get themselves in the Doomsday mood. At the time of writing, 2008’s Iron Man is one of the ten most-streamed movies on Disney+ in the U.S. The catalyst for cinema’s most successful franchise, Iron Man debuted to great acclaim back in May 2008 and also single-handedly revitalized the career of Downey Jr. For many reasons, this is the most important film in the MCU, and one of the defining movies of this century so far.
Collider Exclusive · Marvel Personality Quiz Which MCU Hero Are You? Spider-Man · Daredevil · Iron Man · Punisher · Thor · Cap
Six heroes. One destiny. Answer 10 questions to discover which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, values, and fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly, or thunder your way to glory?
🕷️Spider-Man
😈Daredevil
🤖Iron Man
💀Punisher
⚡Thor
🛡️Cap
01
What drives you to do what’s right? Choose the answer that feels most like you.
02
It’s 2 AM. Where are you? Your answer says more about you than you’d think.
03
How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice? Every hero has a method. What’s yours?
04
How do you feel about keeping a secret identity? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.
05
You’ve lost someone important because of your heroism. How do you carry that? Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.
06
What’s your role when working with a team? Who you are under pressure is who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge? The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.
08
When you’re not saving the world, what does life look like? The person behind the mask is always the more interesting story.
09
What keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
10
The battle is lost. You’re outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. What do you do? This is your tiebreaker — choose carefully.
Your Hero Has Been Identified Your MCU Hero Is…
Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.
Queens, New York
🕷️ Spider-Man
You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — funny, loyal, and endlessly self-sacrificing.
You do the right thing not because it’s easy, but because no one else will.
You understand that responsibility isn’t a burden you choose — it’s one that finds you.
Whether it’s a neighbourhood mugging or a multiverse crisis, you show up.
Peter Parker’s lesson — that great power demands great responsibility — isn’t a slogan to you. It’s the code you live by, even when it costs you everything.
Hell’s Kitchen, New York
😈 Daredevil
You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.
You use every tool available — your mind, your body, your faith — to protect those the system overlooks.
You’ve looked into the darkness and chosen not to become it, though the line has never been easy.
Matt Murdock’s duality — champion in the courtroom, devil in the alley — mirrors your own.
Relentless, conflicted, and unwilling to stop. That is exactly you.
Stark Industries, Malibu
🤖 Iron Man
Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.
You lead with your mind and back it up with resources, innovation, and a stubbornness that borders on heroic.
You started out looking out for yourself, but somewhere along the way the world became your responsibility.
Tony Stark’s arc — from ego to sacrifice — is your arc too.
You build, you plan, and when the moment comes, you’re willing to give everything. Because in the end, you’re Iron Man.
New York City
💀 The Punisher
You’ve been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What’s left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.
You don’t ask for forgiveness, and you don’t expect gratitude.
You see a corrupt, broken world and you’ve decided to do something about it, consequences be damned.
Frank Castle’s war is born from love twisted by loss — and so is yours.
Uncompromising and unflinching — the world may not agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute.
Asgard · Protector of the Nine Realms
⚡ Thor
Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.
You lead with strength but have learned — sometimes painfully — that true greatness comes from humility and growth.
You’re larger than life, yet more vulnerable than you let on.
Thor’s story is one of transformation: from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to beloved protector.
You bring the storm when it’s needed — and the warmth when it matters just as much.
Brooklyn, New York · The Avengers
🛡️ Captain America
You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.
You don’t bully the small guy, and you never stop when it gets hard.
Steve Rogers didn’t become a hero when he got the serum — he was always one. So were you.
Your strength isn’t in your fists; it’s in your refusal to compromise what’s right, no matter the cost.
In a world full of people taking the easy road, you’re the one who picks up the shield and stands up — every single time.
How Did ‘Iron Man’ Perform at the Box Office?
It might not seem like a lot compared to modern MCU standards, but Iron Man‘s $584 million haul was a huge success back in 2008. Against a reported budget of $186 million, this huge commercial risk for Marvel more than paid off, becoming the second-biggest opening ever for a non-sequel at the time. The film opened on May 2 and maintained its place at the top of the domestic charts for two weeks in a row, outperforming competition from the likes of Made of Honor, Baby Mama, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and more.
The movie that began the MCU, Iron Man, is a streaming hit on Disney+. Stay tuned to Collider for all the latest streaming stories.
Release Date
May 2, 2008
Runtime
126 minutes
Writers
Matt Holloway, Art Marcum, Hawk Ostby, Mark Fergus
