Robert Downey Jr. is set to return to the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man — just not in a way that Marvel fans may have been expecting.
Announced on Saturday, August 10, at D23, Downey will reprise his iconic role of Iron Man for two new theme park rides coming to Avengers Campus, located in Disney California Adventure.
What are the Avengers Campus rides that will feature Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man?
The first, Stark Flight Ride, will see Iron Man sending riders on a wild experiment in two-person robotic pods that whirl around to simulate flight. Downey will also appear in Avengers Infinity Defense, an upcoming attraction that was first announced at 2022’s D23. The ride will see guests teaming up with superheroes across the Marvel Cinematic Universe Multiverse to fight a Thanos variant known as King Thanos. Construction on both rides is slated to begin in 2025.
“Get ready for a multi-world adventure experience with Avengers Infinity Defense. Technology that allows the Avengers to jump between worlds has gone missing, and King Thanos is using it to wreak havoc everywhere. Recruits will travel to iconic locations like Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City alongside the likes of big, and small, heroes. You also just might find yourself face-to-face with King Thanos, too,” reads the logline for Avengers Infinity Defense (via Disney Parks Blog).
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Concept art for Stark Flight Lab (via X) and Avengers Infinity Defense can be viewed below:
Avengers Campus opened in Disney California Adventure on June 4, 2021, replacing A Bug’s Land, as well as a portion of Hollywood Land. Current attractions include Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!, an accelerated drop tower dark ride; and Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure, an interactive screen ride.
The Marvel-themed area is also home to multiple restaurants, including Pym Test Kitchen, as well as several retail stores that sell MCU/Marvel merch.
In addition to returning as Iron Man for the Avengers Campus expansion, Downey is set to portray Doctor Doom in Marvel Studios’ upcoming movies, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, which are scheduled to hit theaters in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
Marvel fans can revisit Downey’s 10-year tenure as Iron Man by watching The Infinity Saga on Disney+.
