Robert Downey Jr. may have floundered post-Endgame with Dolittle, but he managed to show that he can still be a serious actor with Oppenheimer from Christopher Nolan. RDJ has somewhat found himself working with Marvel again, but word has it that he was supposed to team up with Nolan again.
According to insider Daniel RPK (via @NolanAnalyst), RDJ was offered the part of Poseidon in The Odyssey, but he had to turn it down because he was already committed to Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars.
In the Odyssey, Odysseus invokes the wrath of Poseidon by blinding his son, the Cyclops Polyphemus. This results in Poseidon delaying Odysseus journey home by 10 years by punishing him with storms.
With Nolan’s minimalist preference for cinema, it’s unclear how he’s going to treat Greek gods and heroes, but I think that’s going to be the general hook of The Odyssey, with the fantastical nature of Odysseus’ story being told through Nolan’s hyper-realistic lens.
As for RDJ, a lot of fans are admittedly disappointed that he’s going to be playing Doctor Doom after a spectacular exit from Marvel. After landing an Oscar with Oppenheimer, fans thought that RDJ had already put superhero films behind him, but the Russos are teasing that they have a story that is enticing enough to tell with Downey behind the mask.
For now, The Odyssey is set to come out July 17, 2026. Avengers: Doomsday is going to hit theaters earlier with a May 1, 2026 slate.
