Disney just moved on from Doctor Doom as the face of Marvel Studios. The villain held that spot through the studio’s biggest marketing pushes this year, but a different character has now taken his place, a hero who’s an interesting choice given the history he shares with Doom. This switch comes at a telling moment, with Marvel’s most anticipated movie of 2026 still on the way.
The change showed up at CineEurope 2026, the yearly gathering of theater owners held in Barcelona, Spain, from June 22 to June 25. Disney took its usual slot to walk exhibitors through its coming films, and it printed a fresh marketing banner spotlighting characters from across its studios. In the Marvel Studios section, the banner traded Doctor Doom for Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards, the leader of the Fantastic Four. That choice hints at the role Disney sees for Reed Richards in Doomsday and beyond.
Doctor Doom earned that earlier spotlight for good reason, given that he's the next big bad of the MCU. At CinemaCon 2026 in Las Vegas this past April, Disney closed the convention with a banner promoting its 2026 slate, and the Marvel section featured Downey’s Doom from Avengers: Doomsday. The villain's role has been likened to Josh Brolin’s Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. He's the kind of antagonist who becomes the focus of an entire story, making him an easy choice as the face of Marvel Studios.
His nemesis, however, seems to have taken that crown with the CineEurope spotlight. Reed Richards will return on screen later this year as Pascal reprises his role in Avengers: Doomsday, where the Fantastic Four join the Avengers and the X-Men against Downey’s Doom. Interestingly, Reed was made the face of Marvel Studios last year, at the same event. So this marks a consecutive spotlight for Mister Fantastic.
The stretchy hero made his most recent MCU appearance in the Matt Shakman-directed film, Fantastic Four: First Steps. Alongside Pascal’s Reed Richards, the movie brought in Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm, four heroes who gain their powers after a trip into space goes wrong. The team is expected to be pivotal to Doomsday's plot, and Marvel making Reed the studio's face only amplifies that expectation.
Reed Richards Fits Perfectly as Marvel’s New Face
Reed Richards makes a very good fit as the face of Marvel because of his place in the story. He leads the Fantastic Four, the team Marvel has long called its First Family, which gives him a natural claim to figurehead status. With Tony Stark gone, the studio needs another leader for its next era, and the smartest mind in the room is an easy pick for the job.
Pedro Pascal also brings his own pull to the role. He became one of the most in-demand actors in the business over the past couple of years, with hit films and prestige television keeping him on screens almost without a break. A name that sells tickets is important, given that Marvel Studios aims to reach an even broader audience with its next slate of films.
Robert Downey Jr is obviously the bigger star, but he's playing the role of an antagonist. A villain as the face of a franchise isn’t bad, but a studio usually wants a hero out front when it sells its biggest films, someone audiences can root for to take down the bad guy in the story.
Reed checks this box perfectly, and he's a character fans already know well. Doom is his biggest nemesis in the comics, so if Marvel Studios wants a hero as the face of the studio ahead of Doomsday, Reed is the most obvious answer.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
