Robert Downey Jr. returns as Iron Man — for a giant expansion to Disney’s Avengers land

How much of the Marvel Cinematic Universe can one man own? Robert Downey Jr. is on a quest to find out. Despite Marvel casting the actor as Doctor Doom for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, Downey Jr. just booked his next gig as Iron Man — at a new attraction for Disney’s Avengers Campus at the California Adventure park in Anaheim.

At the 2024 D23 Expo on Saturday night, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro revealed that the Disneyland-adjacent Avengers Campus will double in size in the years to come, with two new rides that lean into the immediate nostalgia for the days of Avengers: Endgame. After the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays, Avengers Campus limped into existence in 2021 with only two current attractions: the Spider-Man-themed interactive-screen ride Web Slingers and Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission Breakout, the drop ride converted from Tower of Terror. Doubling down is a major investment in a park that, in theory, should be a keystone of the modern parks era. And Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark will pop up in both attractions.

Stark Flight Lab will be an indoor ride that whisks couples around the Stark lab using robot arms. If you have ever wondered if jetting around in Mark IV armor would make you hurl, there is now a ride to test your in-air stamina. Naturally, Downey. Jr.’s Tony will lead riders through the test.

Avengers Infinity Defense, teased way back in 2022, is also finally coming to fruition. Concept art for the ride finds an audience in an immersive, mobile screen ride, watching the Avengers battle the multiversal variant King Thanos, who is wreaking havoc across realities. According to Disney, “Recruits will travel to iconic locations like Asgard, Wakanda, and New York City alongside the likes of big, and small, heroes.” Downey Jr. is in this one too.

Disney did not provide a timetable for the opening of the new rides, but promised construction would begin in early 2025. But work is well on the way of developing the ride concepts — in fact, Downey Jr. has already tested out the Stark Flight Plan pods, in a photo teased at D23. He looks thrilled! Or maybe he’s thinking of how many more boats he can buy by playing both Doctor Doom in the movies and Tony Stark in the Marvel Theme Park Universe. It is many boats.