Robert Downey Jr.'s latest chess art post matches rumored Avengers: Doomsday plot leak

Avengers: Doomsday, the intended sequel to Avengers: Endgame, is scheduled to be released on December 18, 2026. Ahead of the premiere, Robert Downey Jr., who will be playing Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom, has teased a potential plot about the upcoming film.

The Oscar-winning actor took to Instagram Stories to share a chess artwork by BossLogic. Turns out, the image almost matches the rumoured ending of Avengers: Doomsday.

The upcoming superhero film is produced by Marvel Studios and AGBO. The distribution is handled by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and is the 39th MCU project. It is directed by the Russo brothers and written by Stephen McFeely and Michael Waldron. The plot follows the events of the Thunderbolts as groups of heroes from three different universes, including Earth 616's New Avengers, Wakandans, and Avengers, Fantastic Four from Earth-828, and the original X-Men, unite to face the threat from Doctor Doom.

Here's how BossLogic's chess artwork teases the rumoured Avengers: Doomsday ending.

Avengers: Doomsday- Robert Downey Jr. shares BossLogic's artwork that teases the rumoured ending

Robert Downey Jr. shared BossLogic's artwork in his Instagram stories, teasing the plot (Image Via Instagram/@robertdowneyjr.)

Robert Downey Jr. took to Instagram to share BossLogic's chess artwork. The artwork is significant as it teases a rumoured ending of the upcoming film. The artist behind the fan art is Kode Abdo.

Interestingly, BossLogic has done several official works for Marvel Studios and others. However, this chess art isn't an official Marvel poster for Avengers: Doomsday. It carries an Infinity Vision label as well, which states that the film will not have IMAX screenings, as Disney will be pushing for alternative premium screens. Downey used the track 'Nocturne Dominus ', which means lord master in Latin. This might be a nod to his role as Doctor Doom.

The artwork looks like a scattered chessboard. The chess pieces are lying all around, and it looks like it has been destroyed and defeated. A lone piece stands tall among the destruction as a shadow shows a hand reaching out to it. The artwork teases that the player is Doctor Doom while everyone else is a chess piece. It seems like he's pulling the strings of the game.

The chess artwork perfectly aligns with the rumoured plot and ending. As per the recent leaks, Avengers: Doomsday ends with Doom winning. He causes massive destruction, collapsing the multiverse, bringing back the dead with their memories erased, and ruling them as Battleworld's emperor. In the artwork, the heroes are pawns, and the one remaining piece is the one player left standing.

However, neither Downey nor Marvel Studios has confirmed if the rumours are true. The artwork might not be related to the upcoming movie's plot or ending. Downey might have shared it because he liked the artist's work. To know what will happen, you'll have to wait for December 18, 2026.

The Avengers: Doomsday has assembled the biggest cast in the MCU's history. It was revealed at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con. Apart from Downey, Chris Evans will play Steve Rogers, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, and Tom Hiddleston as Loki. Other names include Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, Florence Pugh, Simu Liu. The cast of Fantastic Four (Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn) and X-Men (Patrick Stewart, James Marsden, and Alan Cumming) will also appear in Avengers: Doomsday.

Avengers: Doomsday plot leak details

YouTuber John Campea has confirmed that the rumoured leaks are true. According to the leak, the movie opens in NYC on Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man Earth. He is seen fighting with Deadpool and Wolverine, who were equipped with planet-killing bombs made by Beast to destroy Tobey's world.

Tobey fights with Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, who manages to plant the device. The device explodes, and everyone is killed. Deadpool survives and returns to his Earth. Charles Xavier watches the destroyed world with sadness in his eyes. The next scene shifts to Tony's funeral.

Steven speaks with Ant-Man before returning the stones, and he goes back in time to be with Peggy, and they have a son, Jim. Loki visits them (the scene happens before the Loki Season 2 finale) and tells him about the TVA and warns him that they will soon face problems since Steve does not belong to that timeline. Loki offers them a solution as he can take them to a universe where they don't exist, and that is the Fantastic Four's universe. Loki gives him a special card to contact him. Steve and his family lived there for a decade.

In the next scene, Doctor Doom visits Sue and Franklin, where Doom says he came to have a chat with Reed. He then warns him about Incursions, and he proposes a way out. They have to travel to Earth-616. Doom also asks Reed whether someone has taken shelter in their universe, and when they scan through it, they find Steve and his family.

The Avengers: Doomsday leak further states that both Doom and Reed confront Steve, and they explain the Incursions and ask him to accompany them to Earth-616 to convince the Avengers of Doom's plans. Steve finally convinces them as well.

They next travel to the X-Men's universe. However, they are hostile, and they do not seem to trust them as they have survived multiple Incursions. Reed and Doom explain their plan to build massive cannons to protect the Earth from Incursions. They need to split up into teams and place each cannon.

Elsewhere, Steve informs Thor that he met a Loki who is apparently alive, and Thor wants to meet him. However, when they arrive, they find everyone is dead, and Loki's heart is ripped out. They soon realize it's Doom.

Steve confronts Doom, who then reveals his sinister plans to let the Incursions happen so he can build a multiverse of his own and resurrect his dead family. He then takes Steve to his castle in Latveria on his Earth, and there Steve meets Doom's followers, masked witches.

Doom then reveals that Steve's presence in his universe triggered Incursions, and he believes that led to the death of his family. Doom was obsessed and started conducting explosive experiments that caused major loss. Doom kills Steve's son in revenge in front of him.

Doom declares the Avengers are coming, and Latveria gets ready for the war. As the Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Avengers unite for the war. Thor prays to Odin, who sends an army from Valhalla. A massive war happens, and everything is destroyed, except Doom. It is then revealed that he stole Loki's powers, created a Battleworld, and resurrected everyone after wiping their memories. Avengers: Doomsday ends with Doom becoming the Emperor of Battleworld.