Disney just dropped some news that honestly should not have caught us off guard but absolutely did, and if you have been sleeping on the Disney Adventure situation, consider this your wake-up call. Because Robert Downey Jr. — Tony Stark himself, Disney Legend, man who carried the entire MCU on his back for over a decade — has officially been named the godparent of Disney’s newest and biggest cruise ship.
Yes. Godparent. Of a ship. And it is as incredible as it sounds.
The Disney Adventure sets sail from Singapore next month on its maiden voyage, and Disney decided the only appropriate way to send it off was with a centuries-old maritime blessing tradition and one of the most famous people on the planet. We are not making this up. Honestly? We respect it.
Here Is What Actually Happened
The tradition of naming a godparent for a new ship before its maiden voyage goes back hundreds of years — sailors believed it brought good fortune to the vessel and everyone aboard. Disney has done this with every ship in its fleet, and for the Disney Adventure, the largest cruise ship they have ever built, they handed the honor to Downey.
Josh D’Amaro, who is both the Chairman of Disney Experiences AND the incoming CEO of The Walt Disney Company (yes, that’s happening), made the announcement official: “Our new ship continues Disney Cruise Line’s tradition of bringing great stories to life at sea, and we are honored that Robert Downey Jr., who has guided audiences through unforgettable Marvel stories, is the official godparent for the Disney Adventure.”
Downey, being Downey, responded with exactly the kind of energy you’d expect: “It’s impossible to describe the majesty of the Adventure, and to be its godparent is an honor. As the largest ship in the Disney fleet, a gargantuan blessing must be bestowed… I’ll do my darndest.”
Sir. We love you.
Why This Pairing Makes Complete Sense Though
Look, this is not one of those celebrity partnerships that makes you tilt your head and wonder what the pitch meeting looked like. This one tracks perfectly.
The Disney Adventure is built around seven themed areas, and a huge chunk of the Marvel universe lives on this ship. At Marvel Landing on the top decks, there is an actual roller coaster — Tony Stark’s Ironcycle Test Run — which is the first roller coaster ever built on a Disney Cruise Line ship AND the longest one of its kind currently operating at sea. The “Avengers Assemble!” live show in the Disney Imagination Garden area features real stunts and special effects during what sounds like a full Marvel battle playing out on a stage. And for the kids, Marvel WEB Workshop inside Disney’s Oceaneer Club lets young guests try out Super Hero suit prototypes and run Avengers training simulations.
Tony Stark’s fingerprints are all over this ship. Naming his human counterpart as godparent is basically the only move that made sense.
Beyond Marvel, the Disney Adventure is stacked. We’re talking character encounters, Broadway-style shows, themed staterooms, concierge-level accommodations, and more than 20 dining and lounge venues serving world-class international cuisine alongside Asian-inspired dishes. Sailing out of Singapore, the ship brings the full Disney Cruise Line experience to Southeast Asia in a way it never has before, and the food and entertainment programming reflects that.
This is not a small ship doing small things. This is Disney going big.
Now, About That Doctor Doom Movie
Here is where things get really interesting. Downey is not just coasting on Iron Man nostalgia right now. He is about to take over the MCU all over again — this time as the villain.
Avengers: Doomsday opens in theaters on December 18, 2026, and Downey plays Victor von Doom, aka Doctor Doom, in what is shaping up to be the biggest Marvel event since Endgame. The Russo Brothers are back directing. Stephen McFeely wrote the script alongside Loki writer Michael Waldron. The band is back together, essentially.
Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are in as the Fantastic Four. Chris Evans confirmed his return as Steve Rogers via a teaser that dropped over Christmas 2025 — and apparently he’s a dad now, living in his restored timeline. Chris Hemsworth is back as Thor. Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, Florence Pugh, and Tom Hiddleston are all confirmed. Tenoch Huerta Mejia is back as Namor. Channing Tatum is finally, actually, for real playing Gambit.
Oh, and the Fox X-Men are in it. Patrick Stewart. Ian McKellen. James Marsden. Alan Cumming. Rebecca Romijn. All of them, showing up in the MCU proper and apparently not having a great time based on the teasers we have seen so far.
The film deals with multiversal incursions — basically, the walls between realities have been crumbling since No Way Home and Loki, and now it is everyone’s problem. Doctor Doom steps in as the central threat after the Kang storyline was quietly shelved following Quantumania‘s struggles and Jonathan Majors’ real-world fallout. The teasers showed Wakandans and Talokan dealing with calamity, the Fantastic Four arriving on an Earth that is not theirs, and the X-Men seemingly in the middle of something very bad.
The movie was originally going to open in May 2026 but got pushed to December, reportedly to avoid clashing with The Mandalorian & Grogu in theaters and to give post-production more breathing room for a film this massive. A full trailer is expected sometime in spring 2026. Until then, the four short teasers Disney dropped over Christmas are all we have got, and they are doing their job.
So here is where we land on all of this. Robert Downey Jr. is the godparent of a Marvel-filled Disney cruise ship sailing out of Singapore next month, AND he is about to return to theaters as one of Marvel’s greatest villains in December. The man is everywhere right now and honestly? Good. We missed him.
If you have been on the fence about the Disney Adventure, this is your sign to go look at sailings. Like, today. Ships this new and this talked-about sell out faster than you’d think, and you are going to feel very sad watching everyone else post their Ironcycle photos while you’re sitting at home. Go check the dates. Book the thing. You can thank us later.
