Disney made Robert Downey Jr. an offer he couldn’t refuse. The fan-favorite Avenger will be the godfather for the Disney Adventure, the newest and largest cruise ship in the DCL fleet. The company shared the news ahead of the vessel’s maiden voyage next month out of its home port in Singapore.
The honorary godparent role is a longstanding maritime tradition. The godparent bestows a special blessing of good luck on the ship during the christening ceremony, bringing good fortune to the vessel, its crew, and all the guests who will sail aboard.
“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,” said Josh D’Amaro, current Chair of Disney Experiences and incoming Disney CEO. The day has finally come when D’Amaro called on RDJ to do a service for him, in serving as godfather of the Adventure.
Downey’s portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man was the cornerstone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the highest-grossing film franchise of all time. His unparalleled decade-plus cinematic journey as the iconic character culminated in Avengers: Endgame, which amassed more than $2.79 billion at the global box office. Downey was named an official Disney Legend in 2019.
Just when RDJ thought he was out after Endgame (hence the title), Disney pulled him back in. Downey will now star as Doctor Doom in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday, in theaters December 18, 2026.
“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,” Downey said.
The Disney Adventure brings more than 100 years of Disney storytelling to life across seven themed areas, including several Marvel experiences. At Marvel Landing on the top decks, guests can have the ultimate Super Hero adventure on Tony Stark’s Ironcycle Test Run, the first roller coaster on a Disney Cruise Line ship and the longest of its kind at sea.
In the open-air Disney Imagination Garden area, the “Avengers Assemble!” live stage production will feature jaw-dropping stunts and special effects during an action-packed battle of Marvel Super Heroes and Villains. And inside Disney’s Oceaneer Club, the Marvel WEB Workshop invites young recruits to try out new Super Hero suit prototypes and conduct training simulations using top-secret Avengers technology.
The new ship also offers signature Disney Cruise Line entertainment and hospitality: character meet & greets, Broadway-style shows, themed staterooms and concierge accommodations, and more than 20 dining and lounge venues featuring world-class international and Asian-inspired cuisines and beverages.
The Disney Adventure is just the latest ship that’s part of DCL’s aggressive expansion plans. It’s also a bit of an outlier. It’s not part of the Wish-class (hence the larger size and actual attractions on the top decks), but rather, it’s the former Global Dream ship that Disney acquired partially completed in a fire sale.
The ship has been making some major milestones over the last month-plus, before it sets sail from Singapore starting March 10, 2026. After a nearly two-week transatlantic crossing, the Disney Adventure as it traveled from Germany to Port Canaveral, Florida.
From there, it became the largest passenger vessel to travel through the Panama Canal, arriving in Los Angeles, California. The latest milestone is its arrival in Tokyo, marking the end of a two-week journey across the Pacific Ocean, including crossing the International Date Line.
Speaking of Tokyo, another ship is coming to Asia with the new Disney cruise ship announced for Oriental Land Company, which is the fourth in the Wish-class and will set sail in 2028/2029 out of Japan. There are rumors of another OLC ship after that, too.
But wait, there’s even more. During the last D23 Expo, Disney announced that Disney Cruise Line is Adding 4 New Ships between 2029 and 2031 on top of all those, bringing the total fleet size to 13 ships.
Our Commentary
I find a couple of things about this fascinating. The first is that Disney never refers to Robert Downey Jr. as the godfather of the Disney Adventure, only the godparent. (Godfather references are all me.) This isn’t simply an attempt at gender-neutrality or whatever. Just a few months ago, they announced Susan Egan would be the godmother of the Disney Destiny.
I doubt the godparent vs. godfather phrasing was not one made on a whim, but rather, was deliberated internally. And I’d further guess that the reason for godparent being chosen was because of The Godfather. Even decades later, Don Corleone is who immediately comes to mind when that term is used, even when it’s the lowercase godfather. RDJ isn’t the godfather, Marlon Brando and Al Pacino are.
Equally fascinating is that Disney landed as big of a name as Robert Downey Jr. to be godfather of the Disney Adventure. This isn’t to say past godmothers have been D-listers or anything of the sort, just that RDJ is of a higher profile, especially for a ship that’ll be homeported in Singapore.
It’s safe to assume the photos of RDJ on the ship were not taken this week, as the Disney Adventure is in Japan. More likely, they were captured on or around February 9th, after the Disney Adventure became the largest passenger vessel to travel through the Panama Canal, and arrived in Los Angeles, California. That would also explain the presence of Bruce Vaughn and Bob Iger, who are California-based.
But we’d also assume Robert Downey Jr. will be present in Singapore for the actual christening of the ship next month. That seems like a big commitment, unless he’s already planning on being there for some other reason. Or, I suppose, they could do RDJ’s portion of the christening via video.
Robert Downey Jr. has been actively involved with Disney since confirmation of his return in Avengers: Doomsday.
Last year, RDJ made a surprise appearance at SXSW, calling the Imagineers working on these new experiences, “the living embodiment of the Stark Enterprises mission statement.”
“The curiosity, the passion, the inventiveness, the occasional flair for the dramatic, most of all a drive to put something good out into the world to make life better, at the minimum more fun by a mile, ” Downey told the crowd. “It’s the privilege of a lifetime to be invited to participate.”
Downey was also pretty excited just to be invited into the Imagineering world, joking about the stealth of WDI headquarters. “You wanna talk about a closed set? It’s the Area 51 of fun!”
RDJ’s appearances are connected to Stark Flight Lab, the secondary attraction coming to the Avengers Campus expansion at Disney California Adventure. “Even after we finish with the Flight Lab, I want to stay with you all for the long haul,” Downey said during SXSW, “This isn’t a one-time deal. You need more me.”
It seems pretty clear that Robert Downey Jr. is the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I can’t help but wonder just how much we’re going to see his actual face in the Avengers Campus expansion (and beyond). Imagineering has some exciting new tech that was showcased in the last episode of “We Call It Imagineering.”
That new envelope-pushing Audio Animatronics innovation seems perfect for Tony Stark/Doctor Doom/whoever in the new ride(s). In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if RDJ “coming alive” is one of the big wow moments in the Avengers Campus expansion!
As for RDJ’s increased involvement with Disney, it’s tough to tell what’s real and what’s an act. Is RDJ’s enthusiasm actually for the product and Imagineering, or for the rich overall deal he inked with Disney to appear in the new Avengers films and become a brand ambassador of sorts?
He’s a good actor, so it’s tough to tell! What I do know is that, before even taking over as CEO, Josh D’Amaro already has a good working relationship with more high-profile Marvel actors than Bob Chapek ever did. Hopefully that means we won’t see a repeat of the Black Widow fiasco.
Personally, I really hope that this is part of a big-picture deal between Disney and RDJ. Although I’ve lost interest in all things Marvel, I’ll make an exception for the upcoming star-studded nostalgia trip that is Avengers: Doomsday. My real hope, though, is that Disney has other projects in the pipeline with Downey. He’s a charismatic actor, but also a serious one with range (as demonstrated by Oppenheimer). It’s a shame that his filmography from the last decade is dominated by almost nothing but super hero flicks.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Thoughts on Robert Downey Jr. as godfather of the Disney Adventure? Are you intrigued by the new ship, and its differences from the Wish-class? Or is being based out of Singapore a non-starter? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!