"Came back to play a new main character before Joel Embiid made a conference finals": NBA fans troll 76ers star amid Robert Downey Jr.'s MCU return

Despite being busy for Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Joel Embiid was again the subject of trolling from NBA fans amidst the hype of Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

At the San Diego Comic Con, Marvel announced Downey Jr., who famously played Tony Stark or Iron Man, will be returning to the franchise as Doctor Doom in the Avenger: Doomsday movie and other projects.

This officially confirms Downey Jr.'s MCU comeback after his character Iron Man died in the Avengers: Endgame movie when they were battling Thanos. This time, however, Downey Jr. will reportedly be the villain in Marvel’s new story arc.

NBA fans then made jokes about Downey Jr.’s comeback casting, turning former NBA MVP Embiid, who has never been in a conference finals, into the butt of the jokes on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Robert Downey Jr.’s character DIED and he came back to play a new main character all before Joel Embiid made a conference finals,” said one fan.

Fans have then flooded the post with laughs, adding jokes to make fun of Embiid’s lack of playoff accomplishments.

“This is gonna age like milk since that movie doesn’t come out until May 2026 😂,” said one fan.

“Joel Embiid was barely a star when Iron Man died bra don’t do this lmaooo,” said one fan.

“Robert's character really passed away, jumped on oppenheimer, won an oscar, came back to marvel under a new character before embiid touched a conference finals aint no way💀,” another fan said.

On the other hand, some fans got tired of the jokes on Embiid as this has been a recurring theme for the Philadelphia 76er star every year.

“Find a new joke like it’s getting sad at this point man, like are you homeless???,” said one fan.

“Embiid FC redemption gon go down in history I’m keeping all these receipts,” said one fan.

“This shit will never die 😭😭,” said another fan.

Embiid has featured in the last seven playoffs. However, in that span, Embiid has lost five times in the second round, while his most recent one saw him lose in the first round versus the New York Knicks.

Joel Embiid takes pride in choosing Team USA

As fans joke about him on social media, Joel Embiid is living a dream as he competes for his first-ever Olympics with Team USA.

In an interview during the Olympic opening ceremony, Embiid shared why he chose to play for Team USA instead of France or Cameroon, where he was both eligible to join the national team.

"I built a lot in America, having a family and being here half of my life," Embiid said. “It just made a lot of sense, and then obviously, this group of guys. I've known them for a long time and feel extremely comfortable.

“I've dreamt of this since I was a little kid. It's been a good experience," Embiid added.

Embiid’s first Olympic game will be versus his arch-NBA rival Nikola Jokic and Serbia, kicking off Team USA’s fifth consecutive title defense in men’s basketball.