Marvel fans have a new reason to tune into the 98th Academy Awards. Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans will both take the stage as presenters at the March 15 ceremony, marking a potential onstage reunion for the former Avengers co-stars. The duo joins an expanding roster of Hollywood A-listers confirmed for Hollywood’s biggest night.
The 2026 Oscars presenters list continues to grow as the March date approaches. Downey Jr. was announced Thursday as part of the third wave of talent set to hand out trophies at the Dolby Theatre. Evans had been confirmed in an earlier announcement alongside Javier Bardem, Chase Infiniti, Demi Moore, Kumail Nanjiani, and Maya Rudolph. While the Academy hasn’t revealed which categories they’ll present, the pairing has already generated buzz about whether they’ll share the stage together.
Downey Jr. and Evans starred opposite each other in four Avengers films and three Captain America movies, forming the emotional core of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first decade. Evans’ Captain America and Downey’s Iron Man shared screen time and occasional conflict across multiple blockbusters before their characters’ storylines concluded with 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
Downey Jr. returns to the Oscars stage as a recent winner himself. He took home the best supporting actor trophy in 2024 for his role in Oppenheimer. Evans has never won an Oscar but has remained a fixture at the ceremony over the years, presenting and supporting nominated projects.
The presenter lineup now includes an impressive mix of Oscar winners, nominees, and first-time attendees. Gwyneth Paltrow, who won best actress for Shakespeare in Love in 1999, joins her Iron Man co-star Downey Jr. at the ceremony. Anne Hathaway (best supporting actress winner for Les Misérables), Paul Mescal (best actor nominee for Aftersun), Will Arnett, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas round out the newest additions.
Last year’s acting winners will also return to pass the torch. Adrien Brody (best actor for The Brutalist), Kieran Culkin (best supporting actor), Mikey Madison (best actress for Anora), and Zoe Saldaña (best supporting actress) are all confirmed to present. The Oscars traditionally have previous winners present in the acting categories.
The 98th Academy Awards will take place Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. The ceremony begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, with a live red-carpet show kicking off at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. ABC will broadcast the event live, with simultaneous streaming available on Hulu.
Conan O’Brien returns as host for the second consecutive year, promising his signature blend of wit and irreverence for the telecast.
This year’s nominations are led by Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which shattered records with 16 nods, the most ever for a single film. Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another follows closely with 13 nominations, while Hamnet, Marty Supreme, and Sentimental Value earned multiple nominations across major categories.
The ceremony will also feature live performances of two best original song nominees: “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters and “I Lied to You” from Sinners. This marks a departure from recent years, when all nominated songs were typically performed.
For Marvel fans, the night offers something extra: the chance to see two actors who defined a cinematic era share the same stage. Whether they present together or separately remain unconfirmed. But the possibility alone has turned what was already Hollywood’s biggest night into required viewing for the MCU faithful.
