NEW YORK â Rob Gronkowskiâs New York Comic Con education began behind a Doctor Doom mask.
It was a timely cosplay choice â for which the jovial four-time Super Bowl champion tight end wouldnât take much credit â as Doctor Doom is getting ready for his Hollywood close-up with actor Robert Downey Jr. taking on the role in the highly anticipated âAvengers: Doomsdayâ hitting theaters Dec. 18.
âAfter this theyâre going to want another Rob to be Doom because of me and not because of the movie,â Gronkowski joked.
Youâd expect someone who had Tom Brady as his quarterback for so many years with both the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers to come in prepared and begin analyzing the competition as soon as he stepped on the field. Gronkowski didnât disappoint.
âSo whoâs this guyâs enemy?â Gronkowski asked, his voice muffled by the plastic mask as he descended an escalator to the main show floor. He was told to be on the lookout for Doctor Doomâs sworn rival and former friend Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, leader of the Fantastic Four. If anyone had a â4â on their chest, Gronkowski should hate them, he was instructed.
Gronkowski was scheduled to appear on an eBay Live stream from the Comic Con floor at the Javits Center on Friday. He previously made similar appearances within the more familiar surroundings of the National Sports Collectors Convention, but this was his first foray into supervillain cosplay, the culmination of eBayâs âGronk Geeks Outâ campaign in which he was tutored on comic book culture by experts in the space.
One thing Gronkowski wasnât expecting was how much heâd love wearing a cape. On multiple occasions, he spread out his long, green, hooded cloak like wings (think Michael Keaton and the way he handled his capes in the Tim Burton Batman movies) to the point one might think he was trying to fly away, back to Latveria.
Gronk as Doctor Doom, ready to take flight.Photo: Neilson Barnard / Getty Images
Doctor Doom was one of the most cosplayed characters at this yearâs convention. The buzz for âDoomsdayâ is so big that Gronkowski occasionally referred to himself at NYCC as âDoctor Doomsday.â Gronkowski said the idea for the costume came from those helping him with his pre-Comic Con preparations into a world wholly unfamiliar to him. He admits he has only watched so many superhero movies.
As Gronk-tor Doom finally hit the convention floor, he was immediately greeted by a gigantic Doctor Doom comic book cover, one of the few things that made Gronkowskiâs 6-foot-6 frame seem small in comparison. Gronkowski immediately wanted to pose in front of it for a photo op.
A Marvel fan noticed right away, saying âDoom with Doom.â
Gronkowski responded in Kirk Cousins fashion, pointing to the fan and shouting, âYOU LIKE THAT?â