The announcement of Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe has left the audience excited. The actor, who played the fan-favorite superhero Iron Man for 11 years, was confirmed to be coming back to the franchise in a new avatar, as the supervillain, Doctor Doom, at the San Diego Comic-Con this year.
While fans are eager to see Downey Jr. back in the MCU, they were also wondering how would the actor play two characters in the same franchise, especially, after being loved as Iron Man for so long. Downey Jr. has now opened up about his casting as Victor von Doom, revealing how he and Marvel Studios CEO, Kevin Feige, came up with the idea.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Casual Meeting with Kevin Feige Led to His Casting as Doctor Doom
Robert Downey Jr. recently appeared on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter Podcast, where he discussed his return to the MCU. The actor revealed that he is friends with Kevin Feige and had been in touch with him even after his exit from the franchise in Avengers: Endgame.
Talking about how the conversation about his casting as Doctor Doom started, the actor said, “Susan [Downey Jr.’s wife] and I were sitting down with Feige at one point and he said, ‘It just keeps occurring to me that if you were to come back…’ and Susan was like, ‘Wait, wait, come back as what?’”
“Then we both realized over time that it was another thing that just disproves any doubt anyone could ever have about that guy, a very sophisticated creative thinker, about how can we not go backward, how can we not disappoint expectations, how we can continue to beat expectations? And he brought up Victor Von Doom. I looked up this character and I was like, ‘Wow.’ Later, Kevin goes, ‘Let’s get Victor Von Doom right. Let’s get that right.’”
Downey Jr. said that the two then brought up the idea to Disney’s CEO, Bob Iger, and he ended up liking it. Downey Jr. is expected to make his debut as Doctor Doom in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is slated to be released on July 25th, 2025. He will then play the supervillain in the next Avengers film, Avengers: Doomsday, which comes out on May 1st, 2026.
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