How Marvel got Robert Downey Jr. Back as Dr. Doom
When it was revealed during this past July’s Comic-Con that Robert Downey Jr. was returning to the MCU as the iconic villain Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, it was legitimately one of the most shocking pieces of news made at a Con ever. This is because Downey, the face of the MCU for a decade as Tony Stark/Iron Man (alongside Chris Evans’s Steve Rogers/Captain America), had his swan song in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, with Tony Stark dying a heroe’s death. So to see Downey back up on stage at Hall H in San Diego was cause for some instantaneous confusion until it was clear that the mask he was holding in his hand didn’t belong to one of Tony Stark’s Iron Man suits but rather the iron shroud worn by Victor von Doom aka Doctor Doom.
In a recent conversation on The Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatter Podcast, Downey spoke more openly about his return to the MCU. It turns out that there was never any talk of having him reprise his most famous role. Here’s what he said:
“So, probably a year ago…cause, you know, [Kevin] Feige and I have kept in touch. We’re pals. Favreau, Feige, and I have kept in touch. I’m close with the Russo Brothers; we have other business we’re doing. So, there’s this little group of fellow travelers, and I had this instinct that I wanted to go to Bob Iger, and I had an idea outside of the Cinematic Universe for how I could be of service to what’s going on in the Parks and all their location-based entertainment…Susan 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 can we 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.'”
So what did Downey do next? He went to Bob Iger’s house to chat about returning as Doom. Iger liked the idea and told him to come by Disney’s Imagineering Campus. So, Downey and Feige went there, and this was what Downey had to say:
“Feige and I go to the Imagineering Campus and you want to talk about two guys that are not easy to have their minds blown, let alone at the same time…I can’t say too much, but what is going on there right now is so beyond my expectation of what was possible.”
Marvel has not rushed the process of figuring out how to get Downey back as Doom. They’ve had a year to wrestle with the idea that Jonathan Majors was out as Kang the Conquerer, and they were going to make sure that if they brought Doom back—he’s been seen on the big screen before in previous pre-Disney Marvel iterations—it was crucial to get arguably the most legendary Marvel villain right.
As Downey said in San Diego, the stakes are incredibly high, and once again he’ll again have to help carry the Marvel franchise forward.
“New mask. Same task,” Downey told the Comic-Con crowd. “Boy, I tell you, I like playing complicated characters.”
Avengers: Doomsday is set to start filming in 2025 for a 2026 release date.
More on all things Marvel, check out these stories:
“Deadpool & Wolverine” Costume Designer Graham Churchyard on Bringing Back Logan’s Yellow Suit
“Deadpool & Wolverine” Screenwriters Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick on Resurrecting Wolverine
Something Witchy This Way Comes in First Trailer for Marvel’s “Agatha All Along”
“Deadpool & Wolverine” Co-Writer Zeb Wells on Scripting Marvel’s Raunchiest, Wildest Film Ever
Featured image: SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 27: Robert Downey Jr. speaks onstage during the Marvel Studios Panel in Hall H at SDCC in San Diego, California on July 27, 2024. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
