Marvel spoilers follow.
Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has explained Robert Downey Jr’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The upcoming Avengers movies Doomsday and Secret Wars will see the former Iron Man actor starring as lead villain Victor von Doom (aka Doctor Doom).
Downey Jr’s last appearance in the franchise took place during 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, which sadly confirmed Tony Stark’s death. However, five years after his MCU exit, it was announced that the star would be making a surprise comeback – this time, playing a notorious baddie.
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Speaking about the decision, Feige told Entertainment Weekly that the studio had “never lost touch” with Downey Jr following his departure, and had always considered bringing him back in some capacity.
“He is ingrained in the fabric of the MCU for obvious reasons,” he explained in a video, posted on Instagram. “And we would talk about, you know, when and how and if there could be a return.
“We hit on this idea maybe three, three and half years ago about bringing Doctor Doom to the screen and needing to find the greatest actor possible to do it. And at the time, [Downey Jr] was on his way to winning an Academy Award for Oppenheimer and there was every story about the greatest actor in the world.”
He continued: “We thought, this could be it. Let’s do it. It’s our universe. It’s a multiverse. We can do whatever the heck we want. He played the most iconic hero, let’s have him play the most iconic villain. And he was into it, luckily.”
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Also returning for the fifth and sixth Avengers movies are directing duo Joe and Anthony Russo, who made their Marvel exit after Endgame. The pair’s return was announced at the same time as Downey Jr’s, though they attributed the actor’s new role to Feige.
“That [Downey Jr’s return] was Kevin’s [idea],” Joe previously told Omelete. “That conversation was had a while ago, and Robert tried to talk us into doing it and we said no. We just didn’t have a story, we didn’t have a way in, so we were resistant for a while.
“Then one day, [Endgame writer] Stephen McFeely, who is one of our key collaborators, called us and said, ‘I have an idea. That’s the story. That’s the story that has to be told – it’s a really powerful one.'”
Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to be released on 18 December 2026, while Avengers: Secret Wars will be released in 2027.
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