Robert Downey Jr. revealed why he is returning to Marvel after years of playing Tony Stark. According to Downey Jr., in the MCU, Doctor Doom is drawn to exploring the “backstage” workings of the world and power, and the role allows him to shift from ultimate hero to ultimate villain.
In a recent interview with Conversations for Our Daughters, Downey Jr. opened up about why he decided to return to the MCU as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday.
Downey Jr. said, “And now, having played Tony Stark for all those years, I’m coming back to Marvel again. Without Lewis Strauss and without [Christopher] Nolan’s endorsement, it wouldn’t make as much sense to say, ‘Oh yeah, I’m going to hit that button again, but now I’m going to do it in this genre.’ But really, what’s interesting to me is digging into what happens backstage in the world, not being afraid of scale.”
In a recent interview with Deadline, Joe Russo said that Robert Downey Jr. brought up the idea of playing Doctor Doom.
“I was at dinner with him in New York, and he mentioned that he was thinking about this. The concept was for him to play the ultimate villain. He played the ultimate hero, and now he’s going to play the ultimate villain. I thought it was a very clever idea.”
According to scooper MyTimeToShineHello, “Doom’s origin story in Doomsday didn’t always involve him having a family. Other versions included his parents dying, one where he believed he was a reincarnation of Tony and that he ‘belonged’ in the MCU, and one of the most insane ideas had him working for Mephisto, who was the real bad guy. Another version had him obsessed with either Pepper Potts or Sue Storm.”
Here’s the new synopsis for Avengers: Doomsday from Walt Disney Studios:
“Beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered.”
Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo and written by Stephen McFeely, Avengers: Doomsday stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Pedro Pascal, Paul Rudd, Anthony Mackie, Florence Pugh, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Wyatt Russell, Channing Tatum, Simu Liu, Ian McKellen, Tom Hiddleston, James Marsden, Patrick Stewart, Joseph Quinn, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Letitia Wright, Lewis Pullman, Kelsey Grammer, Danny Ramirez, Winston Duke, Alan Cumming, Wesley Holloway, Hannah John-Kamen, Rebecca Romijn, Alex Livinalli, and Mabel Cadena, Tenoch Huerta Mejía, and Iman Vellani.
The film is produced by Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, and Jonathan Schwartz, with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer.
Avengers: Doomsday will be released in theaters across the United States on December 18, 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars is scheduled for release on December 17, 2027.
Source: Conversations for Our Daughters
