Marvel fans got the surprise of a lifetime at San Diego Comic-Con when it was revealed that Robert Downey Jr. would be playing Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, but the ball started rolling about a year ago when Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige sat down with the actor and his wife and producing partner, Susan Downey.

“Probably a year ago, because Feige and I have kept in touch,” Downey said in The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast. “We’re pals. Favreau and 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 energy. And 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?’“

Downey continued, “And then we both realized, over time, that it was another thing that just disproves any doubt anyone could ever have about that guy. [He’s] a very sophisticated, creative thinker about, ‘How can we not go backwards? How can we not disappoint expectations? How can we continue to to beat expectations?’ And he brought up Victor von Doom, and I looked into [the] character, and I was like, ‘Wow.’ And later on, he goes, ‘Let’s get Victor von Doom right. Let’s get that right.’” Downey later met with Disney CEO Bob Iger, who told the actor that he liked the idea of him returning as Doctor Doom.

The actor kept the secret of his return as Doom from just about everyone, including his fellow Avengers, with Jeremy Renner saying, “The son of a bitch didn’t say anything to me!” Doom is expected to be replacing Kang as Marvel’s new big bad now that Jonathan Majors has been dropped from the franchise. Majors recently said that he was “heartbroken” to be replaced. Majors added that he “loves” the character of Kang, but “Doctor Doom is wicked.” When asked if he would still want to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Kang, Majors said, “Hell yeah! Hell yeah! I love him. I love Kang. If that’s what the fans want, and that’s what Marvel wants, then let’s roll. Hell yeah.“

Avengers: Doomsday is slated for a May 1, 2026 release, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027.

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