Robert Downey Jr. helped launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008 when he played Iron Man's Tony Stark. The actor became the face of the franchise in the years that followed, and bid farewell to the role in 2019 when Tony made the ultimate sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame.
We thought that was it for Downey in the MCU, but at San Diego Comic-Con in 2024, he was revealed as Doctor Doom in this December's Avengers: Doomsday and next year's Avengers: Secret Wars.
It's not uncommon for actors in the MCU to take on different roles—Gemma Chan played Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel and later took on the role of Sersi in Eternals, for example—but given the extent of Downey's Marvel role, speculation has swirled about Tony and Victor Von Doom being connected. As far as we're aware, that's not the case, and the Oscar-winner is simply playing Earth-828's Doom.
Talking to Good Morning America at D23, Downey was asked who he now prefers playing: Iron Man or Doctor Doom.
"It was really weird being the guy — everyone else is hanging out, they’re the good heroes, and I’m [in] this mask and this hood. I’m like, 'They’re all on one side of the camera, and I guess they’re all mad at me or something,'" he recalled. "But I’ll say this: getting to know [Hayley Atwell] better, all of [mine and Chris Evans’] history, because you’re a legit dude."
"Because you don’t say yes because you can; it has to feel right. And I think that in Doomsday, what happens with this key relationship is so exciting and unexpected and beautiful," Downey continued. "I will say Doom, for now, because I got to really observe what I’ve been missing the whole time, just everybody else."
It's fascinating to hear how playing a villain changed the actor's experience on set, especially as being behind a mask is a (mostly) new experience for Downey.
Iron Man was brought to life primarily through visual effects, and Tony spent a lot of time without his mask on in the Iron Man and Avengers franchises. Doom's face, in contrast, is expected to remain hidden behind a mask for the entirety of Avengers: Doomsday.
You can hear more from Downey, Evans, and Atwell on Avengers: Doomsday in the Instagram post below.
In Avengers: Doomsday, 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.
Avengers: Doomsday stars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Mabel Cadena, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, India Rose Hemsworth, and Wesley Holloway all make their Avengers franchise debuts.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, as do X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, with Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. The movie is produced by Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, and Jonathan Schwartz, with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18.