Another MCU actor has revealed his initial reaction to the news that Robert Downey Jr. will be making his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a completely different character, and it's the same response we're sure quite a few of you had to the big San Diego Comic-Con reveal!
Don Cheadle - who worked very closely with Downey Jr. as Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes in the Avengers and Iron Man movies - was asked if the SDCC announcement took him by surprise, and confirmed that his co-star and friend had kept him in the dark along with everyone else.
"I was like, 'What the f*ck?'" the Secret Invasion actor told Collider, before adding that he couldn't reveal any more details because, "Everything is clay right now. They're rewriting, they're reworking, and so I honestly can't even tease anything."
Cheadle was also asked if he'll be rejoining RDJ for Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, but he's become adept at avoiding those kinds of questions!
"I'm not sure what you're talking about. I’ve heard of a Russo Brother. There are two? You know I can't talk about that stuff."
We're sure Rhodey will be back along with the rest of Earth's Mightiest Heroes - and it'll be the real Rhodey this time after his Skrull imposter was discovered towards the end of Secret Invasion. Cheadle is also expected to reprise the role for the Armor Wars Disney+ series, although he played just as coy about that project in a recent interview.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on May 1, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027. Both films will be directed by the Russo brothers, who also make their MCU return after helming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
"Being able to create stories and explore characters within the Marvel Universe fulfilled a life-long dream of ours, and we discovered a powerful connection with audiences in each film that we made. We’re thrilled to collaborate once again with Kevin, Lou and the entire Marvel team to bring this epic adventure in storytelling to new and surprising places for both the fans and ourselves”, said The Russos in a statement after the SDCC panel.
Have another look at some photos Downey Jr. shared to Instagram after the big reveal below.