Robert Downey Jr. Reveals How He Was Recruited To Return To The MCU

As a long-time Marvel fan and avid follower of Robert Downey Jr.’s illustrious career, I can’t help but feel like Christmas came early this year! The news that RDJ is returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom alongside the Russo brothers in the next two Avengers movies, and will also be playing Tony Stark/Iron Man at Disney California Adventure’s Avengers Campus, has sent shockwaves through the Marvel community.


One of the most memorable moments from this year’s San Diego Comic-Con was the Hall H reveal that Robert Downey Jr. is coming back to the MCU as Doctor Doom alongside the Russo brothers in the next two Avengers movies. And at D23, it was also announced that Downey will be playing Tony Stark/Iron Man in an upcoming attraction at Disney California Adventure’s Avengers Campus. Now, Downey has revealed that it was his idea to play Stark again for the Disney parks, but it was Kevin Feige who approached him about playing Doom.

As a gamer, I’ve always kept my connections alive within the Marvel universe. Recently, I had a chat with Kevin Feige on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast. We’d been discussing ideas for Iron Man outside of the MCU, like theme park attractions, but he surprised me. Instead, he proposed bringing back my character into the MCU, this time as Doom. It was an unexpected twist in our conversation, but I’m always up for a challenge in this game we call Marvel!

According to Downey, Feige expressed, “‘I’ve been thinking, if you were to return…,’ and Susan interjected, ‘Hold on, hold on. What do you mean come back as?’,” Downey recollected. He further stated that they both understood later on that this was another piece of evidence disproving any doubt about Feige’s genius. Lastly, he described Feige as a highly intelligent creative thinker.

Before suggesting the character of Doom, Feige had previously highlighted the challenges associated with Downey’s return, indicating a potential alternate solution.

“‘How can we not go backwards? How can we not disappoint expectations? How can we continue to beat expectations?'” recounted Downey about Feige’s pitch. “And he brought up Victor Von Doom. I looked into this character. Later on, he goes, ‘Let’s get Victor Von Doom right.”

During a later meeting with Bob Iger, Downey discovered that the Disney CEO was completely supportive of his portrayal as Doctor Doom. Additionally, Iger set up a get-together for Downey and Feige at the Disney Imagineering Campus, allowing them to check out the progress being made by the Imagineers on the Avengers Campus project.

Downey remarked, “Those two individuals are incredibly hard to astonish simultaneously. The situation unfolding before me, it’s far more extraordinary than I ever thought conceivable.”

It appears that Downey is likely talking about the Iron Man-themed ride called Stark Flight Lab and the Avengers: Infinity Defense attraction at DCA, but no opening dates have been set for these rides as of now. Prior to that, on May 1, 2026, Downey will be portraying Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, followed by finishing the storyline in Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027.

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2024-08-21 16:39