Kevin Feige finally reveals why Robert Downey Jr was recast for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’: ‘He played the most…’
'Avengers: Doomsday' is consistently building up the momentum with an eye towards its December 18, 2026, release date. The most anticipated film in Phase VI of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is remarkable for several reasons, the chief among them being the return of Robert Downey Jr. as the formidable antagonist Doctor Doom. Downey Jr. has been associated with the MCU ever since the early days and previously had a successful eleven-year run as Tony Stark or Iron Man. Although his character met a hero's death in 'Avengers: Endgame', demands to bring him back to the franchise have been consistent in the last few years.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was recently spotted attending the Las Vegas CinemaCon, along with directors Joe and Anthony Russo and Downey Jr. Speaking in an interview with Entertainment Weekly about the reason why Marvel had to bring Downey Jr. back into their fold for the upcoming movie, Feige commented, "He is ingrained in the fabric of the MCU for obvious reasons, and we would talk about when and how and if there could be a return." Feige also mentioned "we never lost touch with Downey" since he left the franchise in 2019. The conversation further revealed that the idea of bringing Downey Jr. as Doctor Victor Von Doom back surfaced for the first time roughly three and a half years ago.
“At the time, (Downey) was on his way to winning the Academy Award for Oppenheimer, and there was every story about 'the greatest actor in the world,' and we thought, 'This could be it. Let's do it. It's our universe. It's a multiverse. We can do whatever the heck we want. He played the most iconic hero. Let's have him play the most iconic villain," remarked Feige. 'Avengers: Doomsday' will, for the first time, feature a collision of three distinct universes, which will come together headlong with massive consequences. When it comes to delivering a comic book adaptation movie on such a massive scale, both Joe and Anthony Russo have previously proved their mettle.
Speaking on the subject, Anthony explained, "Certainly with Doom, it's the problem in the extreme in that his power is so immense and so beyond. But that really liberates us all on a creative level, artistic level, to figure out where the complexities and the vulnerabilities are in the character. They may have seemingly unlimited physical power, but there is something inside them where they are vulnerable, where they are exposed, where (there are) places that they need to protect even more intently than their physical selves. So I think the real fun of the storytelling is in that zone there." 'Avengers: Doomsday' also features Chris Evans, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Chris Hemsworth, James Marsden, and Patrick Stewart, among others.
