Since the announcement of Robert Downey’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Victor Von Doom, the actor addressed the fact for the first time. He explained how Kevin Feige chose him as the MCU’s next villain as he recently appeared on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast.
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Robert Downey reveals his casting as Doctor Doom
In the latest episode of the podcast, Downey explained how a casual conversation with Feige resulted in him coming back to Marvel. The actor, who previously played Iron Man in the Avengers franchise, said, “He said, ‘The thought that keeps going through my mind is will you come back…'” His wife Susan Downey was also present during the conversation and she interrupted, “Susan said, ‘Wait, wait. Come back as what?'”
The actor then expressed his concerns about what he would have to do if he returned to Marvel and discussed this with Feige. He said, “How can we not go back? How can we not disappoint expectations? How can we beat expectations?” to which Feige suggested that he could return as Doctor Doom.
Downey revealed that his next thought was to consult Disney CEO Bob Iger on the idea and meet with him soon after. It seems Iger already knew about the Doctor Doom plan because when the actor went to meet him he said, “I love it”.
“I thought, ‘He loves this,’” Downey said in the podcast episode. “He [Iger] “I said, ‘Come to the Imagineering campus.’ Feige and I went to the Imagineering campus and you want to talk about two people whose minds aren’t easy to blow apart, let alone be alone at the same time… I can’t say too much, but what’s going on there right now is beyond what I expected,” The Hollywood Reporter reports.
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Robert Downey leaves Marvel
The 59-year-old actor never left Marvel, even after saying goodbye to his beloved MCU character Tony Stark. In the years following the release of Avengers: Endgame, Downey has remained close with Iron Man director Jon Favreau and Avengers directors Joe and Anthony Russo. The Russo brothers will also return to the MCU to direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, as announced at San Diego Comic Con.
Downey’s return as Dr. Do also took place at the same Comic Con, when a few people dressed as Marvel’s next villain rushed the stage and the actor stepped forward to show off his mask. He said, “New mask. Same thing. Boy, I tell you what, I love playing complex characters.”
