Robert Downey Jr. breaks his silence on his Doctor Doom casting – and the three questions that sparked his Marvel return

“How do we not disappoint expectations?”

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A month after it was first announced, Robert Downey Jr. has opened up on hisMarvel casting as Doctor Doomin the next two Avengers movies.

While speaking onThe Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, Downey outlined the initial conversation he had withMarvel Studiospresident Kevin Feige about returning.

“How can we not go backwards? How do we not disappoint expectations? How can we continue to beat expectations?” Downey said of the three questions posited by Feige that fueled the philosophy behind bringing back the MCU legacy actor.

Downey continued, “[Feige] brought up Victor von Doom and I looked into his character and I go, ‘Wow’. He goes: ‘Let’s get Victor von Doom right. Let’s get that right.'”

Downey’s Doctor Doom is set to appear in 2026’sAvengers: Doomsdayand 2027’sAvengers: Secret Warsalongside the casts ofFantastic Fourand Thunderbolts.

A recent report, however, suggested that the villainwould appear slightly sooner than expected– in 2025’s standalone Fantastic Four movie.

Both Avengers movies will be directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, directors of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

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Before then, we’re heading back to Westview this September in Agatha All Along, featuring the return of Kathryn Hahn’s meddlesome witch. There’s alsoCaptain America: Brave New World, Daredevil: Born Again, and Ironheart in the pipeline as part ofMarvel Phase 5.

For more, check out the complete list ofupcoming Marvel movies and showscurrently in the weeks. If you’re still playing catch up (or are rewatching the MCU from start to finish) then you’ll need our guide on how to watch theMarvel movies in order.

I’m the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you’ll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

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