Robert Downey Jr. was the only perfect candidate to portray the villain Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, according to the Russo brothers.
The actor is making a shocking return to Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but not as Iron Man. Instead, he is set to portray the iconic villain.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Russo brothers, who are also making their return after Avengers: Endgame (2019), shared that “nobody else in the world” could take on the role of Doctor Doom, except for Robert.
Anthony Russo said, “We can’t explain that as it’s part of the story, but there’s nobody else in the world who could play this character the way he’s about to.”
“Yes, the MCU has got quite large, that’s for sure. I mean, frankly, we struggle with that same issue,” he added. “But part of the reason Joe and I decided to go back is exactly what you’re talking about. There needs to be more of a central narrative. That was something we were very specific about when we worked with Marvel [before]. We would like to bring the focused narrative back.”
Joe Russo admitted that they were initially hesitant about rejoining MCU, saying, “One day, Steve McFeely, one of our key collaborators, said: ‘I have an idea.’ He called us, and we went, ‘That’s the story, that story has to be told. It’s a really powerful story.’”
“That was Kevin, and interesting enough about that was, that conversation was had a while ago,” he added. “And then Robert tried to talk us into doing it, and we said ‘no,’ weirdly because we said we wouldn’t come back.”
It is worth mentioning that Avengers: Doomsday, which will bring back Robert Downey Jr. but as a villain, will set the stage for Avengers: Secret Wars.
Russo Brothers’ Avengers: Doomsday will release in May 2026, meanwhile, Avengers: Secret Wars is scheduled to come out in 2027.