In the years since Iron Man died in Avengers: Endgame, Robert Downey Jr. has reached a new height of success. That’s because, a few years after he left the MCU as Iron Man, he took a role in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which earned him an Oscar. Now, as RDJ prepares to play Doctor Doom, Kevin Feige has opened up about why they decided to bring him back for the upcoming Marvel movie, Avengers: Doomsday. And yes, it does relate to the Academy Award-winning movie the actor made after he said goodbye to Tony Stark.
Ever since it was revealed that Downey was going to play Victor Von Doom in the MCU, I’ve been wondering why they cast him. While I love the choice, RDJ is synonymous with Tony Stark, so why have him play a new character? Well, now that we’re getting closer to Doomsday’s release on the 2026 movie schedule, Marvel boss Kevin Feige is providing some more details to this answer. Telling EW about when they started forming this idea, he recalled how Downey's performance in the 2023 film Oppenheimer inspired them:
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.
Listen, anything is possible in the multiverse, so why not, right? I totally see what they’re saying, too. Robert Downey Jr. is one of the all-time greats, and that’s in part thanks to his work in both the MCU as Iron Man and Oppenheimer. So, yeah, it tracks that if you want to get an all-time great to play your villain, you should maybe give this guy a call.
Article continues belowI also think it’s worth noting that for a very long time, we got to watch Downey play a hero on the big screen. People loved his take on Tony Stark, and Iron Man was a fundamental part of the Avengers and the MCU in general. Then, we got to see a whole other side of his range in Oppenheimer.
In Christopher Nolan’s biopic about the father of the atomic bomb, Downey played Lewis Strauss. He was the primary antagonist of the film, and RDJ turned in a nuanced performance that was not carried by the charisma and wit that helped make him so beloved as Tony Stark. It was far more dramatic than we’re used to when it comes to him, and ultimately, he served as a brilliant foil to Cillian Murphy’s J. Robert Oppenheimer. Both men took home Oscars for their performances, and the film won many other awards at the 2024 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
In short, Nolan’s movie gave audiences a chance to see Robert Downey Jr. do something totally new and different as an actor.
It also proved that he is one of the best, and I hope that’s what Avengers: Doomsday will do too. Downey is clearly excited about it, with his Doctor Doom-inspired outfits and his coining of the term “Dunesday” to celebrate the fact that his Marvel movie comes out on the same day as Dune: Part Three. Kevin Feige is clearly thrilled about it, too, especially since they got the Oppenheimer actor to come back to the MCU for it.
So, now, to see Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, you can catch Avengers: Doomsday in theaters on December 18. In the meantime, you can go back and watch the performances that made him one of the best of the best by streaming the Marvel movies in order with a Disney+ subscription and buying or renting Oppenheimer.
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