The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to be a wildly popular franchise, with new releases hitting theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order have seen a ton of heroes introduced, starting off with Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark in Iron Man. While Jon Favreau's 2008 movie was a huge gamble, the Oscar-winning actor recently shouted out two of his Avengers co-stars for playing two heroes that were especially difficult to pull off.
Moviegoers can't wait to see RDJ as Doctor Doom in the next Avengers movie, but the 61-year-old actor is also looking back on what came before. During an interview with CBR, Downey spoke to the two actors he thinks had the hardest job when bringing their heroes to life on the big screen. In his words:
I still feel like the two hardest characters to pull off was what [Chris] Evans did with Cap. And then, I think, [Benedict] Cumberbatch with Strange was like, ‘Are they really going to?’ Because in the comics, it works. And they were holding these spaces of credibility in the real world, and credibility in the world of magic and sorcery.
Honestly, I get his perspective. On paper, both Captain America and Doctor Strange are two Marvel heroes who might be challenging to play, and could potentially end up coming off pretty goofy. Luckily, the studio had stellar actors like Chris Evans and Benedict Cumberbatch playing those roles, respectively. And Robert Downey Jr. is (rightfully) giving flowers to his co-stars for making Cap and Strange into beloved figures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
I can definitely see RDJ's point, especially when it comes to Benedict Cumberbatch in particular. When Doctor Strange arrived in theaters 2016, it was the first time the MCU brought magic into the shared universe (aside from Loki's abilities). The Sherlock actor had an uphill battle in pulling this off, as well as making Stephen Strange feel like a real person. He balanced humor and heart in the movie, while casting spells and bringing trippy visuals into the universe. Fans really responded to it, and he's become an important presence in the MCU as a whole. As for Chris Evans, he succeeded in making Steve Rogers the heart of the entire franchise.
What we know about Avengers: Doomsday is limited, but both Chris Evans and Benedict Cumberbatch are expected to reprise their roles in the mysterious blockbuster. Fans are eager to see how the mysterious story will go down, and how the Avengers will react when meeting Doctor Doom... especially since he'll be having the same face as their dead friend Tony Stark.
All will be revealed when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list. And with the press tour coming up, hopefully Robert Downey Jr. will grace us with more of his Marvel hot takes.
