While this year’s D23 marked the first time we got to see the new X-Men cast, it also featured a very fun reunion between two of Marvel’s most seasoned veterans, Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. They were there alongside Hayley Atwell to promote their upcoming Marvel movie, Avengers: Doomsday. And in true Cap and Iron Man fashion, RDJ was busy trolling his pal, Evans, behind the scenes of this big industry event.
I don’t expect Robert Downey Jr. to be anything but silly and sarcastic, so it didn’t surprise me one bit that that’s how he was acting in his BTS D23 video on Instagram. It felt remarkably on-brand for it to begin with him trolling Chris Evans too, as they had the following back-and-forth:
- Chris Evans: What is this? What are we doing?
- Robert Downey Jr.: You know, that’s one of those dumb things they always say in movies. They’re like, ‘What is this place?’
It seems only natural that attending an event like D23 or San Diego Comic-Con (which Evans and Downey were also at earlier this summer) would cause this kind of reaction. They’re big and fancy events, and usually guys like them have busy schedules full of presentations and media. So, this interaction felt both understandable and funny. Plus, the Oscar winner is right; I can perfectly picture plenty of scenes that involve people saying "What is this place?" in movies.
Honestly, the whole video is hilarious, though, and you can see it for yourself here:
Personally, after the trolling moment, my favorite bits of this video are Downey’s reunion with Iron Man director and Happy actor Jon Favreau (who was at D23 to talk about his new Oswald project) and the moment when RDJ decided to punch Winnie the Pooh. I also got a real kick out of seeing him, Evans and Atwell read their lines and try to figure out the order in which they wanted to walk out on stage.
Overall, it was a lovely peek behind the curtain, and it really makes me want to be a fly on the wall during the Avengers: Doomsday press tour. I’m sure Downey and Evans will have more jokes up their sleeves, especially since they’ve been regularly trolling each other (yeah, I saw how the Cap and Doom actors acted on stage at CinemaCon).
Now, once we get to December 18 on the 2026 movie schedule, that joke-fighting will turn serious, because Downey is playing Doctor Doom in the MCU. So, I have a feeling we won’t be seeing him and Evans poking fun at each other on the big screen. However, that’s thrilling too, because, personally, I cannot wait to see how exactly they plan to reintroduce one of Marvel’s most iconic actors as a new character and legendary villain.
We’ll have to wait a bit to see that, though, so in the meantime, I’ll be enjoying this BTS content and going back to see Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. during their early MCU days by streaming the Marvel movies in order with my Disney+ subscription.
