It makes sense that Robert Downey Jr.'s role as Doctor Doom in the upcoming Marvel movies would be a pretty closely guarded secret. However, apparently it was even kept from members of the Avengers: Doomsday cast. Tom Hiddleston, who's playing Loki again, recently revealed that he didn’t have the inside scoop at all and found out the big news along with the rest of the world. With that, he also had a hilarious and relatable reaction in the moment, which I think I would’ve had if I were in his position
Tom Hiddleston talked about new 2025 movie release, The Life of Chuck, as well as his tenure within the Marvel Cinematic Universe while chatting with Josh Horowitz for the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast. At this point, Hiddleston is one of the few remaining OG Avengers cast members still making waves within the interconnected franchise. Given that, Horowitz asked the actor how he felt when hearing about Robert Downey Jr. returning to the fold. Apparently, Hiddleston was taken aback and shot a text to a major name:
It is remarkable, absolutely extraordinary. I didn't know that until the rest of the world knew that. That was the thing. I think that was something completely under wraps until it wasn't. … I texted Kevin Feige with like, exclamation marks and then thought, ‘I'd better qualify that.’ I said, 'RDJ?!'
If I had Kevin Feige's number in my phone, you better believe I'd have been hitting him up after that big announcement. What I find particularly funny is that Hiddleston wasn't even all that smooth in the way in which he reached out to the Marvel Studios President. Above all though, I just love that Hiddleston's enthusiasm hasn't gone away and that like fans, he remains excited about this franchise.
Of course, if Tom Hiddleston knows anything about what Downey’s role as a super villain will entail, he seemingly isn’t sharing. Marvel does tend to keep secrets even amid filming, so Hiddleston may still be in the dark in regard to Doom's exact role in the film as well. What I'm hoping for is that Loki and Doom get to share the screen at some point, as a conversation between those two could lead to a scene for the ages.
The announcement of Robert Downey Jr.'s return, which took place in San Diego Comic-Con's Hall H last year, was epic and definitely took a number of fans by surprise. It’s also cool that the cast experienced the news like the rest of us. Although some fans have had mixed feelings about Downey playing Doom, Tom Hiddleston is all for it. He further discussed his excitement with Josh Horowitz:
Robert is synonymous with the MCU. He's at the center of it. And I think it must be very thrilling to come back and play with some different colors.
While Avengers: Doomsday theories and predictions are fun to think about, we still don’t know how Marvel Studios will address the elephant in the room. I'm talking about the fact that after Downey played Tony Stark -- who died in Avengers: Endgame -- for more than a decade, he's now portraying Doctor Doom, a Fantastic Four villain.
Maybe the Russo Brothers, who are directing Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, will formally establish that this version of Doom is a Stark variant. Or maybe the resemblance between the two won't be addressed at all. If I had Kevin Feige’s number like Tom Hiddleston does, I’d be texting him trying to get as many details as I could!
You can see Tom Hiddleston and Robert Downey Jr. return to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday, which is set to hit theaters on December, 18 2026. In the meantime, you can revisit their performances as Loki and Tony Stark by streaming previous Marvel films and shows, which are now available with a Disney+ subscription.
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