Robert Downey Jr is “so immersed” in character development for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, according to Russo Brothers

Posted On March 6, 2025March 6, 2025

Robert Downey Jr has been “so immersed” in writing the character backstory for Doctor Doom, according to Avengers: Doomsday directors, Joe and Anthony Russo.

In a new interview, the directors said the process of developing the character with Downey Jr has been “very intense”, and he is committed to making sure the character has as rich and dense a backstory as possible.

Discussing the project with Entertainment Tonight, Joe described the actor as “dialled in”, saying, “He’s writing backstory, costume ideas. We were just on the phone with him this morning before we got here talking about it.”

Commenting on the actor’s enthusiasm, he also said he “loves really rich three-dimensional characters” and “sees a real opportunity here with the character”.

The star was confirmed to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe last year, though not as the character he played and perfected for a decade. While most had hoped they would be learning the next chapter of Iron Man, who sacrificed himself to stop Thanos in Endgame, Kevin Feige confirmed this would not be the case.

He said: “We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again,” adding, “We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”

It was revealed during Marvel’s panel at Comic-Con that the actor will be playing Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, the next project before Avengers: Secret Wars. The move shocked many loyal Marvel fans and fellow Cinematic Universe actors, including Benedict Cumberbatch, who told Variety that he immediately messaged the actor to express his surprise. “I texted, ‘What the fuck?’ and then quickly added, ‘Good what-the-fuck. I mean, good what-the-fuck,’” he said.

Still, fans hold onto hope that he will one day return to Tony Stark, especially after he seemingly left the door ajar for potential storylines somewhere down the line. As he teased to Esquire: “[It’s] too integral a part of my DNA. That role chose me. And look, I always say, ‘Never, ever bet against Kevin Feige.’ It is a losing bet. He’s the house. He will always win.”

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