Marvel
Robert Downey Jr. is not just getting along in the role of Dr. Doom — he wants to build the image of the villain himself.
The actor returns to the Marvel universe in the upcoming movie «Avengers: Day of Judgment». After a short break, Downey Jr. decided that just working out the script on the set would not be enough. Now he is passionate about creating and «trying on the mask» of one of the most iconic comic book villains.
«He is so immersed in it. He is so dialed in. He’s writing backstory, costume ideas… We were just on the phone with him this morning before we got here talking about it. He just loves really rich three-dimensional characters. He sees a real opportunity here with the character» says screenwriter Joe Russo.
No one expected Downey to reappear in the Marvel universe after of the epic finale of «Avengers: Endgame» and the death of Iron Man. But now the actor’s dedication shows that his new character will be no less iconic than Tony Stark. For the sake of Dr. Doom, he even refused to play the role of the villain in «Odyssey» Christopher Nolan.
It turns out that his return came as a surprise not only to fans but also to other actors from the Marvel universe. All this time, Downey Jr. and the franchise creators had been hiding the news from everyone around them. His colleagues, to put it mildly, reacted strongly to his return
«No! I had no idea. The son of a bitch didn’t say anything to me,” Renner said. “We’re good friends. There’s the Avengers family chat. The original six. He said not a peep. I got online and started blowing up his phone like, “What’s going on? You’ve been hiding this from us the whole time?” It’s exciting news. I’m really, really excited about it» — says Jeremy Renner, who plays Hawkeye.
Benedict Cumberbatch (Dr. Strange), who will appear in one of the new films, immediately wrote to the president of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige. But his reaction was more reserved:
«I texted, “What the fuck?” and then quickly added, “Good what-the-fuck?”» — Cumberbatch recalls.
The only one who was in the know — was Tom Holland (Spider-Man). He said that he talked to Downey Jr. a lot about returning to the MCU, but «kept his mouth shut» so as not to reveal the secret. It’s not surprising that it was Holland who knew the secret, as he has a good friendship with Robert.
In total, the Rousseau brothers announced the creation of two new films «The Avengers». The next two movies will be long — «Judgment Day» will last about 2.5 hours, and «Avengers: Secret Wars» may last up to 3 hours. The first of them is expected in theaters on May 1, 2026, and «Secret Wars» a year later, even though they wanted to give them up. In addition to that, concepts hinting at the appearance of new characters leaked online.
Source: Games Radar / Yahoo