Robert Downey Jr Nearly Made a Marvel Comeback Earlier

Before the announcement of Avengers 5, also known as Doomsday, which marks the return of Robert Downey Jr. to Marvel, he was almost set to appear in Deadpool and Wolverine.

Warning: Spoilers for Deadpool and Wolverine ahead

Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, two of the writers for Deadpool and Wolverine, disclosed that Downey had read for their movie. In the film’s early part, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) pitches himself to the Avengers through Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau). This scene nearly featured Tony Stark (Downey) as well.

“We had wanted him to do a cameo,” Wernick mentioned. “We had written that scene to start with Happy and Downey.”

Reese added, “Ryan Reynolds read the scene with both of them in mind, hoping we could get Downey. But he also wanted Favreau because they have a great dynamic and were all part of the scene together.”

However, it didn’t work out. Downey will return to Marvel as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, a fact of which Reese and Wernick were unaware.

“Behind the scenes, we didn’t know about Doctor Doom. And there was no way he was going to do both,” Wernick said. “Then we thought, ‘Downey doesn’t say no to Ryan Reynolds, does he? No one says no to Ryan Reynolds.’ And Ryan gave it his all. We wrote scenes, and Downey read them, but we were unaware of this Doctor Doom thing happening in the background.”

Reese described how the scene with Robert Downey Jr. would have unfolded similarly to the final cut of Deadpool and Wolverine. “He just said he wasn’t a team player, or something to that effect, and questioned his team-player abilities,” Reese explained.

Wernick added that there was an alternate version of the scene that was conceived but never written. “There was a version very, very early on that had all the Avengers in the room,” he revealed. “And Wade was rejected and then expressed his frustration in a way that only Deadpool could.”

“He would get mad and basically attack each one of them in a vicious manner,” Reese elaborated.

One such attack would have seen Wade attempting to wield Thor’s hammer. Instead, Peter (played by Rob Delaney) would have ultimately succeeded.

At the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel announced that Robert Downey Jr would be portraying Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. He is also set to return in the following installment, Secret Wars.

This move signifies a significant shift in Disney and Marvel Studios’ plans. The fifth Avengers movie was initially titled The Kang Dynasty, with Jonathan Majors set to play the antagonist. However, after Majors’ trial and conviction, he was fired from the MCU.

Previously, Downey played Tony Stark/Iron Man in the MCU, serving as the franchise’s cornerstone. He starred in the MCU’s inaugural movie and reprised the role in two more solo adventures and four Avengers films. He also had a small role in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

After seemingly departing from the MCU, Downey achieved his first Oscar win. He delivered an award-winning performance as Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s Best Picture-winning Oppenheimer and won Best Supporting Actor himself.

Source: source names