Robert Downey Jr. Shares How Kevin Feige Persuaded Him to Return as Doctor Doom

Robert Downey Jr. recently shared insights on how Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel Studios, convinced him to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom. Downey explained that the conversation with Feige took place last year, despite his character Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, having met his end in “Avengers: Endgame”.

“He said, ‘It just keeps occurring to me, if you were to come back,'” Downey recalled during an interview with the Hollywood Reporter. “‘How can we not go backwards? How can we not disappoint expectations? How can we continue to beat expectations?’ … And he brought up Victor Von Doom. I looked into this character. Later on, he goes, ‘Let’s get Victor Von Doom right.'”

Doctor Doom is one of Marvel’s most powerful villains and is set to play a significant role in the upcoming phase of Avengers films and the broader MCU. In the comic books, he is a prominent enemy of the Fantastic Four.

Initially, Downey had sought a meeting with Disney’s CEO Bob Iger to discuss contributing to Disney’s parks and location-based entertainment. Earlier this month, at Disney’s D23 convention, it was announced that the “Iron Man” star would be involved in two new attractions at Disneyland’s California Adventure park.

Iger, who was already informed about the idea of Downey as Doctor Doom, expressed his enthusiasm for the concept. He quickly set up a meeting between Downey and Feige to tour Disney’s Imagineering campus in Glendale, where ongoing projects are being developed.

“You want to talk about two guys who are hard to impress, let alone simultaneously,” Downey mentioned. “What’s happening there [in Imagineering] right now far exceeds my expectations of what was possible.”

Downey’s return as Doom was revealed at this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego. On July 28, Feige took the stage at the iconic Hall H to promote Marvel Studios’ future projects. The presentation included previews for 2025 releases such as “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Thunderbolts,” “Fantastic Four: First Steps,” and a couple of “Avengers” films. During the event, several men dressed as Doctor Doom took the stage, and one of them dramatically removed his mask, revealing Downey.

“New mask. Same task,” Downey told the audience, adding, “I have to say, I enjoy playing complex characters.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.