OG Marvel cast members are celebrating Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
At the San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, July 27, it was confirmed that Downey, 59, would play villain Victor von Doom in the next two Avengers films, dubbed Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, after completing his legendary stint as Iron Man in 2019.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige also stated that Anthony and Joe Russo will return to direct Doomsday.
“New mask, same task,” Downey stated as he appeared on stage at the Comic-Con session. “What have I told you? “I like portraying difficult characters. He reinforced the message later that evening on Instagram, posting two photographs relating to the news.
Several Marvel Cinematic Universe actors, including Downey’s Avengers costars, responded to the news.
Gwyneth Paltrow, who made her Marvel debut with the Oppenheimer actor in 2008’s Iron Man as his love interest Pepper Potts, offered a sly remark under Downey’s social media post.
“I don’t get it, are you a baddie now?” Paltrow, 51, wrote in the comments.
Mark Ruffalo, whose character Bruce Banner (aka the Hulk) appeared opposite Downey in all four Avengers films, reacted to the actor’s new green appearance with a current pop culture allusion. “Hey Brat, green suits you,” he wrote.
The Russo Brothers commented on the actor’s future villain role, stating, “We’ve always said green is your color…”
In cooperation with the two directors and Downey, Guardians of the Galaxy actress Zoë Saldaña replied with clapping emojis, while Frank Grillo, who portrays Brock Rumlow in the fictitious world, commented, “Amazing.”
Florence Pugh, who was also at the Comic-Con panel but departed before Downey’s introduction, responded to the news later in the evening during a Variety interview on the red carpet.
“I didn’t see this,” she said after seeing a video of the unveiling. “I bet it went crazy in there.”
At 28 years old, Pugh made her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in 2021’s Black Widow as Yelena Belova, a character she will be reprising in the next film Thunderbolts.
Variety also got thoughts from David Harbour, who had his superhero debut with Pugh, and Sebastian Stan, who plays Bucky Barnes in four Marvel films, including three with Downey.
“Look, as soon as I got out of the car after five hours of driving over here, someone said, ‘Robert is here.'” And I was like, ‘That’s not going to happen.’ “I believe we just found out on the spot,” Stan, 41, added. “It was surreal.”
“It’s awful news; that person is, according to the Russo Brothers, the best actor in the world. “Nobody wants to act with that guy,” Harbour, 49, remarked, referring to statements made during the panel.
“There is nothing that Robert Downey Jr. can’t do,” Stan said of his former co-star.
Other Marvel stars attended the fan conference, including Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth, who came on July 25 to promote Deadpool and Wolverine and Transformers One, respectively.
Following Deadpool and Wolverine’s record-breaking weekend, the next Marvel picture, Captain America: Brave New World, will be released in cinemas on February 14, 2025.
