Robert Downey Jr. may be cooking in Avengers: Doomsday! Director Joe Russo teases the explosive plans the team has for Doctor Doom.
Many saw the announcement that Robert Downey Jr. would play Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday as an act of desperation from Marvel. A cynical nostalgia play meant to bolster their lineup at a time where the MCU was facing mass criticism. However, it seems their plans may go deeper than many thought. According to director Joe Russo, the plans for this film were being tossed around before they were ever approached by the studio.
“We’re all very close. We had been working on another project before Marvel approached all of us,” Russo explained to Games Radar while attending MCM Comic Con. “So we’re working on another project with Robert – and there was a story that evolved through conversations that we got very excited about. Because it’s always got to be the story.”
While it’s interesting to hear that Anthony and Joe Russo are working with Robert Downey Jr. on another project, it’s also surprising to hear that the director duo were thinking of plans for Avengers: Doomsday before they even got the phone call from Marvel Studios. This is especially odd given their names were never big in the rumor mill for directing either of the upcoming Avengers films, meaning they had never approached the studio themselves about their plans.
Joe Russo Reveals Why They Returned To Marvel
Another assumption fans had about the Russo Brothers’ return to Marvel Studios was that it was solely a cash grab to try to reignite their floundering film career. After all, the two films they sat in the director’s chair for after the MCU, Cherry and The Grey Man, were relative flops. However, according to Joe Russo, they only came back because they truly believe Robert Downey Jr.’s story as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday can match or surpass their past work.
“Why would we come back if we didn’t feel like we had a story that had that possibility of being on an equal footing with Infinity War and Endgame unless there’s a kernel there for an idea that’s really explosive?”
It’s good to hear that at least Joe Russo is confident about their plans for Avengers: Doomsday. The director duo has a lot of goodwill to make up with fans after the controversial conclusion of Avengers: Endgame and even more controversial casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. However, it’s clear that the MCU needs a hero right now, and Marvel Studios may have found the only directors capable of delivering what they need.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to hit theaters in May 2026. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!