Anthony Mackie shares his thoughts on Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom

"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain," as quoted from that comic book movie set in the universe down the street from the MCU. By the end of next year, Robert Downey Jr. will have done both when he finally arrives in theaters as the leader of Latveria and metal-plated bad guy, Victor von Doom. Bringing back the star power and charisma he let rip as Iron Man and using it for evil in the franchise he helped build, the excitement levels are high as to what kind of Doctor Doom he'll be delivering in the upcoming movie. Whatever it ends up being, though, the new Captain America he'll be facing off against welcomes his return.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, current Captain America Anthony Mackie shared his thoughts on Downey returning to the MCU and expressed his gratitude for seeing it happen. “You know, the fun part is Robert Downey Jr. was such an integral part of the beginning of my career at Marvel," he confessed. "It’s great to have him back and continue the legacy he built with the MCU.”

By the sounds of things, it almost feels like he never left after his original Iron Avenger, Tony Stark, made the killer snap that brought back half the MCU in Avengers: Endgame. Not only working with stars he left behind in the 2019 film, Downey is also welcoming in the newcomers to the MCU that are set to join in on this super-sized endeavor. Speaking to The Happy Sad Confused Podcast, The Fantastic Four: First Steps star discussed what it was like to see the original star of the MCU in action and behind the scenes.

“He’s the most incredible human being—soulful, deep, kind. He’s been an amazing leader to us, considering we're the newbies, you know," she explained. "And a lot of the others have known this world for a really long time. He’s just doing the most amazing work.”

Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a while to see this amazing work in action when Avengers: Doomsday lands in theaters on December 18, 2026. For everything we know about the arrival of Doom, head here.