Avengers: Doomsday directors say there's "nobody else in the world" who could play Doctor Doom like Robert Downey Jr. in "the way he's about to"

Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Avengers directors Joe and Anthony Russo are keeping schtum about the plot circumstances surrounding Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Doom role, but they have teased a one-of-a-kind performance from the one-time Iron Man actor.

"We can’t explain that as it's part of the story," Anthony Russo said in an interview with The Times. "But there's nobody else in the world who could play this character the way he's about to."

While we'd typically put this down to blockbuster bluster from the Marvel directors, Downey Jr. is supposedly putting in the hard yards for the role – and crafting some backstory for Doctor Doom.

"He is so immersed in it. He is so dialed in," Joe Russo previously told Entertainment Tonight. "He’s writing backstory, costume ideas… We were just on the phone with him this morning before we got here talking about it. He just loves really rich three-dimensional characters. He sees a real opportunity here with the character."

Last July, Marvel announced Robert Downey Jr. would return to the MCU – as Doctor Doom. Since then, there's been precious little intel surrounding both the shock news and the pair of upcoming Avengers movies, Doomsday and Secret Wars. We know parts of the Thunderbolts* and Fantastic Four cast will factor in, though leaked concept art (which was later debunked by the Russos) suggests more Avengers members are on the way.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

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