Loki star Tom Hiddleston says he "didn't know until the rest of the world knew" about Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom: "I texted Kevin Feige with just like exclamation marks"

The MCU is so full of secrets that not even one of its major stars knew about Robert Downey Jr. coming back to play Doctor Doom.

Loki star Tom Hiddleston has revealed that he was as shocked as the rest of the Marvel fans when the former Iron Man actor was announced as the new big bad during last year's Comic Con.

"I didn't know that until the rest of the world knew that," Hiddleston told Josh Horowitz during an interview in the podcast Happy Sad Confused.

"That was something that was completely under wraps until it wasn't," he continued, revealing that he excitedly grabbed his phone and searched for Marvel boss Kevin Feige's number. "I texted Kevin Feige with just like exclamation marks", he said, recalling how he immediately sent a follow-up clarification: "I'd better qualify that. I said, 'RDJ?!'".

After becoming the OG MCU star thanks to Iron Man, Downey Jr. is set to make a return for the two upcoming Avengers movies, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. "Robert is synonymous with the MCU, he's the centre of it. And I think it must be very thrilling to come back and play with some different colors," Hiddleston commented during the interview.

The British actor is also returning as the God of Mischief for Doomsday, and he is "relieved" that he can say it now that it has been officially announced. Keeping Marvel secrets, as Tom Holland well knows, is a tricky business.

Some fans might be surprised by Loki's return given the ending of Loki season 2. Hiddleston didn't think the character would return either. "I was sincere in my conviction that I thought it was the end. I wasn't lying to you, I promise. I didn't know then, I didn't know what the plan was," he told Horowitz.

Although he couldn't reveal much about where we will find Loki in Doomsday, the actor is happy to be back in the MCU. "I do know some things. It's an extraordinary privilege to still be on the team. There are more stories to tell," he said. "The character has grown as I've grown, and it's genuinely an honor to still be in the squad".

Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on May 1, 2026, as part of Marvel Phase 6. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the other upcoming superhero movies on the way.