Robert Downey Jr. ‘Surprised’ “Avengers: Doomsday” Directors with His Doctor Doom Voice, Left Them with ‘Chills’ (Exclusive)

Rachel Raposas, Tommy McArdleMon, July 27, 2026 at 8:19 PM UTC

0

Robert Downey Jr. with Joe and Anthony Russo at 2026 Cinemacon (stock image).Credit: Jesse Grant/Getty -

Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, out this December

When the Russo brothers first heard the actor’s voice as the notorious villain, they were stunned, they told PEOPLE

Avengers: Doomsday unites the Avengers, Fantastic Four and X-Men for the first time in a high-stakes battle

The first time Robert Downey Jr. tried out his voice for Doctor Doom, the Russo brothers were stunned.

The Iron Man actor is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom, the notorious villain in the Fantastic Four comics, for the highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday. Speaking with PEOPLE at San Diego Comic Con following Marvel’s presentation for the movie, Anthony and Joe Russo — the brothers and directors behind Doomsday — recalled a pivotal moment in the building of Downey’s big baddie

Anthony tells PEOPLE that he, his brother and Downey had several talks about the character, the fandom surrounding him and why the actor was uniquely suited to the role. The director’s faith in Downey completely solidified the day they heard the voice he had crafted for the villain, Anthony says.

Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. Doom in Avengers: Doomsday.Credit: Marvel Entertainment

“That was something that Robert surprised us with one day,” Anthony says. “You know, we were talking about all the details of the character — the voice, of course, is a key part of it, especially in the mask.”

“So one day I think it was in the trailer, we were just sort of talking about some ideas and he broke out into the voice,” Anthony continues. “And we knew at that moment, that was it.”

Advertisement

Joe says he got “chills” when he first heard the Oscar winner’s voice as Doctor Doom, and likened the impact of the actor’s performance to another favorite and profound moment in the MCU.

“I mean, it was one of those moments. It’d probably be one of the more memorable moments. —that and the ‘I Am Iron Man’ [sequence] when he snapped his fingers,” Joe says of the iconic scene in Avengers: Endgame. “Robert tends to present a lot of those super memorable moments.”

Avengers: Doomsday will, for the first time, unite the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, as the “heroes from three different worlds must unite when they’re thrust together to confront a catastrophic danger that could destroy everything they know,” the film’s synopsis reads.

The surprise of Downey’s return to the MCU after Iron Man’s ending in Endgame rivals only that of Captain America (a.k.a. Steve Rogers, played by Chris Evans), who also moved on after the events of the 2019 film. In the Doomsday trailer, released July 20, Steve Rogers appears in the last moments, shocking fellow Avenger, Thor (Chris Hemsworth).

Avengers: Doomsday opens in theaters Dec. 18.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”