Avengers: Doomsday directors Joe and Anthony Russo have revealed that Robert Downey Jr. is helping write Doctor Doom’s backstory for the film.
- READ MORE: Joe and Anthony Russo on their most iconic film scenes: “Chris Evans’ ass is America’s ass”
At last summer’s Comic-Con, Marvel Studios announced that Downey Jr. – who famously portrayed Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before being killed off in Avengers: Endgame – would star as Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, making him the next major villain of the franchise.
The decision to pivot to Doctor Doom came because their previous ‘big bad’, Kang the Conquerer, was played by Jonathan Majors, whom Marvel had to fire due to him being accused (and eventually convicted) of domestic abuse.
The saga is now undergoing a major storytelling course correction, with the sudden inclusion of Doctor Doom likely to require some complex rewrites and justification.
Now, in a new interview, the Russos have revealed that Downey Jr. himself is helping with the writing for the upcoming Avengers film, and Doom’s backstory in particular.
“He is so immersed in it. He is so dialled in,” the duo 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, and I think he sees a real opportunity here with the character.”
Production on Avengers: Doomsday is now underway ahead of its scheduled release in May 2026. It will then be followed by Avengers: Secret Wars, although Marvel fans are hopeful that Downey Jr. will make his first appearance in Fantastic Four: First Steps, given that Doom is traditionally the main villain for those superheroes.
In other Marvel news, the Russo brothers recently said they are “definitely open” to making a tie-in video game to be released alongside the upcoming Avengers films.