Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe —not as Iron Man/Tony Stark (RIP), but as Doctor Doom in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday —was one of the biggest bombshells to emerge from San Diego Comic-Con. And while money was certainly a factor in the reunion between studio and star, Downey recently explained there were other key reasons too: his deep ties with the bosses at Marvel and Disney, and his appreciation for Disney’s advancements in filmmaking technology .
“[Kevin Feige] and I have kept in touch. We’re pals. [Jon] Favreau and Feige and I have kept in touch.
I’m close with the Russo Brothers; we have other business we’re doing. So there’s this little kind of group of fellow travelers,” Downey explained on the Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast . “And I had this instinct that I wanted to go to Bob Iger, and I had an idea outside of the [Marvel] Cinematic Universe for how I could be of service to what’s going on in the parks and all their location-based entertainment.
” But before that meeting, Downey recalled, he and his wife and producing partner Susan Downey were chatting with Feige, and the Marvel boss brought up the idea of Downey returning to the MCU. “Susan was like, ‘Wait, come back as what?’ And I was like [speechless confusion]? And then we both realized over time that it was another thing that just disproves any doubt anyone could ever have about that guy—a very sophisticated creative thinker—about how .