Jeremy Renner has revealed that he was unaware about his Avengers co-star Robert Downey Jr.’s surprise return as Dr Doom for future Marvel films.
In an interview with Us Weekly, Jeremy Renner admitted he was blindsided – and that the announcement stung him a bit. “I had no idea,” he said. “This son of a bitch didn’t say anything to me, and we’re good friends.”
He added that, upon the reveal at this week’s San Diego Comic-Con, Renner went straight to the group chat that he shares with his Avengers co-stars and “started blowing up [Downey’s] phone”.
“I’m like, ‘What’s going on? Are you hiding this from us?’ I don’t know,” he said. “That’s exciting news, man. I’m really, really excited about it.”
Us Weekly then asked Renner if fans can expect his return to the franchise as Hawkeye, but the actor was a lot more hesitant to confirm that.
“It seems the Avenger movies have always been really fan favorites and there’s so many wonderful characters in them. I think it’s going to be challenging to get everybody together,” he said. “I think they’re going to probably have to piece it together like week-by-week, just for people’s schedules.”
Downey Jr. had previously been part of the franchise as Iron Man, starting in 2008 with the titular film. He starred in 10 other movies before exiting with 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
The Oscar-winning actor will now play Dr Doom in the forthcoming Avengers: Doomsday, which will be directed by the returning Russo brothers. A release date has not yet been confirmed.
“When we directed Avengers: Endgame, Joe and I truly believed that it was the end of the road for us in the Marvel Cinematic Universe,” Russo told fans at the Comic-Con event. “In the time since, through a very special story, Joe and I have come to potentially see a road forward with you.”
Downey Jr.’s Dr Doom comes at a pivotal moment for Marvel as they raced to find a replacement for Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror, who appeared in 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Majors was set to reprise his role in the upcoming Avengers movies. However, the actor was dropped by Marvel on the same day he was found guilty of two counts of harassment and assault.
On the Dr Doom announcement, Majors told TMZ that he was “heartbroken” to be replaced as the MCU’s next major villain. “I love Kang. Doctor Doom is wicked, though,” he added.