One of the most important parts of being an actor in the MCU is to keep your mouth shut at all times. Revealing any critical information is enough to ruin your career. And the actors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe don’t play about this at ALL, including Robert Downey, Jr. He kept his new role as Doctor DoomOpens in a new tab a secret from literally everyoneOpens in a new tab, including his fellow Avengers actors. Jeremy Renner, who plays Hawkeye, said in a recent interview that Downey didn’t say a word about his casting as the MCU’s Doctor Doom to the Avengers group chat (sounds so epic).
“I had no idea. The son of a bitch didn’t say anything to me,” Renner said. “We’re good friends. There’s the Avengers family chat. The original six. He said not a peep. I got online and started blowing up his phone like, ‘What’s going on? You’ve been hiding this from us the whole time?’ It’s exciting news. I’m really, really excited about it.” Honestly, it was in Robert’s best interest to keep his mouth shut, lest he wants to face Kevin Feige’s wrath.
One person Robert Downey, Jr. did share the news with, though, is his on-screen protege, Tom Holland. Although Holland is famous for spoiling the MCU, he managed to keep this secret. Holland revealed on the “Rich Roll“ podcastOpens in a new tab, “I’ve been speaking to [Robert Downey Jr.] a lot, especially about him making his [Marvel] return, which is super exciting. That was a tough secret to sit on because I have a reputation for ruining things and I strategically have done no press.” Very smart of Holland.
It’s likely we’ll see Spidey back on our screens sooner rather than later, given that Spider-Man 4 is in the works. But maybe he’ll pop back up in a film with Robert Downey Jr. as well. Renner also hinted that he would possibly return in the next two Avengers movies, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. We will see what happens.
Originally published on August 1, 2024.
