Robert Downey Jr. Credits Tobey Maguire With Getting Him Into Marvel Movies

To the surprise of many fans, it was announced earlier this summer that Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios confirmed at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con that Downey has been cast as Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom in the upcoming movies Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, with Disney Parks also announcing that he will be reprising his role as Tony Stark / Iron Man in a new Avengers Campus ride. This comes after Downey portrayed Iron Man onscreen for over a decade — and as it turns out, we have another Marvel star to thank, in part, for that initial casting. During a recent appearance on The Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatter podcast, Downey specifically shouted out Spider-Man trilogy star Tobey Maguire, who he starred alongside in 2000’s Wonder Boys, for illuminating what the experience of being in a superhero movie could be like. 

“In real-time, I saw how difficult they were, how rewarding they could be, and how popular [comic book films] were becoming,” Downey explained, adding, “I had been clean long enough…hungry even longer and I could feel [the] obsession coming back with manifesting the best version of myself. I had strangely been furiously strength training six times a week before I even knew [this role] was coming, and my shrink had told me, ‘Just start acting like something great is gonna happen and get ready for it.’”

Why Is Robert Downey Jr. Returning to the MCU?

In the same interview, Downey shared a bit of insight on how his dual Marvel returns came to be, revealing the role that both Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Disney CEO Bob Iger had in the proceedings. 

“Probably a year ago, because Feige and I have kept in touch,” Downey revealed. “We’re pals. 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 group of fellow travelers, and I had this instinct that I wanted to go to Bob Iger. And I had an idea, outside of the cinematic universe, for how I could be of service to what’s going on in the parks and all their location-based energy. And Susan and I were sitting down with Feige at one point, and he said, ‘It just keeps occurring to me that, if you were to come back…’ And Susan was like, ‘Wait, wait, come back as what?’ And then we both realized, over time, that it was another thing that just disproves any doubt anyone could ever have about that guy. [He’s] a very sophisticated, creative thinker about, ‘How can we not go backwards? How can we not disappoint expectations? How can we continue to to beat expectations?’ And he brought up Victor von Doom, and I looked into [the] character, and I was like, ‘Wow.’ And later on, he goes, ‘Let’s get Victor von Doom right. Let’s get that right.’ So then I said to Kevin, ‘Can I go talk to Bob Iger?’ He goes, ‘About?’ I go, ‘About everything.’”

Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to be released exclusively in theaters on May 1, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027.