Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange in between Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom announcement

With Robert Downey Jr. returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2026 for Avengers: Doomsday, one of his Marvel co-stars revealed their initial reaction to his Phase 6 casting. In the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, the former Iron Man actor takes on a new role in the franchise, playing the Marvel Comics villain Doctor Doom. Ever since Downey Jr.’s Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars role was announced last summer, various MCU actors have shared how they learned about his return.

During an interview with Variety, Benedict Cumberbatch opened up about what he felt when he learned that Downey Jr. would be coming back to the MCU, but as Doctor Doom, the villain of the next Avengers movie. After hearing the initial announcement that was made in Hall H during San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Cumberbatch revealed his passionate reaction to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige:

I texted, ‘What the f-ck?’ and then quickly added, ‘Good what-the-f-ck. I mean, good what-the-f-ck.’

What Benedict Cumberbatch’s RDJ Return Comments Mean

Robert Downey Jr. revealing himself to be Doctor Doom at SDCC Doctor Strange looking at the watch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Comic book art: Doctor Doom reads the Darkhold. Benedict Cumberbatch wears a tuxedo as Stephen Strange before the accident in Doctor Strange Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark in the MCU

When the MCU began in 2008 with the first Iron Man movie, Downey Jr. became one of, if not the central figure of the entire franchise, as his solo film kicked off a whole universe for Marvel. To this day, Downey Jr. is still one of the most beloved aspects of the MCU, whether it is within the fandom or the people who he has worked with throughout the ever-growing universe. For anyone to learn that Downey Jr. would play Doctor Doom after his Iron Man sendoff in Avengers: Endgame, it was bound to have a big reaction, including from someone like Cumberbatch.

The thing that continues to be highlighted with Downey Jr.’s MCU return is how barely anyone outside Feige and Marvel Studios executives knew, leaving most of the actors in the franchise to be surprised alongside the fans. With Doctor Doom set to be the central antagonist of the upcoming Avengers movies, it’s going to be one of the most compelling concepts for the MCU to tackle. Even though he goes by Victor von Doom in his world, people on Earth-616 are still going to see someone who looks exactly like Tony Stark – but is a twisted version of the fallen Avenger.

Our Take On Benedict Cumberbatch’s RDJ Return Comments

Doctor Strange and Iron Man speaking to Spider-Man in Avengers Infinity War

With Cumberbatch’s excitement about Downey Jr.’s upcoming return in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, it will be fun to see how Doctor Strange reacts to Doctor Doom, who happens to look like Iron Man. Even though Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange won’t be in Avengers: Doomsday, he will thankfully get his time to shine in Avengers: Secret Wars. Hopefully, more details about Downey Jr’s approach to Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will be revealed throughout the year once the movies start filming.