'You're Only as Good as Your Bad Guy' — Robert Downey Jr. Talks 'Doomsday'

In an interview with Comic Book Resources (CBR), Robert Downey Jr. talked about making Avengers: Doomsday and the need for a remarkable villain. Downey plays Dr. Doom in the upcoming Marvel film.

Interview

Downey, who previously played Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is returning this time as the main antagonist, Dr. Doom. He sat down with CBR to discuss how the different Avengers films have felt. That’s when he started talking about how central a villain is to the overarching story.

“I think Doomsday, more than any (film) so far… just because I’ve now realized our tendency to be telling the story of the world while hiding behind the fact that, ‘No, we’re just telling superhero movies that you can enjoy!’,” he told the outlet of the other Marvel films he’s done. “But you’re only as good as your bad guy, tying Doomsday to Infinity War specifically. And again, the one thing everybody could rally around (in Infinity War) is, ‘You’re going to have to contend with Brolin.’”

Josh Brolin played world-conquering Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

Downey then went on to say that something they had to contend with was how to make a film that wouldn’t be “a let down” following other blockbuster Marvel films. “There’s something going on in Doomsday and forward that is literally the only antidote to, ‘How do you not have these films be let down after an Infinity War and an Endgame?’” he said. “And boy, have we labored long and hard to bring that down.”

Avengers: Doomsday

Avengers: Doomsday is directed by the Russo Brothers. It will be released in theaters on December 18, 2026. Tom Hiddleston has already said Avengers: Doomsday is “absolutely brilliant.“ At the time of the announcement, the film was going to be released on May 1, 2026.

The Avengers: Doomsday trailers broke records earlier this year with over one billion combined views.

Watch the first trailer, which revealed the return of Steve Rogers, below: