Anthony Mackie simply gave Marvel followers one thing to giggle about, and probably one thing to argue over, after revealing that the Physician Doom he fought on the set of Avengers: Doomsday wasn’t truly Robert Downey Jr.
Downey is making his large MCU comeback as Physician Doom, buying and selling Tony Stark’s Iron Man armor for one in every of Marvel’s most harmful villains. With the Avengers, Improbable 4, X-Males, and the forces of Wakanda and Talokan dealing with a multiverse-threatening disaster, Doom is seeking to benefit from the destruction and construct a brand new actuality below his management.
Naturally, followers are dying to see what occurs when Downey’s Doom goes up in opposition to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, particularly Sam Wilson’s Captain America.
Throughout a latest interview with ET, Mackie was requested whether or not going toe-to-toe with Downey as Physician Doom was as epic as followers may think. His response was hilarious: “Nicely, no, as a result of, like, it wasn’t him; Robert don’t battle! No! Hell no!”
That is one option to kill the Hollywood magic! Mackie was clearly having some enjoyable with the query, however he additionally wasn’t pretending Downey was on the market throwing punches in a metallic go well with. That is what stunt performers are for, and Marvel has loads of expertise making its superheroes look badass with out placing its largest stars by means of each battle sequence.
Downey spent years taking part in Iron Man, a personality whose motion scenes relied closely on CGI. A lot of his work concerned recording dialogue and facial performances for scenes inside Tony Stark’s helmet, whereas digital results dealt with the armored motion.
Physician Doom might work in an analogous means. With the character spending loads of time hid behind a metallic masks, a stunt performer can deal with the bodily fight whereas Downey takes care of the scenes that require his face and efficiency.
In fact, Mackie’s remark would not affirm precisely how Marvel is filming Doom’s motion sequences, nevertheless it would not be stunning if the studio used the identical tips that helped deliver Iron Man to life.
When Mackie acquired somewhat extra critical, he talked about what makes these large Marvel productions satisfying for the actors, significantly the chance to reconnect with individuals they have not labored with in years.
“Look, you understand, these films, they’re like summer season camp, Mackie mentioned. You understand, everyone comes collectively, and it’s like, ‘Oh, how have you ever been? Oh, you’ve gotten a child now. Oh, wow, you’re married now!’ It’s simply a kind of issues the place you simply meet up with everyone.”
Apparently, Mackie did not particularly point out Downey among the many acquainted faces he reunited with throughout filming. That does not essentially imply something, nevertheless it does go away followers questioning how a lot time the 2 actors truly spent working collectively.
There’s nonetheless lots Marvel is holding below wraps about Doom’s function in Avengers: Doomsday and the way his story will carry into Avengers: Secret Wars. One of many largest questions is how Downey’s return will play out when audiences know him because the man who spent greater than a decade saving the universe as Iron Man.
Now he is taking part in the man who may tear it aside. No matter who’s truly contained in the Physician Doom armor throughout these battle scenes, what issues is whether or not Downey can ship a villain worthy of the huge expectations surrounding his return.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, 2026.
