Photo Credit: Gabe Ginsberg | Getty Images Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has shared the reasoning behind the studio’s decision to recast Robert Downey Jr. in the MCU as Doctor Doom for Avengers: Doomsday. Feige explained that the team considered the actor’s recent critical acclaim and the freedom of the multiverse as important factors in the casting decision. Why Robert Downey Jr. was recast for Avengers: Doomsday revealed Kevin Feige stated that the studio maintained constant communication with the actor since his earlier MCU character Iron Man’s end.

“We never lost touch with Downey,” Feige shared with Entertainment Weekly. Robert Downey Jr.’s over-a-decade run as Tony Stark/Iron Man concluded in Avengers: Endgame, ending with the billionaire tech genius’ death. “He is ingrained in the fabric of the MCU for obvious reasons, and we would talk about when and how and if there could be a return,” Feige noted.

The plan to recast Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom was a calculated, creative decision born around three-and-a-half years ago. As the architects of the MCU finally prepared to bring Victor Von Doom to the screen, the studio saw a unique opportunity in Downey’s post-Marvel career renaissance. “At the time, [Downey] was on his way to winning the Academy Award for Oppenheimer.

And there was every story about ‘the greatest actor in the world,’ and we thought, ‘This could be it. Let’s do it,'” Feige continues. The studio ultimately embraced the multiverse’s limitless potential, with Feige adding, “It’s our universe.

It’s a multiverse. We can do whatever the heck we want. He played the most iconic hero. Let’s have him play the most iconic villain.” The character of Doctor Doom brings a new kind of threat to Avengers: Doomsday.

The upcoming movie, directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, features heroes from three different universes. The upcoming movie will come out in theaters on December 18. Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on SuperHeroHype.