Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe was kept a secret, and even other Avengers stars didn’t know about his new role.
The Iron Man star was a surprise guest at San Diego’s Comic-Con and was confirmed to play Doctor Doom in upcoming Avengers films like Avengers: Secret Wars and Avengers: Doomsday.
Renner, who has played Hawkeye in the MCU, found out about Downey’s return just like everybody else.
“I had no idea,” Renner told Us Weekly. “This son of a bitch didn’t say anything to me, and we’re good friends.”
After discovering Downey’s return to the MCU, Renner took to the Avengers group chat, which includes Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, and Mark Ruffalo, and “started blowing up [Downey’s] phone.”
“I’m like, ‘What’s going on? Are you hiding this from us?’ I don’t know,” Renner said. “That’s exciting news, man. I’m really, really excited about it.”
Renner said he is not sure about Hawkeye returning but he was open to reprising his superhero role.
“I’m excited about it. We’ll see. I think we’ll probably be doing it,” he said. “We’ll have to figure it out. It’s all brand new. It all just happened. They just made the announcement, so I guess we got to start figuring it all out.”
Marvel Studios is pivoting away from the villain Kang the Conqueror, who was introduced in 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Jonathan Majors portrayed the villain, who was supposed to be at the center of the following Avengers film, Avengers: Kang Dynasty. However, following the assault and harassment charges brought against him, Marvel scrapped that idea.
Majors was arrested in March 2023 on assault and harassment charges brought up by his then-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. The actor was found guilty on two misdemeanor counts and was sentenced to probation and to participate in a one-year domestic violence treatment program.