Captain America Star Anthony Mackie REACTS To Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Doom: 'I Better Kill Him First'

Anthony Mackie reacted to his Avengers: Endgame co-star Robert Downey Jr’s MCU comeback. On Saturday, it was announced that Robert Downey Jr will return to MCU as Doctor Doom. Anthony found out about RDJ’s new Marvel role during an interview. The actor, who will be seen in Captain America: Brave New World, expressed his excitement on Downey Jr’s return but said he wants to be the first one to take him down in a showdown.

“I better kill him first,” Anthony told The Hollywood Reporter. “I get first dibs to knock him off,” he joked. When asked if fans can expect Captain America vs Doctor Doom, Anthony said, “Yeah, he’s going to pull a hamstring or something, I am going to take him down. I am not going lightly into this dark night.”

Florence Pugh also shared her reaction to the news. The Oppeheimer star admitted she was unaware of the development but was thrilled about his return. The Thunderbolt star was visibly shocked while she watched the video of his big reveal and told Variety, “I didn’t see this. I bet it went insane in there.”

At the Marvel panel of the San Diego Comic-Con, Anthony Russo announced that they had to get one of the best actors to play the role of Doctor Doom. “If we’re going to bring Doctor Doom to the screen — he is one of the most complex characters, most entertaining characters in all of fiction,” Anthony Russo said, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. “If we’re going to do this … then we are going to need the greatest actor in the world.”

“As proof of the unimaginable possibilities of the Marvel Universe, we give you the one person who could play Victor von Doom…” he added before RDJ took centre stage and unveiled himself as Doctor Doom.

Robert Downey Jr will be seen playing Doctor Doom in two Avengers films — Avengers: Doomsday, set to release in May 2026, and will seemingly reprise his role for Avengers: Secret Wars, eyeing a May 2027 release.