Robert Downey Jr picks Doctor Doom over Iron Man as favourite

Robert Downey Jr has said he prefers playing Doctor Doom over his iconic Iron Man role. The actor made the comment at D23 in Anaheim, California, while promoting the upcoming Marvel film Avengers: Doomsday.

"It was really weird being the guy, everyone else is hanging out, they're the good heroes, and I'm (in) this mask and this hood," Downey Jr said. He added that playing the villain let him observe co-stars from a completely different perspective. He called the new relationships formed during filming "so exciting and unexpected and beautiful."

Downey Jr previously played Tony Stark, the billionaire inventor who becomes Iron Man, for over a decade. His character died in 2019's Avengers: Endgame. Avengers: Doomsday is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. It is scheduled for release in the US on December 18, 2026. A sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars, will follow on December 17, 2027.