Tom Holland Says Robert Downey. Jr Playing Doctor Doom Was a ‘Tough Secret to Sit on’ Because ‘I Have a Reputation for Ruining Things’: ‘I’ve Done No Press’
Tom Holland revealed on the “Rich Roll” podcast that he was one of the select few people who knew about Robert Downey Jr.’s bombshell Comic-Con reveal, in which it was announced that the former Iron Man/Tony Stark actor would be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the villainous Doctor Doom. Downey will debut as Doom in 2026’s “Avengers: Doomsday,” which will be directed by Joe and Anthony Russo in their own return to Marvel after “Avengers: Endgame.”
“I’ve been speaking to [Robert Downey Jr.] a lot, especially about him making his [Marvel] return, which is super exciting,” Holland said on the “Rich Roll“ podcast. “That was a tough secret to sit on because I have a reputation for ruining things and I strategically have done no press.”
More from Variety
The “Spider-Man” star is notorious for spoiling Marvel movies in his interviews, so much so that a YouTube compilation titled “Tom Holland Spoiling Marvel Movies for 13 Minutes Straight” has a whopping 20 million views.
Holland and Downey became close friends as the former’s run as Spider-Man in the MCU was intertwined with that of Downey’s Iron Man, who became a mentor figure for Peter Parker across several films. The two were scene partners in Holland’s first Marvel movie, “Captain America: Civil War,” and Downey then appeared in “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” They also shared the screen in “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame.” Tony Stark’s death at the end of the latter film then weighed heavily over the events of “Spider-Man: Far From Home.”
Some Marvel fans had been expecting Downey’s return to the MCU as he had said in recent interviews that he was open to coming back. However, Marvel fans naturally assumed that meant he would be playing Iron Man/Tony Stark again somehow given the current MCU is exploring the multiverse. Downey’s return instead as Doctor Doom came as a massive shock.
“Endgame” featured the death of Iron Man. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige stressed to Vanity Fair last December that he had no interest in messing with Downey’s emotional exit.
“We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again,” Feige said at the time about Iron Man’s death. “We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”
Further details of Downey’s Doctor Doom are under wraps, although many Marvel fans expect the character to come face to face with Holland’s superhero given the dramatic potential of Spider-Man having to face off against a villain who wears the face of his father figure.
The Doctor Doom reveal was a closely guarded secret. Fellow Marvel star Sebastian Stan was at Comic-Con to promote “Thunderbolts” and recently said on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast that he had no clue Downey was even there. Marvel did not bring Downey into the backstage waiting area so all of his former co-stars remained in the dark.
Watch Holland’s full interview on the “Rich Roll” podcast in the video below.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
