Jeremy Renner says Robert Downey Jr told no one about his return to Avengers films

Iron Man actor returns as villain Doctor Doom in forthcoming Avengers films

Jeremy Renner says he was as surprised as the rest of the world to learn about Robert Downey Jr returning as Doctor Doom in two upcoming Avengers films.

The Mayor of Kingstown star said he started “blowing up” Downey Jr’s phone as soon as he heard.

“I had no idea. This son of a b**** didn’t say anything to me and we’re good friends,” Renner told Us Weekly.

“We’re good friends. There’s the Avengers family chat. The original six. He said not a peep. I got online and started blowing up his phone like, ‘What’s going on? You have been hiding this from us the whole time?’

“It’s exciting news. I’m really, really excited about it.”

Renner, who starred as Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appeared with Downey Jr’s Iron Man in 2012’s Avengers, 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.

Downey Jr revealed at Comic Con in San Diego, California, on 27 July that he would be playing Doctor Doom in the Avengers films Doomsday, set to release in 2026, and Secret Wars, scheduled for 2027.

Robert Downey Jr and Jeremy Renner at the ‘Endgame’ premiere in South Korea (Getty)

Asked if he would return to the franchise like his friend, Renner said he was open to the idea. “You got Downey back in the mix, you got the Russo brothers back in the mix. This is a direction where Marvel is going to do well,” he said.

“The Avengers movies have always been fan favourites and there’s so many wonderful characters in them. It’s going to be challenging to get everyone together. But I am excited about it. We’ll see. I think we’ll probably be doing it. It’s all brand new. They just made the announcement. They got to start figuring it out.”

Fans had been anticipating the announcement of the next villain after Jonathan Majors was dropped over harassment and assault charges. He was to play Kang the Conqueror in the fifth Avengers film, then titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

While the announcement of Downey J’s casting at the Comic Con was met with rapturous response, the reaction online was more mixed.

One fan described it as a “desperate move” to revive what they contend to be a flagging franchise, while others criticised the fact that Downey Jr’s casting took away Doctor Doom’s Romani descent.

Renner met with a horrific snowplow accident in January last year and had to be treated for severe injuries, including a collapsed lung and more than 30 broken bones. In May this year he began filming for season three of Mayor of Kingstown, in which he is playing power broker Mike McLusky, and talked about the toll of returning to work.

“I had to physically and emotionally lean on the cast and crew to get through the days. They compensated with scheduling and stuff, so I could get stronger,” he said on Good Morning America.