Posted in: Marvel Studios, Movies | Tagged: avengers: doomsday

Avengers: Doomsday – Simu Liu Praises Robert Downey Jr.'s Performance

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu says we will be "blown away" by what Robert Downey Jr. does with Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday.

It appears that the first rotation of actors who have been announced as appearing in Avengers: Doomsday have wrapped their filming up, or at least some of it. It makes sense; there's no way the script is going to have every single character in one location for the entire film, so batch filming with the different groups and maybe planning way in advance if they need to bring everyone together is the best idea. Pedro Pascal has reportedly wrapped, David Harbour is about to start filming Violent Night 2, Alan Cumming confirmed that he had wrapped as Nightcrawler, and Florence Pugh will have a significant role in Dune: Part Three, so she's got to be done as well. It sounds like Simu Liu is still filming, if the tense in this new interview with The River is anything to go by. However, it is translated from Japanese via Google Translate, and tenses are one of the big things that it can get wrong. Liu, to his credit, when pushed for any details, didn't give anything away but did talk about his own personal feelings and experiences on set.

"Every day feels like a dream. I get to go to work and work with people I respect and admire," Liu said. "Some of them are actors I watched when I was little, even before I wanted to be an actor. I can't believe I'm working with such people and learning from them. It's an incredible feeling to be able to listen to their stories, suggest things to them, and even do scenes with them. My emotions are a mix of great feelings and excitement, as well as fear and anxiety. I'm human, after all. I'm with some amazing people, so I do feel anxious at times. But everyone is so wonderful, and it doesn't really feel like work every day.

Liu is only one movie deep into his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and his only appearance is about as isolated storywise as a Marvel movie gets these days. It made for a better movie, but it also means that Liu is working with his Marvel co-stars for the first time. While others are in the same boat as him, Avengers: Doomsday also has people who have been there since day one, literally, with Robert Downey Jr. taking on a new role as Doctor Doom. When Liu was asked who inspires him the most, he said it's Downey Jr. and said we're going to be blown away with what he brings to the table as Doctor Doom.

"The simple answer is Robert Downey Jr. He really inspires me. He's been an integral part of Marvel's success and has been in so many films over the years, yet he still takes the time to meet and connect with so many people. He's such a kind, generous, and inspiring person. … Because he's played such a diverse range of roles, I think everyone will be blown away by the way he tackles this new character (Doctor Doom) in this film."

As previously stated, this is translated from Japanese, so if things seem a bit clunky, keep that in mind. It's good to hear someone mention Downey Jr. as Doom specifically because if there is one decision regarding Avengers: Doomsday that was more contentious than bringing back Anthony and Joe Russo after they did nothing but produce high-profile flop after flop for Netflix, it's Downey Jr.'s casting as Doom. At least the guy returning for round two is one of the stronger actors in the MCU as a whole. 

Is Avengers: Doomsday Taking Steps Back Instead Of Forward?

Over the summer of 2024, word came that Marvel and Disney were courting Anthony and Joe Russo to return and direct the next two Avengers films. It made sense in a way; they were coming off a year that didn't exactly go to plan, and no doubt they wanted to go with what they thought would be the safest option. It turned out that the reports were spot on, and in July 2024, they were announced as the directors at San Diego Comic-Con. That was also where we learned that Robert Downey Jr. would be coming back as Doctor Doom, and it became very clear that Marvel was playing it safe by returning to what worked the first time.

At the end of March, over the course of five and a half hours, Marvel announced a large portion of the Avengers: Doomsday cast, which includes, along with already confirmed Robert Downey Jr.,  Chris Hemsworth, Vanessa Kirby, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, Wyatt Russell, Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Simu Liu, Florence Pugh, Kelsey Grammer, Lewis Pullman, Danny Ramirez, Joseph Quinn, David Harbour, Winston Duke, Hannah John-Kamen, Tom Hiddleston, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Channing Tatum, and Pedro Pascal. The inclusion of previous X-Men characters is more proof that Marvel is taking steps back instead of forward. The stream was also an announcement that the film had entered production. Avengers: Doomsday will be released in theaters on December 18, 2026. Avengers: Secret Wars is set to be released on December 17, 2027.

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