Principal photography of the upcoming MCU film Avengers: Doomsday wrapped earlier this year, with the ambitious shoot gathering dozens of characters from previous Marvel films, and with Robert Downey Jr. returning to the franchise in his new role. The actor will now play Doctor Doom, the nefarious antagonist in this era of the MCU, and star Simu Liu has spilled the beans about what it is like to work with the huge Marvel figure. Reportedly, Downey Jr. is being treated as a king on set, and he has created his own "Downey Land" behind the cameras.
Liu recently spoke to Collider about Avengers: Doomsday, and entering the crossover event and one of the biggest movies of the decade. While sharing the details about the production, Liu addressed meeting Downey Jr. on set, and entering the tent the Iron Man actor had set up to host his entire crew:
"Downey famously has this convoy of trailers and this whole area in base camp that we affectionately called Downey Land. And I remember getting invited to Downey Land for the first time and just showing up in this tent, and it's all this beautiful Andy Warhol-esque artwork, except all the characters are Downey. I mean, he's so self-aware.
"He greeted me, and then I didn't realize that Downey Land has its own chefs, but I had brought my set lunch, and he was like, 'Oh, no, no, no. We don't do that here.' The chefs had come and laid out this full buffet, and I was like, 'Oh, I'll put this away.' And then just the people walking through, I was like, 'I cannot believe I'm having lunch with these people.'"
After initially playing the titular superhero in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Liu will be reprising his role for Avengers: Doomsday, a film that will see him joining one of the biggest casts in cinema history. The actor shared some details of how it was to meet Downey Jr. on the set for the first time, a moment he describes as a "pinch-me moment":
"Those pinch-me moments happened in the moments in between, because I feel like when we're on set, and we're in character and ready to go, everyone's generally pretty focused. For me, it was very imperative that I put that fan side away. I compartmentalized that side of me… As ridiculous as it sounded to me at the time, I was like, 'No. I have to treat these people as my equals, even though I'm literally like a little boy right now.'
"I had many of those moments. I remember meeting Downey for the first time. That is such a pinch-me moment in and of itself, because I'd almost met everyone else around him at some juncture or other, but I had never actually met him, and it's very fitting…This was a very momentous meeting where we met, and then we were like, 'We're about to work together. That's fantastic.' I got to say how much his work has meant to me, and shared some really kind words, and he was really sweet. That was the first one."
'Avengers: Doomsday' Is Going To Be Huge
Avengers: Doomsday lands in theaters one year from now, on December 18, 2026. The worldwide release will see Anthony and Joe Russo returning as directors after they made MCU giants like Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. It will also feature the return of the franchise's massive cast, with Liu and Downey Jr. being joined by Chris Hemsworth, Paul Rudd, Tom Hiddleston, and Channing Tatum, among many others from all corners of the Marvel spectrum.
Plot details remain under wraps outside of some wild theories and rumors as the film has entered its editing and post-production process. What we do know is that Avengers: Doomsday will feature the original MCU gang known as the Avengers joining others like the Fantastic Four and the original X-Men in a fight against Doctor Doom.
The marketing department tried something different this time with the release of teaser trailers one year before the film's release. Four different versions are being attached to screenings of Avatar: Fire and Ash, with two of those teasers now available online, while the third is due to arrive imminently in theaters.
