Anthony and Joe Russo revealed the unexpected and casual moment Robert Downey Jr. landed on his voice for Doctor Doom, saying the discovery instantly became one of the most memorable moments of their work together on Avengers: Apocalypse.
Talk to PEOPLE at San Diego Comic-Con after Marvel’s Hall H presentation, the directing duo said they were already convinced Downey was right for the villain role long before hearing his take on the character.
“It was something that Robert surprised us with one day,” Anthony Russo recalled.
“You know, we were talking about all the details of the character, the voice, of course, is a key part of it, especially in the mask. So one day, I think it was in the trailer, we were just talking about some ideas and he broke out in the voice. And we knew at that point that that was it.”
Joe Russo said the moment left him with “chills,” comparing its impact to another defining Downey moment in the MCU: “That would probably be one of the most memorable moments, that one and the ‘I am Iron Man.’ [scene] when he snapped his fingers. Robert tends to feature a lot of these super memorable moments. »
Downey’s Doctor Doom voice, which relies on a thick fictional Latvian accent, sparked mixed reactions online when it first aired in a trailer, with some comparing it to a theatrical impression of Dracula.
The Russos’ account suggests that the choice was thoughtful, shaped by detailed conversations between the actor and directors about the character’s psychology and the weight of fan expectations, rather than a late addition to the performance.
Downey returns to the MCU in Avengers: Apocalypse not as Tony Stark but as Victor Von Doom, the film’s central antagonist, in a story that brings together the Avengers, Fantastic Four and the X-Men for the first time.
Avengers: Apocalypsedirected by the Russo brothers, hits theaters on December 18.
