Robert Downey Jr. had one demand to play Doctor Doom and it wasn’t money

Robert Downey Jr. demanded one major condition in order to accept the role of Doctor Doom, and it had nothing to do with his paycheck.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe was turned onto its head during the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con when it was announced Downey would be returning as the villainous Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday.

Given the actor was such an integral part of the MCU since it launched, it wasn’t surprising to learn he wanted an eye-watering amount of money to put on another metal mask.

However, Downey’s biggest demand had nothing to do with his salary, as he wanted the Russo brothers to direct the upcoming Marvel movies he was included in.

The Russo brothers have a long entangled history with Marvel Studios, starting back in 2014 when they directed Captain America: The Winter Solider, the MCU’s first superhero spy thriller.

From there, the duo went on to direct three other major Marvel movies: Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).

Despite their success with MCU movies, the studio had been looking at other directors to head up Avengers 5 and beyond, but Downey’s casting as the films’ main villain changed their tune.

According to an inside source who spoke with Variety, Downey only agreed to come back to the MCU if the studio signed on the brothers because “they were the only ones he would work with.”

Downey’s director stipulation makes sense when one looks at the overwhelming box office earnings the trio made together.

Civil War earned $1.1 billion, Infinity War made $2 billion, and Endgame ended its theatrical run with a total of $2.799 billion.

With these numbers, it’s no wonder Downey would want the Russos back in the driver’s seat to launch his villain era in the MCU.

For more, keep up to date with Spider-Man 4 and Venom 3, along with all the other new movies streaming in July.