Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom casting confuses Iron Man co-star: “I don’t get it”

One of Robert Downey Jr’s most famous Iron Man co-stars has weighed on his recent casting as new MCU baddie Doctor Doom, revealing their confusion over his new role.

Marvel fans erupted when it was revealed that Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr., would be returning to the MCU, this time portraying one of the most notorious villains in the comics, Doctor Doom.

During SDCC, the MCU landscape was shaken with a major announcement. The new Avengers film, now titled Doomsday, is set to be directed by the Russo brothers. Their previous works, including the final two Captain America films and the epic Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, made a huge mark on the MCU and are regarded as some of the best films in the genre, not to mention the most financially successful.

While the announcement that RDJ will be playing Doctor Doom took over the internet this past weekend, some old faces from the MCU also weighed in, including one of Downey Jr’s most famous Iron Man co-stars, Gwyneth Paltrow.

Paltrow starred in all three Iron Man movies as Tony Stark’s love interest, Pepper Potts, with Paltrow later brought back for other MCU projects such as Spider-Man: Homecoming and the last two Avengers films.

Shortly after his on-stage appearance at Comic-Con, RDJ posted an image on Instagram in which he was holding up the Doctor Doom mask to his face, staring down his new role. While the Instagram post is filled with comments, a standout is from Pepper Potts herself, with Paltrow responding to the post,  “I don’t get it, are you a baddie now?”

This comment is likely a joke because of the close bond Paltrow and RDJ share, thanks to their longstanding working relationship. However, Paltrow famously admitted to not being super up-to-date with the MCU in a viral clip of an interview with her and Jon Favreau, saying she didn’t even remember staring in Spider-Man: Homecoming.