There is a sweet bond of friendship among the original Avengers cast, their circle includes Robert Downey Jr who played Iron Man, Steve Rogers/Captain America star Chris Evans, God of Thunder star Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo who played Hulk, Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson and Hawkeye actor Jeremy Renner. They even share a similar tattoo, excluding Ruffalo, of course. But Renner said RDJ kept his return a secret even from his long-time pals.
Jeremy Renner Reacted To Robert Downey Jr’s Return To MCU
Jeremy Renner and OG Avengers co-stars. Image Credit: Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios pulled off the biggest surprise of the year at 2024 SDCC bringing Robert Downey Jr back under the studio’s banner but not with Iron Man’s mask rather he will play Marvel Cinematic Universe’s next big baddie Doctor Doom. Marvel’s secrecy is commendable as no one at the studios other than a few was aware of RDJ’s return.
As the news of RDJ’s return took the world by surprise, Jeremy Renner recently shared that even the original Avengers team, who happens to be best of friends, were unaware of it. “No! I had no idea,” Jeremy Renner told US Weekly in a recent virtual chat with the outlet.
“The son of a b*tch didn’t say anything to me. We’re good friends. There’s the Avengers family chat. The original six. He said not a peep. I got online and started blowing up his phone like, ‘What’s going on? You’ve been hiding this from us the whole time?’ It’s exciting news. I’m really, really excited about it.”
Of course, the news was surprising even to Renner and other Marvel stars. But this means, Renner will have to face RDJ’s Doom with his remaining original Avengers buddies and of course, with several new heroes.
Jeremy Renner Is Hopeful For Upcoming Avengers Movies
Jeremy Renner and Robert Downey Jr. Image Credit: Marvel Studios
It was not just RDJ, the Russo Brothers who directed Marvel’s highest-grosser Avengers: Endgame and several other successful slates are also returning to direct two of the upcoming Avengers movies— Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars.
Renner further said that, with the Russo Brothers and RDJ’s return, Marvel Studios is heading to a good phase. “You got Downey back in the mix, you got the Russo Brothers back in the mix,” he told US Weekly.
“This is a direction where Marvel is going to do well. The Avengers movies have always been fan favorites and there’s so many wonderful characters in them. It’s going to be challenging to get everyone together. But I am excited about it. We’ll see. I think we’ll probably be doing it. It’s all brand new. They just made the announcement. They got to start figuring it out,” he added.
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Renner is also back to acting after his long absence from the screen since his 2023 snow plow accident. The actor is now in the game and ready to play his MCU character again.
Avengers: Doomsday is slated for May 1, 2026 release.
