MCU Star Don Cheadle Reacted The Way You Did To Robert Downey Jr.’s Return

MCU actor Don Cheadle, who plays James Rhodes/War Machine in the Marvel movie series, has revealed how he reacted when Marvel revealed that Robert Downey Jr. was coming back to the MCU. In an interview, the Oscar-nominated actor said he had the same reaction fans might have had to the news that Downey Jr. would return, not as Iron Man, but instead as Dr. Doom.

“I was like, ‘What the f*ck?’ I think that’s exactly what I said,” he told Collider.

Pressed for more information about the next Avengers movies, Doomsday and Secret Wars, Cheadle said he can’t spoil anything because he doesn’t know anything. “Everything is clay right now. They’re rewriting, they’re reworking, and so I honestly can’t even tease anything,” he said.

Doomsday is coming in May 2026, with Avengers co-directors Joe and Anthony Russo returning to direct. Secret Wars will follow a year later.

In addition to Downey Jr. as Dr. Doom, members of the Fantastic Four and Thunderbolts are set to show up, which means we could see characters like Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm appear, along with Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Taskmaster, Ghost, and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in some capacity. The full cast has yet to be revealed.

According to Variety, the Russo brothers will produce the movies through their AGBO banner, which is a change for Marvel–the company doesn’t usually produce its big superhero movies via outside companies like that. The report also stated that Downey Jr. only agreed to return to the MCU if the Russo brothers directed. Additionally, the Russo brothers are reportedly getting $80 million to make Doomsday and Secret Wars, along with performance-based incentives for box office results at $750 million and $1 billion, should the films reach those thresholds.

As for Cheadle, he’s set to star in the sports drama Unstoppable, which tells the story of the wrestler Anthony Robles.