Jeremy Renner recently told US Weekly that he was blindsided by the announcement that Robert Downey Jr. will be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Renner’s Hawkeye and Downey’s Iron Man appeared together in several Marvel films dating back to 2012’s “The Avengers.” The two remain close friends, but Downey did not let Renner or any of the original “Avengers” actors (Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson) know he was coming back to the MCU as the villain Doctor Doom.
“No! I had no idea. The son of a bitch didn’t say anything to me,” Renner said. “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.”
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Downey might not be the only one returning to Marvel in the next two “Avengers” movies: 2026’s “Avengers: Doomsday” and 2027’s “Avengers: Secret Wars.” Renner, whose last MCU entry was the “Hawkeye” series on Disney+, told US Weekly that he’ll probably be back in the Avengers and facing off against Downey’s Doctor Doom, although it’s still early days.
“You got Downey back in the mix, you got the Russo Brothers back in the mix. This is a direction where Marvel is going to do well,” Renner said. “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.”
Renner hasn’t played Hawkeye since his 2023 snow plow accident. The actor was hospitalized for blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries, including eight ribs broken in 14 places, left tibia broken, left ankle, right clavicle broken, right shoulder broken and more. Renner told Entertainment Tonight earlier this year that his physical therapy was getting him healthy enough to play Hawkeye again.
“I’m always game. I’m gonna be strong enough, that’s for sure. I’ll be ready,” Renner said about returning to Marvel. “All those [Marvel] guys come to my bedside and they’ve been with me all along through this recovery, so … if they want me, they could have me. It would be something.”
Watch Renner’s interview with US Weekly in the video below.
