When it was announced that Robert Downey Jr would return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this time not as Iron Man, but as the far more complex Doctor Doom, the internet erupted with excitement. Since then, anticipation for Avengers: Doomsday has only continued to grow. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and written by Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely, the film is among the most eagerly awaited releases of the year worldwide.‘We have laboured long and hard’Recently, Downey Jr opened up about the pressure of returning to the MCU in such a significant role. Speaking to Comic Book Reporter, the actor said he has been drawing inspiration from the Russo brothers’ approach to stay grounded amid the expectations. “I’m quite odd in that I try to stay as removed from a subjective experience of things as I can. So I try to think like the brothers. I try to feel like I’m in the writing room. I try to feel all that stuff. But eventually, there are so many big shoes to step into that I just have to go, ‘What hasn’t been done as well as it can be done yet?’ We’re always looking for that opportunity.”Also Read | ‘Owen Cooper would be awesome’: Tom Holland backs Adolescence star as next Spider-ManDowney Jr also revealed that the team has taken a different approach with Doctor Doom, echoing the Russo brothers’ earlier comments that Avengers: Doomsday is being built “from scratch.” As he put it, “There’s some experimentation. We’ve had our moments of, ‘Let’s shift here.’ But we landed in a place that I think will more than suffice. And it’s not even about how I executed it. It’s about the way it’s been structured, and the other characters. There’s something going on in Doomsday and forward that is literally the only antidote to, ‘How do you not have these films be let down after an Infinity War and an Endgame?’ And boy, have we laboured long and hard to bring that down.”‘Doomsday is most mature of all them’In the same conversation, Joe Russo spoke about the scale and emotional depth of the upcoming film. “There are a lot of surprises in this. And I think (Doomsday is) the most emotionally complex of all of them. And in a lot of ways, the most mature of all of them,” he said.Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to arrive in theatres on December 18, 2026.