Pedro Pascal teases Reed Richards’ dynamic with Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom in “Avengers: Doomsday”

Staff AuthorSun, July 26, 2026 at 11:30 AM UTC

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Pedro Pascal in ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’Credit: Courtesy of Marvel StudiosKey points -

Pedro Pascal says his Marvel character, Reed Richards, doesn’t take responsibility for Robert Downey Jr.’s Victor Von Doom.

“Intellectuals understand that we’re all responsible for ourselves,” the Fantastic Four: First Steps star says.

Pascal adds, “It’s very easy for me to be single-focused through the perspective of the character as it relates to somebody like Victor Von Doom.”

Don’t blame Mr. Fantastic for the actions of Doctor Doom.

During a group interview with the cast of Avengers: Doomsday at Entertainment Weekly’s 2026 San Diego Comic-Con studio, Pedro Pascal tells Entertainment Weekly that his Fantastic Four: First Steps character doesn’t take any responsibility for the havoc that Robert Downey Jr.‘s Victor Von Doom unleashes on the Avengers in the upcoming crossover film.

“Intellectuals understand that we’re all responsible for ourselves,” Pascal says while describing Reed Richards’ attitude toward Doom.

The Materialists star goes on to explain that he views Downey’s antagonist from the perspective of his individual character rather than the way that viewers might evaluate Doom. “The world that we’re in, and the way that I understand it through Reed, at least, is very singular to the relationship that I have to Doom,” he explains. “And I guess there is a big barrier between the context that we all have as audience members to the experience of Avengers, and the incredible way that all of it is threaded together as we have X-Men sitting with us in this group.”

Pascal is joined by Downey, X-Men alums Rebecca Romijn and Kelsey Grammer, and fellow MCU stars Chris Evans, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, David Harbour, and Lewis Pullman in the interview.

“It’s very easy for me to be single-focused through the perspective of the character as it relates to somebody like Victor Von Doom,” he says.

“That was verging on filibuster, would you like another go?” Downey quips as Pascal wraps up his response.

Mr. Fantastic and Doctor Doom are typically framed as arch-nemeses throughout Marvel Comics lore. The duo were previously portrayed by Ioan Gruffudd and Julian McMahon in the pair of 2000s F4 films and by Miles Teller and Toby Kebbell in Josh Trank’s 2015 Fantastic 4.

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The exclusive Doomsday footage that debuted at Marvel Studios’ Hall H panel at Comic-Con on Saturday night confirmed that Doom comes from the Fantastic Four’s home universe, Earth-828, instead of the main MCU. The footage suggested that Reed’s wife, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), has personal knowledge of Doom’s past and how he lost his family.

Robert Downey Jr. at San Diego Comic-Con in 2024Credit: Jesse Grant/Getty

“He’s always the smartest guy in every world… he used to be different,” she says in the footage. “He used to be kind, he used to be caring… Everything he loved was taken from him… I knew he was lost, and I did not realize that he was broken.”

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Downey compares Doom to his previous MCU character, Tony Stark/Iron Man, during his conversation with EW.

“There’s the science thing, and they’re considered pretty brilliant guys,” Downey says. “But Tony had the trauma that turned him into a hero and Doom’s got the exact opposite, to where it takes the prowess of all of these folks to go up against him, and it was a joy to behold.”

Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters Dec. 18.

Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’Credit: Courtesy of Marvel

Check out more of EW’s coverage from San Diego Comic-Con 2026.

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