Robert Downey Jr. is coming back to the MCU through the character of Doctor Doom in Doomsday, but a different Marvel series kept him connected to the franchise all this time. Robert Downey Jr. played Tony Stark/Iron Man in the MCU for 11 years, and his character died in Avengers: Endgame (2019). It was 2024 when Marvel revealed that Downey was returning as Doom in Doomsday. While Downey must have been in talks with the Russo brothers from before that time, as a viewer, what kept him connected to Marvel was WandaVision. Before Avengers: Doomsday, it was WandaVision that kept Robert Downey Jr. tethered to the MCUAs an actor, Robert Downey Jr. had multiple ways to stay connected to Marvel. Afterall all, he is friends with many of his co-actors and was evidently in talks with the franchise regarding Doomsday since fans love him so much. However, as a viewer, after Endgame, it was WandaVision that kept Downey connected to the franchise. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostWandaVision came out in January, 2021, and was one of the first few projects released after Avengers: Endgame. It followed Wanda and Vision, who lived in a town called Westview with their two sons. Each episode looked like a famous sitcom from a different decade, starting in the 1950s and moving forward. The show then revealed that Wanda had trapped the real town of Westview inside a massive energy field and changed the real people into sitcom actors against their will. Wanda created the fake world because she was broken-hearted and grieving the death of Vision. The show was a success because it gave us a unique look at how grief and trauma can break even the strongest of superheroes. As Robert Downey Jr. recently revealed in an interview with CBR's Sean O'Connell, WandaVision was the show that kept him connected to the MCU, especially during the pandemic. As Downey said,"And by the way, WandaVision kept me connected to the MCU during the pandemic. It would've been great at any point in time, but everyone across the board has done their part."Downey said this after O'Connell pointed out how Wanda killing Vision to destroy the Mind stone was one of the plot twists that was extremely moving and has stayed with fans even today. Many fans would agree with Downey as to why WandaVision was so well made, as it came out at a time when so many people across the world were going through their own grief. To see a superhero feeling human feelings and getting so affected by them that she created a fictional world resonated with many. Downey also spoke about Doomsday, saying,"But I will say this, there's an incredible amount of gratitude we have going into these two. One epic at a time. Doomsday, just the gratitude to be able to do it, to still be engaging with people who are critical when we fall short. But understand how difficult it is when we get it right."Thus, WandaVision kept Downey connected to the MCU and its storytelling, and now he's thankful he gets to be a part of two big films that he hopes will make the fans happy. Avengers: Doomsday will be released in theaters on December 18, 2026. For more articles like this, follow Soapcentral.