Clint Barton actor Jeremy Renner opens up about Robert Downey Jr. rejoining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Marvel Studios is bringing back the actor who got the MCU timeline kicked off all the way back in 2008, as Downey Jr. will make his return in 2026. However, it won’t be as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man; the Academy Award-winning actor will now be playing Victor von Doom, aka Doctor Doom.

However, it turns out a lot of MCU actors had no idea this surprise was in store for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. In a new interview with Us Weekly, Renner was asked about Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom announcement at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. The Hawkeye star revealed he had no idea his long-time Avengers cast member was coming back to the MCU, as he shared the following response:

No! I had no idea. The son of a b*tch didn’t say anything to me. 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.

Will Jeremy Renner Return As Hawkeye In Avengers 5 & 6?

In the same interview with Us Weekly, the outlet asked Renner if Hawkeye will be part of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. While he didn’t formally announce his return for the Phase 6 movies, Renner strongly suggested that he will be part of them in some capacity. Renner stated, “I’m excited about it. We’ll see. I think we’ll probably be doing it. We’ll have to figure it out. It’s all brand new. It all just happened. They just made the announcement, so I guess we got to start figuring it all out.”

Renner did, however, stress the very possible challenges that will come with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, mentioning, “I think it’s going to be challenging to get everybody together. I think they’re going to probably have to piece it together like week-by-week, just for people’s schedules. There’s a lot of people.” A Hawkeye return for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars may be something Renner has already teased, as he promoted the announcements through his Instagram stories on Saturday, July 27. Obviously, if he is signed on to come back, Renner may not be able to say, as it is up to Marvel Studios and Disney when the announcement is made.

Assuming Hawkeye is in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, these could potentially be the final films for Renner. Since the Avengers: Secret Wars plot is rumored to lead into a soft reboot of the MCU, it definitely feels like these films will wrap up this particular version of the franchise. But for now, the world will have to wait and see who is and isn’t in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.