Robert Downey Jr, Pedro Pascal swap Avengers: Doomsday roles for Halloween

Actors Robert Downey Jr and Pedro Pascal traded their Marvel identities for Halloween, offering fans a playful preview of the rivalry at the heart of Avengers: Doomsday. Downey stepped into Pascal’s blue Fantastic Four suit as Mister Fantastic, while Pascal became Doctor Doom in a hooded green sweatshirt, silver mask and cloak.The role reversal comes before the film reaches Indian cinemas on December 17, a day ahead of its US release. Downey and Chris Evans recently announced the Indian release in a Diwali video, confirming that the film will be available in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.Downey and Pascal shared photographs and videos taken on a street at night. Their light-hearted poses gave the outing a casual trick-or-treat feel, even as the costumes pointed to their characters’ coming confrontation.In Avengers: Doomsday, Downey will play Victor von Doom, while Pascal will appear as Reed Richards, also known as Mister Fantastic. Their characters will be rivals as Marvel’s heroes and villains clash in the film. A Diwali message for IndiaDowney and Evans, who play Doctor Doom and Steve Rogers, respectively, extended their Diwali wishes to Indian audiences in a special video. They also drew a parallel between the festival of lights and the film’s storyline.“Namaste India! What we love about Diwali is that it marks the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another. That’s something we know a lot about, except instead of moving from dark to light, I think it might be going in the other direction. Happy Diwali, and we will see you in Avengers: Doomsday. You bet!” the actors said. The film will open in Indian theatres on December 17, while its US release is scheduled for December 18. It will also be available in premium formats, including Marvel Studios’ Infinity Vision.Heroes from three universesAvengers: Doomsday will bring together heroes from three distinct universes as they face an existential threat. Downey, who previously played Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will return to the franchise as Doctor Doom. Evans will reprise his role as Steve Rogers, the former Captain America.Anthony and Joe Russo, who previously directed Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, are directing the film. Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito and Jonathan Schwartz are the producers.The ensemble cast includes Chris Hemsworth, Pedro Pascal, Paul Rudd, Anthony Mackie, Florence Pugh, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Wyatt Russell, Channing Tatum, Simu Liu, Ian McKellen, Hayley Atwell, Tom Hiddleston, James Marsden, Patrick Stewart, Joseph Quinn, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Letitia Wright, Lewis Pullman, Kelsey Grammer, Kathryn Newton, Danny Ramirez, Winston Duke, Alan Cumming, Hannah John-Kamen, Rebecca Romijn, Alex Livinalli, Mabel Cadena and Tenoch Huerta Mejia.- Ends