Downey and Pascal swap Doctor Doom and Mister Fantastic costumes weeks before Avengers: Doomsday
The two MCU co-stars hit the streets on Halloween dressed as each other's characters, posting the reveal with the caption 'Victor. Richard. Costume swap!'
With Avengers: Doomsday less than two months away, Robert Downey Jr. and Pedro Pascal gave Marvel fans an early preview of their on-screen chemistry — by swapping each other's costumes for Halloween.
Downey, who plays Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom in the film, spent the night in Reed Richards' retro blue Fantastic Four suit. Pascal, who plays Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, wore Doom's signature silver mask, green hood, and cape — over jeans and a sweatshirt. The two posted an Instagram video of the reveal captioned with a reference to a Victor and Richard costume swap.
The swap was more than a social media moment. Pascal shared video on his Instagram story of the pair actually walking among Halloween crowds, and X/Twitter user Patrick Oneill posted photos of himself and two children — one dressed as Pascal's other famous role, the Mandalorian — meeting the duo in person. According to IGN, Downey joked with the Mandalorian-costumed child by inviting them to come meet the 'real' Mandalorian, gesturing to Pascal.
The lighthearted outing lands at a moment when fan attention to the Reed-Doom relationship is already running high. Trailers for Doomsday have shown Reed addressing Doom by his first name — 'Victor' — and asking whether he had done 'this,' a line that, according to ComicBook, signals a shared history between the two characters. A voiceover from Sue Storm in one trailer also references a single catastrophic event that left Doom 'twisted and unrecognizable,' though the nature of that event has not been revealed.
The pair posted an Instagram video of the reveal captioned with a reference to a Victor and Richard costume swap.— Robert Downey Jr. and Pedro Pascal, Instagram
Avengers: Doomsday premieres December 18, 2026. The film will also feature a cameo from Sandra Hüller, known for Project Hail Mary, and marks the final on-screen appearance of Sir Patrick Stewart, according to IGN.
Why it matters — The swap offers the first candid glimpse of the Downey-Pascal dynamic ahead of Doomsday, a film whose central tension hinges on the complicated history between their two characters.
⚠ Not yet confirmed
- Downey made a joke inviting a child dressed as the Mandalorian to meet the 'real' Mandalorian, gesturing to Pascal
- Downey adding the joke 'Cross-dressing.'
- exact Instagram caption presented as direct quote
Reported by ew.com, comicbook.com, ign.com
- Robert Downey Jr.American actor (born 1965)
- Pedro PascalChilean and American actor (born 1975)
