Simu Liu says in a new interview with Collider that Robert Downey Jr. brought a “trailer convoy” to the set of Avengers: Doomsday, which the film’s cast and crew playfully named “Downey Land.” Liu will return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Shang-Chi opposite Downey, who plays villain Doctor Doom in 2026’s Tentpole. Downey’s return to Marvel as a villain rather than the iconic Iron Man role has sparked widespread interest in Doomsday. It looks like the studio pulled out all the stops on set for the Oscar winner’s spectacular return.
“Downey is famous for having this convoy of trailers and this whole area of base camp that we affectionately call Downeyland,” Liu said. “I remember being invited to Downeyland for the first time and showing up in this tent, and it was all beautiful Andy Warhol-esque artwork, except all the characters were Downey. I mean, he’s very self-conscious.”
“So he said hello to me, and I brought him a lunch set, which I didn’t know Downeyland had a personal chef, and he said, ‘Oh, no, no, no. We don’t do that here,'” Liu continued. “The chefs came and laid out this full buffet, and I thought, ‘Oh, let’s take care of this.’ And I looked at all the people walking by and thought, ‘I can’t believe I’m having lunch with all these people.'”
Liu and Downey are just two members of the cast for Avengers: Doomsday, which joins Marvel heavyweights like Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, and Tom Hiddleston, returning X-Men actors like Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, and James Marsden, as well as new MCU favorites like Channing Tatum, Pedro Pascal, and Vanessa. Kirby and more. It’s unclear which actors Liu shares scenes with in the film, but it’s safe to say he was a big fan of all of his scene partners.
“For me, it was very important to let go of the fan aspect,” Liu told Collider. “Because I was compartmentalizing that side of myself and thinking, ‘I’ve got a job to do. I’ve got a job to do. And the worst thing I can do right now is be a fan. I’m not a fan. I’m a co-worker.’ As ridiculous as that sounds, or as ridiculous as it sounded to me at the time, I was like, ‘No.’ I am literally like a little boy right now, but I have to treat these people as my equals. ”
“Avengers: Doomsday” will be released in theaters by Disney on December 18th.
